My apartment spans two floors, and the modem sits downstairs, 17 feet from the stairwell. I read that a single centrally placed router should cover both floors, but I doubt that applies with a concrete floor between them. Does that advice hold up, or should I be looking at a different router setup?
Start by testing the signal upstairs near the stairwell, then farther into the rooms. Run an internet speed test downstairs and at each upstairs spot so you can separate weak Wi-Fi from a slow internet connection.
A concrete floor can seriously weaken 5 GHz and 6 GHz, so I would not buy an expensive single router and assume it will punch through. The most reliable setup is the downstairs router plus an upstairs access point connected by Ethernet. If running cable is impractical, coax adapters may work if both floors have coax outlets.
A two-node mesh is the next choice, but placement matters more than the brand. Put the second node near the stairs where it still receives a solid signal, not deep upstairs where coverage is already poor. Wireless mesh will lose some speed compared with a wired access point, but it should provide more consistent coverage than trying to solve this with one supposedly high-power router.
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A pricey Wi-Fi 7 router still cannot outmuscle reinforced concrete, so much of that extra capability may be wasted upstairs. Pick a modest two-node mesh with Ethernet backhaul support, then wire the upstairs node later if wireless backhaul proves too slow.
If the upstairs signal is acceptable on 2.4 GHz, the answer may be “keep the router you have” rather than buy a new one. Concrete tends to turn router shopping into expensive guesswork.
Since the modem is 17 feet from the stairs, check whether the router actually has to sit beside it. If they are separate devices, a longer Ethernet cable could move the router closer to the stairwell. That may improve the path upstairs more than replacing it with a premium model. A temporary cable across the floor is an ugly but useful test before drilling anything.
If relocation still leaves dead spots, I’d buy a basic two-node Wi-Fi 6 mesh kit with Ethernet ports. Skip the flagship Wi-Fi 7 box. Put the main unit near the stairwell and the second unit at the top of the stairs or just inside the upstairs area. It needs to receive a decent signal before it can repeat one.
If you later run Ethernet upstairs, switch the second unit to wired backhaul. If you use a separate spare router upstairs instead, put it in access-point mode. Running two routers in normal router mode can create double NAT and make gaming, port forwarding, printers, and some smart devices unnecessarily annoying.
So the order I’d try is: relocate the existing router, test upstairs, then buy a returnable two-node mesh if needed. The building decides this more than the logo on the box.
Do not trust the coverage number printed on the router box. That figure assumes open space and says nothing useful about a reinforced concrete slab. There is another limitation that router marketing tends to ignore: your phone or laptop must transmit back to the router. A “high-power” router downstairs might reach upstairs, while the weaker client radio cannot maintain the return connection.
I agree with moving the existing router toward the stairwell, but test it before buying anything. Use a long Ethernet cable temporarily and place the router a few feet off the floor, away from the modem, metal cabinets, electrical panels, and large appliances. The stair opening is effectively your best path around the concrete. If that placement gives stable service upstairs, you may only need a longer cable and a better permanent mounting spot.
If it does not, choose the setup based on whether you can run a wire. With Ethernet or coax available upstairs, almost any decent Wi-Fi 6 access point will beat an expensive single router. For a fully wireless setup, use a two-node mesh and avoid the cheapest dual-band kit if you expect high speeds upstairs. Those systems may use the same radio for your devices and the connection between nodes, which can cut real throughput. A model with a separate backhaul radio gives you more breathing room, though it still needs a usable path through the stairwell.
Place the upstairs node where the downstairs signal is still healthy, even if that means the landing rather than the room where coverage is worst. Check the mesh app for the node-to-node connection quality instead of judging by the Wi-Fi bars on your phone. Strong bars from the upstairs node are meaningless if that node has a poor link back downstairs. I would spend money on two sensible units and placement flexibility, not one flagship router that still has to fight the same slab.
Half of this advice hinges on something nobody’s confirmed yet: is your downstairs box a modem plus a separate router, or one combined gateway from the ISP? Because if it’s a combo unit, ‘just move the router with a long cable’ gets messier. Those things are often anchored to a coax or fiber jack, and relocating them means either a long line back to that jack or dropping the gateway into bridge mode and running a separate router near the stairs. Worth checking before you plan any temporary cable test.
The speed test suggestion from @hacknerd7 is the right instinct, but run it wired into the box first. That gives you your actual internet ceiling. Then compare it to the upstairs numbers over Wi-Fi. If the wired result is already low, no router or mesh on earth fixes that, and you’d be shopping for a problem you don’t have. The tool is fine for a quick pass, just don’t judge the whole setup off phone bars.
Where I’d push back a little is the assumption that the stair opening is a guaranteed clean path. It helps, sure, but if the stairwell is enclosed or has a solid door at the top, you lose that gap fast. Test with any door you’d normally keep shut actually shut. People run the test with everything wide open and get a happy number that vanishes in daily use.
If it does come down to buying, I’m with the crowd here on a two-node Wi-Fi 6 kit with real Ethernet ports over any flagship single box. The one thing I’d stress: buy from somewhere with an easy return window. Concrete makes this partly a coin flip on placement, and you want the option to send it back if the upstairs node can’t hold a decent backhaul link from the landing. Treat the first kit as a test, not a commitment.
Skip the wall-plug extender. It will probably give you lovely full bars while quietly repeating a lousy connection, which is a neat trick if your goal is slower Wi-Fi with better-looking icons.
Before replacing anything, decide what actually needs service upstairs. If the important devices are a desk PC, television, or game console, one Ethernet or coax run to a small switch may solve most of the problem without blanketing every corner in expensive radio hardware. You could then add a basic access point upstairs for phones and tablets. That is less glamorous than a spaceship-shaped Wi-Fi 7 router, but concrete is famously unimpressed by styling.
For a wireless-only setup, I agree with the two-node mesh suggestion, with a caveat: buy a system that lets you separate or disable band steering if necessary. Some printers, cameras, and other 2.4 GHz devices get fussy during setup when the mesh combines every band under one network name. It is usually manageable, but it is the sort of annoyance nobody mentions until you are resetting a printer at midnight.
My pick would be a returnable Wi-Fi 6 mesh kit with gigabit Ethernet ports and access-point mode. Place the upstairs unit at the landing, then test in the rooms where you actually use devices. I would not pay extra for 6 GHz coverage here because that is the band most likely to lose the argument with the concrete floor. If the landing node cannot maintain a decent connection, stop upgrading routers and run a cable. At that point the building has already voted.