Well, just thinking about putting a WiFi router in a closet makes you question why would anyone want to put their router in a closet. There are myths out there, that would make you believe that it would increase your signal strength by echoing the signals and stuff but that is not actually true. Several factors that you will need to understand about putting a router in the closet are:
WiFi Router In A Closet (Factors to Consider)
1. Speed
A router should always be in a clear zone with no close objects around it. This would ensure that you are getting the best possible speed. Putting your router in a closet will only reduce the speed for your internet connection as you will not be able to receive all the signals due to not only a closed container for your WiFi router but also due to lots of objects blocking them. So, it is never a good idea to put your router inside a closet if you are concerned about the speed of your internet connection.
2. Signal Strength
Contrary to popular belief, if you put your WiFi router inside a closet, the signal strength will decrease instead of increasing. Since these WiFi signals are transmitted over a wireless frequency that connects with your devices, putting multiple objects between will only reduce the signal strength for you and you might end up having low signal strength, slow data transfer speed, and sometimes even connectivity issues.
3. Coverage area
By putting your WiFi router inside a closet, your coverage area will be significantly reduced. It is optimal if you put your WiFi router at a place with no close objects around and no walls to ensure the best coverage area. The more enclosed space gets; the lower coverage area you will get on the wi-fi network that you don’t want.
4. Electrical socket
Unless your closet comes with a built-in electrical socket, it will be a mess for you to plug-in your router inside a closet. You might have to drill a hole inside your closet and use an extension for that, or simply be left with an open closet with wires hanging around and that is obviously not a good idea.
5. Cables
All routers need an ethernet connection to work and the ethernet connection is carried with a wire. Even if your closet has an electrical socket, there is no way for it to have an ethernet cable port as well. You will need to find a way to get the cable inside your closet and it is too much trouble to do that and not even worth the result.
6. Safety
This is the only thing that would get better if you put your WiFi router inside your closet. If you have pets or kids around the house who can break or disconnect the WiFi router, you can put it inside a closet to save it. However, it is still recommended to place the router at a higher place, where they cannot reach. But if you can find no other options, you can put your router inside the closet.