Dartmouth researchers reveal why you should wrap your Wi-Fi router in aluminum foil

If your Wi-Fi router’s signal is lagging in certain parts of your home, the solution may just be in your kitchen drawer.

Standard household aluminum foil, 0.024 millimeters thick, has been shown to be just as good as other more expensive signal-reflecting metals such as copper and silver, according to computer scientists at the University of Dartmouth.

Researchers have engineered a simple hack that promises not only that Improve your wireless signal, but they can also boost your cybersecurity, for the same amount it costs to wrap your leftovers.

It may seem crazy, but having a “foil hat” on your router may also help you be less crazy about hackers infiltrating your wireless network.

The researchers’ technology relies on a 3D-printed reflector wrapped in aluminum foil.

The reflective shape of each router must be personally optimized to direct signals toward desired areas and away from where they are not needed.

While the device will work best with 3D printed materials, as it can more accurately capture and maintain the optimal shape for the desired coverage, the team also says you can create a similar structure using cardboard.

This inexpensive technology was developed for BuildSys Conference 2017 In the Netherlands by researchers at Dartmouth College, Columbia University, and the University of Washington.

The trick takes advantage of the fact that your Wi-Fi router’s antennas pump out wireless signals uniformly in all directions.

From a hardware manufacturer’s perspective, this makes a lot of sense in terms of design — until you, the consumer, prop that router into a corner or against a wall, the router encounters winding corridors, signal interference from other devices, or other obstructions.

The Dartmouth-led team created a reflective dish to improve the Wi-Fi signal by redirecting it entirely to where it needs to go.

Adding boosters and keeping technology up to date will also benefit your internet signal

Experts say that placing your router too close to the microwave in your kitchen is one of the worst places to put it

This, according to the researchers, reduces the interference and signal dampening effect of building materials, furniture and other common objects.

It can also enhance your network’s protection against cyberattacks by identifying nearby areas that provide access to the signal from your router.

“With this single solution, we are addressing a number of challenges that wireless users experience,” said author of the conference presentation, Xia Zhou, then an assistant professor of computer science at Dartmouth.

“We’re not only strengthening radio signals, we’re making those signals themselves more secure.”

Previous research found that placing an aluminum soda can behind a Wi-Fi access point can strengthen the signal in one direction.

In the new work, the team built on this idea and did the design Algorithm for optimizing reflector shape To target more specific coverage areas, unique to their Wi-Fi needs in one laboratory and an adjacent room separated by a thick wall.

The team simulated the propagation of signals, as well as their interactions with objects in the environment.

“The result demonstrates the necessity and effectiveness of our optimization, which takes into account the internal layout to customize the shape of the reflector and allows more flexible control,” the researchers said.

What this means for your router is that, eventually, you’ll also have to experiment with the shape of your inverter to test how best to redirect the signal to optimize coverage based on the floor plan of your home or office.

How it works

Research has shown that placing an aluminum soda can behind a Wi-Fi access point can strengthen the signal in one direction.

In the new work, the team built on this idea, and designed an algorithm to optimize the shape of the reflector to target more specific coverage areas.

Signal shaping allows users to direct Wi-Fi towards areas where it is needed most.

The researchers explained that signal shaping allows users to direct Wifi towards areas where it is needed most

It also helps reduce interference and help protect against cyberattacks, as it limits the signal to certain spaces.

The researchers 3D-printed a structure of the desired shape, and covered it with a thin layer of reflective metal – such as aluminium.

For those who don’t have access to a 3D printer, they also note that cardboard can do the job.