How to Get Wi‑Fi at Home — Step‑by‑Step Guide

Step 1

Check availability and choose the right internet plan

Start by confirming which internet technologies (fiber, cable, DSL, fixed wireless, 5G home internet) are actually available at your address. If you already have a wired internet connection at home, you can skip this step. If not, you need to select the best ISP in your area. Compare plans by sustained download/upload speeds, monthly data policies, latency, and total monthly cost (including modem/router rental if any).

Pick a plan that matches your household’s real usage: more simultaneous 4K streams, video calls, cloud backups, or gaming sessions require higher throughput and lower latency. If fiber is on the table, it’s typically the most stable and future‑proof.

If the provider imposes a gateway rental, clarify the monthly fee and the possibility of transferring the device to bridge/passthrough to use your own router. If a technician visits you, clarify in advance where the entry point (ONT/coaxial socket) will be in order to plan a convenient placement of the router and Ethernet wiring.

Step 2

Choose equipment that fits your home

A home connection typically needs a modem/ONT (terminates your ISP link) and a router (creates your local network and Wi‑Fi). Some ISPs supply an all‑in‑one gateway. Note: sometimes you won’t be able to select your modem/ONT because it’s provided by your ISP; you can still use your own router behind it (bridge or passthrough mode, where supported).

If your home is larger or has concrete/brick walls, plan for mesh Wi‑Fi or wired access points from the start.

Not sure how to get Wi‑Fi at home in an old building or with a tricky ISP gateway? Use bridge/passthrough where possible and plan mesh nodes with wired backhaul to cover hard-to-reach rooms.

What to look for in 2025:

• Wi‑Fi 6E or Wi‑Fi 7 radios for access to the 6 GHz band (cleaner spectrum, lower latency).
• WPA3 security. Use WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode only for legacy devices.
• EasyMesh or vendor mesh support for seamless expansion.
• 2.5G/10G Ethernet if you have (or expect) multi‑gig internet.

Step 3

Place your router for coverage, not convenience

Wi‑Fi loves open space. Put the router or primary mesh node in a central, elevated, open location — away from metal cabinets, thick masonry, aquariums, and microwaves. Avoid closets and corners. If the ISP drop is in a sub‑optimal spot, use a longer Ethernet run to relocate the router, or position additional mesh nodes in line‑of‑sight between problem rooms.

Expert tip: Already have Wi‑Fi? Then Use Survey Mode: walk your space and generate Wi‑Fi heatmaps like Signal Level or Frequency Band Coverage to pinpoint coverage gaps, interference zones, and weak spots. This gives you a visual, data-driven way to optimize placement and eliminate dead zones without guesswork.

Planning your Wi‑Fi from scratch? Use NetSpot’s Planning Mode to test router and access point placement virtually on your floor plan — before you buy anything.

Step 4

Power up and connect

Assuming you’ve already purchased a suitable WiFi router, it’s time to plug it into your internet modem. If you’re self‑installing, you’ll need an Ethernet cable, and you should be able to find at least one inside the box in which your router came in.

Look for a port labeled WAN or Internet on your modem’s rear side and plug one end of the Ethernet cable into it. Now, look for a corresponding port on your WiFi router’s rear side and plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into it.

Turn on both your modem and your router. Both devices should have LED indicator lights indicating their status.

If your connection requires a technician (new fiber drop, fresh coax run, or line remediation), schedule the visit first, then proceed with your Wi‑Fi setup.

Step 5

Configure Wi‑Fi correctly (once)

Now it’s time to configure your router (your modem is already pre-configured to work with your ISP). Grab another Ethernet cable and connect one end to any empty Ethernet port on your router’s rear side and the other end to your laptop or PC.

Launch a web browser on your laptop or PC and enter 192.168.1.1 or a similar address (look inside your router’s documentation if you’re not sure what the address is) to enter the router’s admin panel.

It’s very likely that you’ll be presented with a login screen asking you for the admin username and password. Often, the defaults are “admin” and “admin.” If that doesn’t work, look for an information sticker on the bottom or back of your router.

Once you’re in your router’s admin panel, you can modify and change all settings. Look for a section titled “Wireless” or “WiFi.” From this section, you can create a new WiFi network and specify its name in the SSID field. Select a unique name that’s easy to remember and make sure it doesn’t contain any identifiable information.

Most routers support multiple security modes. Use WPA3‑Personal if your router and clients support it; otherwise choose WPA2‑AES. Set a long, strong passphrase. Enable automatic firmware updates where available. If your router supports a Guest network, turn it on for visitors and smart‑home devices that don’t need access to your laptops and NAS.

Step 6

Connect All Devices to the New Network

With your new WiFi network up and running, you can connect all devices to it. The process will differ from device to device, but it always boils down to selecting the right network name and typing in your WiFi password.

Join phones, laptops, TVs, consoles, and IoT devices to your new SSID with the passphrase you set. If your router offers both 2.4 and 5/6 GHz bands under one name (band steering), let devices choose automatically at first.

Of course, you may still want to connect some devices via an Ethernet cable simply because they’re close to the router and always stay in one place. You don’t have to enter any password for wired internet connections.

Walk through the home and check the signal and throughput in rooms where you actually use WiFi. If you see dead zones or unstable throughput, jump to optimization.