Wi-Fi answers
Mesh for a Victorian house
How do I get good Wi-Fi in a victorian terrace or semi?
The short answer
In a victorian terrace or semi the building is the limit, not the broadband. Solid brick internal walls rather than hollow plasterboard Get the router out of the front hallway if you can. We do not quote a single "walls cut the signal by X%" figure, because the loss depends entirely on what the wall is made of.
Tell us the walls and floors and we mark where the boxes should go.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Solid brick internal walls rather than hollow plasterboard | Get the router out of the front hallway if you can |
| Chimney breasts in the middle of the house | Aim for one extra box per floor, placed in the hallway rather than the far bedroom |
| Long, narrow layout with the router usually by the front door | A cable up the stairs is worth more than a bigger mesh pack |
The short answer
- Get the router out of the front hallway if you can
What gets in the way here
- Solid brick internal walls rather than hollow plasterboard
- Chimney breasts in the middle of the house
- Long, narrow layout with the router usually by the front door
What actually works
- Get the router out of the front hallway if you can
- Aim for one extra box per floor, placed in the hallway rather than the far bedroom
- A cable up the stairs is worth more than a bigger mesh pack
Before you buy
- Run the free home score first
- A cable between two boxes beats a bigger mesh pack
People also ask
- How many mesh boxes do I need in a victorian terrace or semi?
- Do Wi-Fi extenders work in a victorian terrace or semi?
- Where should the router go in a victorian terrace or semi?
If you do end up spending money
Only after the free fixes. Nobody pays to appear here, and no shop link changes anything we say.
- Mesh sized to the building, not the broadband speed
- Wired backhaul or an outdoor access point