The first on our list is the everyday mirror. Its back may include a thin layer of silver (or, for lower cost mirrors, even a plain metal layer) which will reflect the Wi-Fi signal, sending it back towards the router or making it bounce off walls. Even common glass can have a significant impact, so make sure to avoid using it when it’s not necessary.

Don’t you (and your cat) simply love that huge fish tank that’s full of colorful fish? Well, so does your Wi-Fi signal, because a large chunk of it is absorbed by water. The hydrogen and oxygen combination we love so much has a high density, so it is able to absorb the Wi-Fi signal. For best results, try to keep the router as far as possible from any large body of water.

Everyone loves working in a well-built building, which is able to withstand a strong earthquake, for example. But the metallic mesh from which these solid walls are built can hinder Wi-Fi signal propagation as well. As you can imagine, I’m not going to recommend that you should weaken the building structure to boost signal. The proper solution is to purchase good access points and Wi-Fi extenders, thus making sure that the Wi-Fi signal can reach even the farthest areas in your office.

One of the most surprising Wi-Fi signal killers is… you! Yes, our bodies include up to 70% water, and this explains why we are so good at absorbing signals that travel at a 2.4 GHz frequency. If your office is crowded (and what office isn’t crowded these days?) there are many human bodies which will diminish the Wi-Fi signal power.

If that is the case, it is recommended to mount your routers, access points and signal repeaters as high as possible, above people’s heads, with the goal of minimizing any signal loss. Invest in a pair of decent DA Wi-Fi antennas and I guarantee that you will see the difference.

I love board meetings just like the next guy. This means that I don’t like them that much, actually. They can be useful from time to time, though. And when 30 people are downloading that video which is supposed to highlight an important company achievement at the same time, we shouldn’t be surprised that nobody else is able to do any real work in the office.

The solution is simple: limit the download and upload speeds for all the devices that aren’t involved in profit-producing activities. Most routers allow you to do that from within the admin’s interface. Sometimes it may be even easier to do it by creating two different Wi-Fi networks: one that’s used for productive activities and gets access to 80% of the network’s resources, and another one that can be used for Facebook related activities, guest networks, and so on. Yes, even a single, modern, dual band router can do that.

Many times, your Internet browsing experience is very poor because the Wi-Fi equipment is outdated. Or maybe it wasn’t designed to cope with so many devices that are connected to the network at the same time. If you have hired more people, consider upgrading your Wi-Fi equipment as well.

These are the key Wi-Fi signal killers. As you can see, the causes of poor wireless network performance can be quite varied. But the good news is that each one of them can be fixed by investing some time and money. If your business is thriving, it may be worth it to invest into modern, powerful Wi-Fi equipment. This step alone should fix 90% of the problems highlighted above.