How do I get good internet in a loft conversion?
By Jon Grant, Manchester Home Networking. Updated .
Short answer
Loft rooms are usually the worst place in the house for wifi. They're the furthest from the router, and they're often lined with foil-backed insulation that blocks the signal. The fix is a wired connection. If the conversion isn't finished, get a network cable put in now. If it is, one can run up the outside wall instead.
Why is wifi so bad up there?
Three things stack up. The loft is two floors from a router that usually sits by the front door. The signal has to get through every floor and wall on the way. And most modern loft conversions use insulation boards with a foil face, which is very good at keeping heat in and just as good at keeping wifi out.
So a loft office that looks fine on paper often gets a fraction of the speed downstairs, and drops out at the worst moments.
If the conversion is still being built
This is the cheapest moment you’ll ever get. While the walls and floors are open, ask your builder or electrician to run a network cable from wherever the router lives up to the loft, and to fit a socket where the desk will go. It’s an hour or two of their time now, against a much bigger job once everything is plastered.
We don’t do indoor cabling, so we gain nothing from telling you this.
If it’s already finished
- Mesh can help, with one unit on the landing below. The foil insulation still gets in the way, and the loft unit can only pass on what reaches it.
- Powerline adapters are worth trying if your wiring is recent. They either work well or not at all.
- A cable up the outside wall gives the loft the full connection. It usually goes up the side or back wall to the loft, and nothing inside gets touched.
Does it work on a terrace?
On an end terrace or a semi, usually yes: the side wall is the obvious route. On a mid terrace we can only work on the front of the house, so a loft room with a front window or roof light may be reachable, and a dormer at the back usually isn’t.
Already working up there?
If you’re already working in a loft room and the connection is letting you down, loft office internet covers what to check first and what we do about it.
Want to know if it works at your house?
The survey is free and takes about half an hour. You get a fixed price in writing, or an honest no.