Why won’t my Aspire connect to WiFi unless I move near to the router.

MRPCL02

My 12 month old Aspire will not connect to WiFi in my office but if I move into the same room it connects and stays connected when I move back to my office until it goes to sleep mode or I switch off. I then have to repeat the above. When in my office, the Aspire and Router are about 10 feet apart and the walls are plasterboard or breeze block so not substantial and the distance is not that great between machine and Router. Obviously this is inconvenient each time I use the Aspire and wonder if anyone has had similar problems which they have resolved?….thank you in advance.

Puraw

👋 Hi @MRPCL02 ,

What you're describing is pretty common when using a mobile router or even standard Wi-Fi: everything works only when you're close, but drops off once there's a bit of distance or something in the way.

📡 Here’s why it happens:

• Your laptop's Wi-Fi antenna is hidden in the lid (screen frame), not external — so it doesn’t have much range or power compared to a phone.
• Mobile routers, especially 4G/5G models, often have very limited signal radius — usually around 5–10 meters indoors.
• Walls, especially those with metal reinforcements, rods, or pipes, can reflect or absorb the signal — weakening it significantly.

🔍 So even if the router is only 10 feet away, if there's a thick wall or any metal in between, the laptop might struggle to establish the connection — or lose it after sleep.

💡 What might help:

• Move the router to a higher or more open spot.
• Try a Wi-Fi extender or mesh system.
• Or, connect with an Ethernet cable if possible — especially in that office setup.

Let us know your layout and router model, and we can suggest a few tweaks to improve range and reliability! 👍