What to do if your Xiaomi router has poor signal and weak wall penetration? Don't turn on wall-passing mode randomly. After adjusting these three spots, the restroom finally reached full capacity

my Redmi AX6S is installed on the TV cabinet in the living room, the master bedroom is fine, but the bathroom and kitchen have always been a "two-compartment mysterious zone"—standing and brushing can be done, but as soon as I sit on the toilet, the video spins. At first, I thought the router was bad and almost ordered a new one. Later, after checking the settings in the backend, I found that the machine's signal is 'suppressed by settings.' After adjusting three points, the bathroom was fully loaded. This article describes the entire process and starts with the conclusion: don't rush to spend money on a new machine, and don't rush to activate that "wall penetration mode."

first clarify: Is poor signal really the router's fault or the environment

take two minutes to judge before you start, otherwise your efforts might be wasted. Install a WiFi testing app on your phone (Android uses WiFi Magic Box or Xiaomi WiFi review; iOS's built-in channel can't be seen), and stand at a poor signal point to check two numbers: signal strength (RSSI) and channel .

my readings at the time: living room - 38dBm, bathroom - 72dBm. Here's a rough comparison: use it anywhere below -50, start dropping frames around -60, below -70 makes videos lag easily, -80 basically means video is bad at . Losing over 30 dB through load-bearing walls is a physical law; no router can escape this—the 5G band is especially bad. I couldn't find 5G signal in my bathroom, and my phone secretly switched back to 2.4G. That's the real source of lag.

so let's first distinguish between two scenarios. One is far from the wall and the 2.4G can still save it; One is signal at the same layer that was fine but recently worsened , most likely because the channel is being crowded by neighbors. First, check out my previous article on WiFi channel interference troubleshooting Choosing a clean channel might solve it in ten minutes. This time, I took both, and I'll go through them in order.

first point: Signal strength level three, default setting is not the strongest

this is the most frustrating one. To pass energy-saving certification, Xiaomi routers are not the default signal strength at the highest level after leaving the factory. Open 192.168.31.1 on your computer or mobile browser, log in to the backend, go to "Frequently Used Settings → Wi-Fi Settings" , scroll to the bottom, and you'll find a "Signal Strength" option. The default is "Standard," change it to "Wall Penetration."

after making changes, there's no need to restart—the signal comes back the moment you save. I tested it in the bathroom: -72dBm before switching, -64dBm after wall penetration, instantly recovered 8dB, and the video stopped spinning. You can also change it in the Mijia app: router card → Wi-Fi settings→ signal strength, same three levels. older Redmi models (like the AC2100) don't have this option in the background, you have to upgrade the firmware to the latest version. If you really don't have one, skip this option and look at the last two.

by the way, how to choose the right tier: small one-bedroom apartment, the "Standard" level is more than enough, and it also saves energy and generates heat for a small ; For two- or three-bedroom units with partition walls, go straight to 'wall walk-through'; For those living in villas or on upper and lower floors, wall penetration only eases the burden. Don't expect a complete solution. In such cases, honestly consider Mesh networking. I once wrote a Xiaomi Mesh networking process, where sub-routers are placed in poor signal areas and are more effective than any signal enhancement.

Second: Should you turn on the wall-passing mode? Think carefully about the side effects

many people confuse the "signal strength penetration mode" with the "wall-through mode" in mobile apps, so we'll discuss them separately here. In the Mijia app's router settings, there's a switch called "WiFi Signal Enhancement" or the "Wall Penetration Mode" in older firmware. It's the same as the background third mode, just different entry points. Opening one switch will change accordingly.

really need to think about side effects I've suffered losses before:

