No more weak signal!
Nothing more frustrating than an internet page that just does not load correctly or a Netflix show that keeps buffering. You know you invested in a great router and the wifi should not be this slow according to all the internet speed tests you run. So why can’t you watch a video without the screen freezing constantly?
Waves
As it turns out, the other electrical devices in your house could be messing with your online connection. Radio waves allow us to use our wifi network on all our devices; laptops, phones, tablets, some fridges even have wifi now! These devices are recipients to the radio waves, turning it into an internet connection. These ‘wifi-waves’ come from your router but that is not the only source in your house sending out radio waves. Your landline, microwave, babymonitor, even some Christmas decorations, like the ones that change color at a certain time of day, send out these types of waves. Your slow wifi connection might be related to the waves send out by these other devices.
Frequency
Of course, not all devices are on the same wavelength and if your devices are all pretty far apart from each other, they won’t interfere with one another too much. But if your devices are set to send out the same frequency of radio waves, it might cause some issues. Especially if those devices are in close proximity of other devices with that exact same frequency. This increases the chances of their radio waves interfering with your wifi signal. If your router is close to your landline and your microwave, then your wifi might suffer from it.
Materials
But your electronic devices aren’t the only evildoers in your home. Your walls could also be the cause of spotty wifi. If you have concrete walls, chances are the walls are blocking radio waves. Not something you would want when trying to get a good signal. Tinted glass is another material that doesn’t go well with radio waves: there are metal particles in the glass absorbing the waves that are send out by your router. The last material messing with your online connection is water: another substance that absorbs radio waves. If your router is next to an aquarium, you might want to consider moving one or the other (although the router might be the easier option in this case.)
Now it would be impossible to live in the perfect ‘wifi-friendly’ house but at least with these tips, you might have better chances of finding just the right spot for your router to improve your signal and with that, your online experience!
Also read: Wow: with this trick you could make your WiFi signal up to three times as strong within minutes!
Sources: Max Vandaag | Image: Unsplash, Stephen Phillips