There are certain devices that you have at home that can disrupt your Wi-Fi network. Slowness, loss of connection, these devices are real nuisances for your wireless Internet.
The most common way we connect to the Internet is through WiFi networks, since many devices cannot be connected by cable, such as smartphones, tablets and many devices related to home automation. That’s why it’s essential to have a good wireless WiFi network at home, to have the best stability, coverage and speed possible.
First enemy: the microwave
But if you have a microwave nearby, you may run into problems. But, why is it so important to keep the microwave away from any device that connects to Wi-Fi? The reason is that it uses the 2.45 GHz frequency, where Wi-Fi uses 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. On the first, the microwave will cause interference. This can cause connection problems for a computer or any other device, loss of speed…
Today it is very common to have smart devices also in the kitchen. For example, other appliances, light bulbs, sockets, smart speakers… This means that interference from the microwave can be a problem.
Are microwaves still as harmful? No, because the microwave only affects the 2.4 GHz band. Most devices today support dual band, such as a computer or mobile phone, so you can connect to the 5 GHz band and avoid interference. There are even phones that are triple band. The problem is that home automation devices, like light bulbs and smart plugs, usually only work on the 2.4 GHz band. Hence the importance of not connecting some of these devices near a microwave. Every time you use it, you might have problems with interference and clipping.
Second enemy: the baby monitor
The microwave isn’t the only device that can interfere with home Wi-Fi. Another device intended to make our lives easier can also pose a problem. The baby monitor! The reason is the same as for the microwave: baby monitors also use the 2.4 GHz frequency band. In the case of a baby monitor and a Wi-Fi router, if the baby monitor is transmitting data (for example, baby audio or video) while the router is also attempting to transmit data (for example, a streaming video or a download), the two sets of data may conflict, causing Wi-Fi signal degradation.
This is why it is often recommended to place the Wi-Fi router and the baby monitor as far apart as possible, or to use devices operating on different frequency bands if possible.
Third enemy: Bluetooth devices
Other devices also operate on this frequency band and may cause problems: Bluetooth devices. When a Bluetooth device is active, such as when it is pairing or transferring data, it can create “congestion” on the 2.4 GHz band, which in turn can cause interference with the Wi-Fi signal.
However, it is important to note that modern Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies were designed to co-exist and minimize mutual interference. For example, Bluetooth uses a technique called “adaptive frequency avoidance” to avoid channels already in use by Wi-Fi. Similarly, Wi-Fi uses a technique called “frequency hopping” to quickly switch between channels. to another, minimizing the chance of interference with Bluetooth.
Fourth enemy: mirrors
Amazing, right? Wi-Fi signals are basically radio waves that can be absorbed or reflected by different materials. Mirrors, which have a reflective surface due to a thin layer of metal on the back of the glass, can reflect these Wi-Fi signals, which can cause interference and decreased signal strength. Also, if a mirror is placed between your Wi-Fi router and the device you’re trying to connect with, it can create a sort of “dead zone” where the Wi-Fi signal is particularly weak or non-existent.
What to do then?
If your Wi-Fi devices support the 5 GHz frequency band (which many modern routers do), you can configure your network to use this frequency band, which is generally less congested and suffers no interference. interference from microwaves, Bluetooth devices and other baby monitors. And on the other hand, it is recommended to avoid placing your Wi-Fi router near large mirrors or other large metal surfaces if you want to get the best possible signal.