How To Hide Your Ugly Router and Modem

Find out how to hide your router and modem by stashing them in a cabinet, without compromising signal strength. This step-by-step guide has everything you need to know on choosing the right cabinet, ensuring proper ventilation, and implementing cable management techniques to maintain a tidy, efficient setup.

How To Hide Your Router and Modem | Tired of looking at messy electronics? Find out how to hide your router and modem with a linen cabinet. You won't be able to tell they are even there!

When I was re-doing my office, one of the issues I had to fix was how to store (or should I say hide?) my router, modem and various other internet-related electronics and cords.

The mess of boxes and cords | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

I hate to admit it, but the original condition of all that internet gear looked like this.  It was basically a pile of stuff on the floor, with cords everywhere!

Every once in a while, the internet would go out…and I would find that one of my cats had pulled something out while they were playing with the cords.

I definitely needed a better solution…something where the cords were not tangled up and the boxes were organized.

Most electronics need some breathing room to prevent overheating, so the storage needed to “breathe”.

Since they also need to be reset every once in a while, I needed to be able to get to the boxes easily.

And I had to be able to plug everything in.

Read on to find out how to hide your router and modem.

The Solution?  A Linen Cabinet

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The original linen cabinet | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

My solution?  Convert a linen cabinet into electronics storage.  

And fortunately for me, I already owned one, so I didn’t have to buy anything new.

Why a linen cabinet?  

They are meant to fit in a bathroom. Which means they usually don’t take up much floor space.  And they’re tall enough to allow for space between the shelves which lets the electronics breathe.

They are usually stand-alone pieces of furniture. So they usually have a back.  

That allows you to hide the cords behind the unit.

They also often have mesh or wicker fronts which allows the heat from the electronics to dissipate.  

Many others have glass fronts that can be easily replaced with mesh.

How to convert the linen cabinet to store electronics

Leave space between the shelves | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

Since the cabinet was being re-purposed, the first step was to make the changes required to turn it into an electronics storage cabinet.

1 | Figure out the electronics layout

The first step is to figure out the layout of your electronics in the cabinet.  

The least messy way to do this is to put things that need to connect to each other close to each other.  

Then use short cords to connect them.  

I put the power strip on the bottom, the OOMA box (telephone service) and HDHomeRun box (TV over wifi) on the second shelf, and the cable modem and wireless router on the third shelf.

Make sure to leave at least 4″ behind and above each of the components to allow for adequate ventilation.

2 | Drill holes for the cables

Drill 2″ holes in the back of the cabinet just above each shelf.  

A hole saw attached to the drill is the easiest way to make a hole this size.  

These holes will allow you to pass wires in an out of the cabinet.

3 | Replace the glass front (optional)

If your cabinet has a glass front that you want to change out for this decorative metal mesh*. To do this:

  • Remove the glass.  There are usually clips that you can undo to take it out easily
  • Cut the mesh to the same size as the glass.  Tin snips usually work pretty well for this.
  • Install the mesh where the glass used to be using the same clips. Note: If you are going to paint the cabinet, you will probably want to wait until after you have finished painting to do this step.

4 | Paint (optional)

This is an optional step, but if you don’t like the way your cabinet looks, then a coat of paint can make it fit in better with your decor.

Remove the hinges, door(s) and any knobs before you get started.

Then tape around the edges of anything you don’t want to have painted (such as the mesh on the door).

The refinished bathroom cabinet | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

Due to time constraints, I used black lacquer spray paint.

Which I was a little nervous about since I have heard some horror stories about getting black lacquer finishes to look smooth without blotches.

Black lacquer finish with gold mesh | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

Fortunately for me (and my timeline), it went MUCH better than I was expecting.  

I followed all of my spray painting rules, and the finish turned out great!  

I did do about 5 very thin coats to try to make sure I got an even finish…and I think that definitely helped.

I also spray-painted the mesh with gold spray paint to brighten it up a bit.

How to install the modem and router

The electronics stored inside the cabinet | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

The last step is to install the electronics into your cabinet.  

Use the layout that you came up with at the beginning.

But don’t be afraid to make changes if you come up with a better arrangement.

Paper shredder and electronics inside a linen cabinet

I was even able to add a shredder on the top shelf.

So that’s one more electronic device that is not out in the open.

Pass wires through the hole in the back of the cabinet | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

Use the holes you drilled previously to pass the cords in and out of the cabinet.  

Even if you are just connecting the cord from one shelf to the next, have it go out through the hole on one level and in through the hole on the next level.

It will make everything look neater inside the cabinet.

If you have any long cords, gather up the excess wire and tie it together with a twist tie or elastic band behind the cabinet.  

That will keep them off the floor so you can’t see them (and, in my case, also prevents the cats from playing with them.)

Bathroom cabinet made into electronics storage | How To Hide Your Router and Modem

The finished cabinet fits right into the room. And you would never know that it is the electronic hub of the house!

Other home office ideas you might like

Or browse all of our home office decor ideas.

Have comments or questions on how to hide your router and modem?  Tell us in the section below.

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This post was originally published on July 18, 2016 but was updated with new content on July 7, 2023.


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6 Comments

  1. Thank you. I have a two shelf bookcase that fits inside my coat closet in the living room. After seeing your post, I got all the wires separated and put the router and the WIFI on the first shelf. I found that the printer and the shredder would fit on the top. since I work on my laptop in the living room, this is super convenient. Thank you so much for your inspiration.

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      That sounds like an awesome setup, Judy! I’m glad it’s working for you 🙂

  2. What are the dimensions of your cabinet?

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Judy…it is 18 inches wide, 15 inches deep and 60 inches tall.

  3. Christina in FL says:

    Gorgeous solution! 🙂 Have you found any decrease in wifi range by adding another “wall” with the cabinet?

    1. Thanks, Christina! I haven’t noticed any issues with the wifi range since I did this, but I have a fairly new wireless router. I think it might be a problem if you were trying to do something like this with an older model.