UK households are experiencing plenty of Wi-Fi-related problems. What they don’t know is that their refrigerators and neighbors might be slowing down their connection.
Brits resort to 4G or 5G networks when their Wi-Fi network isn’t up to speed. According to Zen Internet, most adults don’t know what’s hindering their connectivity.
The company’s recent survey showed that 76% of people don’t know that their neighbors’ router might be slowing down their connection. A simple household item like a refrigerator might also be causing your connection problems, and 90% of Brits are unaware of this fact.
If positioned too close to your router, refrigerators and other electrical devices could be intercepting Wi-Fi connections due to interfering radio signals and electrical interference.
And as for your neighbors, you should ensure your router is connected to the channel with the least interference from neighboring households.
“There are a multitude of hidden inferences within the home, the adverse impact of which many of us are completely unaware of,” Paul Stobart, CEO at Zen Internet, said.
One in seven respondents believes turning their router off at night can enhance its effectiveness the next day. In fact, your router can be kept on 24/7, and turning it off at night might disrupt the signal and ultimately slow down your connectivity.
Zen acknowledges that some might be turning it off for energy-saving reasons amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Some people believe that devices should be placed next to a router to work effectively.
“Try to position your router in as central a location as possible to provide even coverage. Ensure a router is placed flat so its antenna can emit WiFi correctly. Keeping it about waist height in an electrically isolated space (not behind a TV or next to an appliance) with clear line of sight to walls, ceilings, and floors to bounce around the signal will help. Having a router concealed or next to an appliance can cause the signal not to emit correctly around a home,” Zen noted.
More from Cybernews:
QAnon cryptocurrency scam defrauds victims of millions
Germany orders an arrest of GRU hacker over attack on NATO
TikTok employee recordings expose repeated user data breaches - report
Subscribe to our newsletter
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked