Dead zones are one of the most common complaints we hear. You pay for fast internet, yet the back bedroom gets nothing. Here's the reality: your router placement is almost certainly wrong, and no amount of rebooting will fix that.
The placement problem
Most routers end up wherever the ISP technician put the modem — usually near a front window or in a corner. That broadcasts the signal outward and away from your house, not through it. Your router should be as central as possible, elevated off the floor, and away from thick walls, appliances, and metal objects.
Channel congestion
In a dense building, every neighbor's router is competing with yours on the same channels. Log into your router admin panel and switch to a less-congested channel — or better yet, enable 5GHz for nearby devices and push 2.4GHz to the far reaches of your space.
Firmware matters
Router firmware updates aren't just security patches — they often include performance improvements and bug fixes that materially affect signal quality. Check for updates. Most routers haven't been updated since the day they were installed.
When to go beyond a single router
If your space is large or has structural interference (concrete walls, metal framing), a single router can't solve the problem. A mesh system or properly placed access points connected via ethernet will. That's a different job, but it's the right answer when the simple fixes don't work.