How to compare Wi-Fi on a staircase landing

Wi-Fi can work well in a room but pause or feel slow on the staircase between floors. The landing may be farther from the router, behind different walls, or close to a mesh system switching between access points.

Compare the landing with nearby rooms using the Wi-Fi Map. It measures how the connection responds at each location, so you can see whether the problem follows the landing or affects the whole home.

Measure the landing and nearby rooms

1. Open the Wi-Fi Map on the device you will carry between locations. Use the same device and browser for every measurement.
2. Confirm the device is connected to the same home network throughout the test. On Windows 11, check Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi. On a Mac, check System Settings › Wi-Fi. On an iPhone, check Settings › Wi-Fi. On Android, check Settings › Network & internet › Internet, though menu names can vary by phone.
3. Measure at the staircase landing, then in a nearby room on the same floor and a nearby room on the other floor. Stand or sit in a consistent spot, and hold the device in roughly the same position each time.
4. Repeat the route in reverse, from the last room back to the landing. Note each location and the results so you can compare more than one reading per spot.

Keep doors in the same position during both rounds. Avoid standing right next to the router, a mesh unit, or a large metal object unless that is where you normally use the device. If someone starts a large download or video stream during one reading, note it, since other network activity can change the results.

What the results mean

The landing is consistently worse than both rooms

If response time is higher, jitter is more variable, or requests are lost more often on the landing, the connection is less reliable there. A stairwell can sit between the router and the rooms, with walls, floors, and building materials weakening or reflecting the radio signal. Try moving the router or a mesh unit toward the landing, then repeat the route.

The landing is good, but one nearby room is poor

The issue may be that room's walls, furniture, or location rather than the stairs. Compare the room near its doorway and farther inside. If the doorway is better, the signal may have difficulty passing through a wall or reaching the far side of the room.

Every location has similar poor results

A staircase coverage gap is less likely if the landing and rooms all show delays or drops. The router's connection to the internet, network congestion, or a wider Wi-Fi problem could affect the whole route. Test again when the network is quiet, and compare with a wired connection if one is available.

Results change each time you repeat the route

One reading is not enough to identify a fixed weak spot. Nearby networks, people moving through the home, active downloads, or a device switching between mesh units can change connection quality. Repeat the same route at a quieter time before moving equipment.

How to improve the connection

1. Repeat the measurements under the same conditions. Use the same device, network, browser, and positions. Run the comparison twice, with a short pause between rounds, so a brief interruption does not decide the result.
2. Move the router to a more open, central spot. Keep it elevated and away from cabinets, large metal objects, and dense walls. If the router is at one end of the home or on a low shelf, test a more central location and repeat the landing measurements.
3. Check for a nearby access point or mesh unit. If you have a mesh system, place a unit where it still receives a reliable connection from the main router and can serve the landing. A unit placed in the dead spot may have a weak connection of its own.
4. Reconnect to the intended network. If the device joined a guest network or another saved network, connect it to the same home Wi-Fi used for the other readings. Use the Wi-Fi settings for your device listed above, then repeat the comparison.
5. Retest at a different time. If all locations perform poorly only when the household is busy, repeat the test when fewer devices are using the network. If the landing remains worse across quiet and busy periods, focus on coverage and router placement.

Why a landing can behave differently

A browser cannot read the Wi-Fi signal strength in dBm, a unit that radio equipment uses to report received power. The Wi-Fi Map instead checks what the connection does, including response time, jitter, and lost requests. These results help you compare the landing with rooms, but they do not identify the exact wall, router, or access point causing a change.

Stairwells also create unusual paths for radio signals. The open space between floors may help a signal travel vertically, while concrete, tile, metal railings, or a closed fire door can block it. Reflections can make one side of the landing perform differently from the other. If measurements differ across the landing, test both spots and use the one where you actually need a reliable connection.

After changing router or mesh placement, repeat the same route with the same device to check whether the landing improved without making the nearby rooms worse.