• fever significantly increases . When the transmission power is maxed out, the machine feels hot in summer, and prolonged high temperatures can cause throttling and interruption of current, essentially causing a scoop to float when you press it. My device was troubled by overheating and disconnection. The process was described in the Xiaomi Router Heat Troubleshooting , where it was only managed by raising the pad and adding a small fan to keep it under control. So before passing through a wall block, make sure the machine is well-ventilated and don't put it in a weak current box.
• 2. Don't max out both 4G and 5G at the same time. 2. 4G is used for wall penetration, making wall penetration meaningful; 5G can't penetrate load-bearing walls; maxing out power only makes nearby signals look better and encroaches on transmission resources. 5G just needs to stay at the standard level.
• full signal bars do not necessarily mean faster internet speed The cell displayed on the phone shows the signal strength received, not the bandwidth. The toilet is fully charged at 2.4GB, but after running it's only about 40 to 50 Mbps. It's enough for watching videos, but don't expect downloads. If you want to know the real speed, after connecting, run a speed test—don't be fooled by the grid to comfort yourself.

Third point: 2.4G and 5G are offered separately, so don't let your phone guess on its own

Xiaomi automatically combines two bands into one WiFi name (called band merging or dual-band integration), and the phone chooses which one to connect to. The problem is that the phone is very foolish—it clings to 5G and won't let go, even if 5G is down to just one bar, it won't switch to the full 2.4G bar. This is the classic reason why the network suddenly freezes when you walk away.

my approach is to separate the two bands : turn off dual-band integration in the backend "Wi-Fi Settings" and give 2.4G and 5G different names, such as "xxx-home" and "xxx-5G." Connect fixed devices at home (TV, desktop, camera) to 5G, and connect your phone and mobile tablet to 2.4G. If you want to watch videos in a room, have the device specify the corresponding frequency band, don't let the phone guess on its own.

there's another benefit after disassembly: smart locks and vacuum cleaners, which only recognize 2.4G, visibly increase the success rate of network configuration, so you won't have to repeatedly fail under the dual-band integration name. The 'user-friendly' dual-band integration feature is actually a trap for smart devices.

three things I checked in the backend

the three main points above are the main ones. While adjusting, I also glanced at these items—they're all ones I've stepped on:

the running time section is a quick note: if the signal suddenly drops, just reboot is fine. This is almost certainly a long-term failure to restart and memory leaks. Setting a scheduled restart is a permanent solution. The entry and steps are in the post Xiaomi router scheduled restart My setup was set every Wednesday at 4 a.m., and after setting it up, this kind of "cyclical deterioration" never happened again.

don't expect automatic firmware upgrades, especially on older models. Upgrading to new firmware automatically may actually cut features. Manually checking and checking the update instructions before upgrading is more stable. I've written this analysis in whether to enable automatic firmware upgrades.

it's not enough after the adjustment? That is the end of the machine

even after messing with signal blocks, bands, channels, and positioning, it still won't work—then you have to accept reality. Two directions:

First, the machine itself is too old or too weak. I once helped a relative upgrade an old Redmi that had been used for five years. The antenna was aging and only supported WiFi 5, so no matter how I adjusted it, it always had two compartments. Upgrading to a new machine in this AX3000T price range (around 200 yuan) is a qualitative upgrade, with the signal amplifier and antenna both being the new generation. Before buying, you can check how to choose between WiFi6 and WiFi 7 ; don't spend extra money on specs you don't use.

Second, houses have thick walls, so a single router physically cannot cover . For units over 120 sqm, duplexes, and many load-bearing walls, don't stick to a single machine; throwing a Mesh sub-router into remote rooms is the only correct solution. Later, our family also added a router group Mesh in the master bedroom. Actually, the bathroom was mainly handled by it—but first adjust the free settings, then decide whether to spend money. Don't go back in order.

Finally, summarize the order: first test the signal and identify the cause (channel crowding or wall thickness)→ Switch signal strength to wall → uninstall dual-band integration → Select channel manually→ Check firmware and runtime → If that still doesn't work, consider replacing or Mesh. The first three steps can be done in the 192.168.31.1 backend in ten minutes, without spending a cent. This is how my toilet at home got the freedom to watch videos.