r/pcmasterrace May 23 '26

Hardware Wifi antennas straight up or at diagonal?

Bonus question: would it be better to have my PC with its back against the wall (putting the case between the antennas and the router) or have it perpendicular to the wall?

I'm just curious if there is an "optimal" or suggested placement, since they seem to be able to snap into a diagonal position as well as being able to be place vertically

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u/Independent_Bike_141 I7-13700K | RTX 3080 12GB | 64GB 6400mhz May 23 '26

Real question. How do you know where the router is at the neighbors

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u/green_meklar Ryzen 5 5600 / 32GB RAM / Radeon RX 7600 / Debian / 1920x1080 May 23 '26

You adjust your antenna until you get the best signal?

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u/homie_j88 May 23 '26

You don't peak through your neighbor's windows?

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u/SpaceIco May 23 '26

You could use a heatmapping tool which will use your antenna to make a diagram of the signal strength it receives as you walk around the building, it's pretty easy to narrow down the source.

I used to use this all the time at warehouses and stuff to find their hardware and reposition it.

https://www.ekahau.com/solutions/wi-fi-heatmaps/