How to compare Wi-Fi coverage in a loft and living room

Wi-Fi works well in one part of your home but pauses or feels slow in another. A loft and living room can behave differently because of distance, floors, walls, and where the router sits.

Use the Wi-Fi Map to compare how the connection performs in both spaces. Keep the test conditions as similar as possible so a difference is more likely to come from the location, not a different device or a temporary download.

Compare the loft and living room

1. Open the Wi-Fi Map on one device connected to your home Wi-Fi. Keep using that same device and network for both measurements.
2. Choose a specific spot in the loft where you usually use the internet. Stand or place the device there, then follow the tool's on-screen steps to measure that location.
3. Repeat the measurement in the living room. Use the same device position, such as on a table at about waist height, and keep its screen facing the same direction.
4. Take a second measurement in each spot. If the results change a lot between repeats, run another pair rather than relying on one reading.
5. Measure near the router as a reference. This gives you a useful comparison point if both rooms seem slow or inconsistent.

For a fair comparison, pause large downloads, video streaming, and cloud backups during the tests. If other people are using the network, note that too. You do not need to measure the entire room: compare the exact places where you sit, work, or stream.

What the results mean

The loft has slower or less steady results

If response time is higher, jitter is more noticeable, or requests are lost more often in the loft, the connection is less reliable there at the time of the test. Distance, a ceiling or floor between the router and loft, and nearby building materials can all contribute. Try a second spot in the loft, closer to the stair opening or away from a large metal object, to see whether the problem is limited to one part of the space.

The living room has slower or less steady results

The router may be closer to the loft, or the living room may have obstacles such as a thick wall, a fireplace, or a cabinet around the router. Compare a spot near the living room entrance with your usual seat. A large difference within the room suggests that placement or an obstacle matters.

Both rooms perform poorly, including near the router

This does not point clearly to coverage in either room. The internet connection, router, network congestion, or the test route may be affecting both results. Run the comparison again at a quieter time. If the nearby-router result is also poor, check whether other devices have the same problem before moving equipment around the home.

Results change between repeated measurements

Wi-Fi quality can vary as other devices use the network, as the device changes its connection, or as nearby networks become busier. Repeat the test at another time and compare the pattern, not just the best or worst reading. A location that is consistently less steady is a better candidate for a fix than one unusual result.

How to improve the weaker area

1. Pause other network activity. Stop large downloads, video streams, and backups, then measure both locations again. This helps you tell a coverage difference from a busy connection.
2. Check that the device is on the same Wi-Fi network. A router and mesh system may use separate network names, or your device may switch between saved networks. On Windows 11, check Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi. On macOS, check System Settings › Wi-Fi.
3. Move the router into the open. Place it above floor level and away from a cabinet, a large metal object, or the back of a television. Keep it as central as practical between the loft and living room, then repeat the same measurements.
4. Try a different spot in the weaker room. Move the device a few feet and test again. In a loft, avoid placing it directly behind a chimney, duct, or thick wall. In a living room, test away from a cabinet or other electronics that may be in the way.
5. Check the router's band and mesh connection. A 2.4 GHz network often reaches farther, while 5 GHz can be faster nearby but may weaken more through floors and walls. If you use mesh Wi-Fi, check that the node serving the weaker room has a good connection to the main router. Router menus vary by model, so use its own instructions for changing bands or checking mesh status.
6. Consider adding or repositioning a mesh node. If one room remains consistently worse after router placement changes, a mesh node placed between the router and that room may help. Do not put the node in the dead zone itself; it needs a usable connection back to the router.

What a browser Wi-Fi test can measure

A browser cannot read the Wi-Fi radio signal strength in dBm, a unit used for signal power. The Wi-Fi Map instead measures how the connection behaves, including response time, jitter, and lost requests. Those results help compare the connection you experience in each place, but they can also be affected by internet congestion or the route to the test service. They are not a direct measurement of signal strength or a guarantee of the speed every app will get.

Compare the same device, spots, and conditions again after making a change. If the weaker room improves consistently, the change helped where you use Wi-Fi.