{
  "id": 16774162,
  "title": "I put aluminum foil behind my Wi-Fi router to test a bizarre internet trick, and it did more than I expected",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/i-put-aluminum-foil-behind-my-wi-fi-router-to-test-a-bizarre-internet",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-27T17:00:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/put-aluminum-foil-behind-wi-fi-router-test-bizarre-internet-trick-did-more-expected/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The internet has sparked curiosity in a peculiar trick: placing aluminum foil behind a Wi-Fi router to boost speeds. Intrigued, I decided to test this unusual method. The router in question is a GL.iNet Flint 2, equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and offering up to 6000Mbps of bandwidth. Connected to a 1Gbps internet plan, I ran three speed tests on devices located in various spots within my apartment. Initially, I used fast.com to gauge the router's performance. Results varied, but device 3, situated closest to the router, showed a notable increase in bandwidth. I then employed iperf3 to test local network speeds between two laptops placed next to each other. Once again, device 3 exhibited a marked improvement. Curiosity piqued, I tested the impact of aluminum foil on a local network connection as well, running iperf3 between two laptops near the router. The results indicated a more consistent, faster performance, hinting at potential benefits in the local network. The theory behind this trick suggests that the aluminum foil sheet may block Wi-Fi waves from one direction, thus enhancing bandwidth in the opposite direction. However, when testing the impact on a 5GHz network, where the signal should be stronger, I noticed a slight decrease in speed and increased latency when the aluminum foil was in place. In conclusion, while the aluminum foil trick might offer some benefits in certain scenarios, it's not universally advantageous. Central router placements or apartments facing busy streets might not see significant improvements. Nonetheless, for those intrigued by this internet conundrum, experimenting with aluminum foil could yield modest gains worth exploring.",
  "summary": "You may have heard that aluminum foil can helpo boost your Wi-Fi speeds, but I decided to put that to the test, and the results were curious.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}