Has your Wi-Fi been driving you up the wall lately? Mine certainly has. There’s nothing quite like your internet waking up and choosing to go rogue. I for one, have had my fair share of those days, and let me tell you that, between the plugging in and out, the buffering that goes on forever and your Zoom call that freezes at the worst possible moment. All it takes is a few seconds before your internet provider gets bashed for ruining your life. Well it turns out… the microwave you have quietly sitting in the corner might actually be responsible.
According to BBC Future, some of the biggest enemies of your Wi-Fi aren’t hidden deep inside your router or somewhere in your provider’s network. They’re already inside your home. And some of the culprits are so bizarre they sound completely made up.
Meet the Household Villains
Suspect #1: The Microwave
Microwaves have become our pleasure boxes. We house our leftovers in them. Use them for our midnight snacks and for reheating anything from a pizza to a sausage.
Your microwave has been pretending to be your friend all these years. When in reality, it’s quietly picking a fight with your Wi-Fi because many routers still use the same 2.4GHz frequency
So next time your video buffers while someone’s warming lasagne… you’ve found your prime suspect.
Suspect #2: Your Goldfish
Believe it or not, even your goldfish have a part to play.
Water absorbs radio waves, so if your router has to send its signal through a large fish tank before reaching your laptop, congratulations. Your Wi-Fi is now swimming upstream.
Avoid a goldfish sabotage by relocating your tank and leave the drama to Netflix. You can thank me later.
Suspect #3: Your Walls
Yes concrete, brick, stone and steel add to the mayhem.
Building your house like a fort will definitely keep unsolicited visitors at bay but it will also not support your streaming career.
Dense building materials absorb or reflect Wi-Fi signals. This explains why your connection is perfect in the lounge but the moment you walk into the bedroom, gremlins infiltrate.
Suspect #4: Mirrors
Mirrors reflect more than just a bad hair day. They also reflect radio waves.
Large mirrors, metal-backed surfaces and even some televisions can bounce Wi-Fi signals around your home. This makes your router do more heavy lifting than it should.
So yes… even your bathroom mirror can’t be trusted.
Suspect #5: You
Boy is this one gonna hurt.
Humans are mostly made of water which absorbs radio waves. Which means, technically speaking……you can interfere with your own Wi-Fi.
And here you’ve spent years blaming your internet provider when it it you standing between your router and your TV.
It’s Not Magic. It’s Physics
If you are familiar with Alex Hills, you’ll know that he is one of the pioneers who helped build one of the world’s earliest large-scale Wi-Fi networks. He famously called these everyday obstacles the “Bad Boys of Radio.” Talk about an accurate description, because it never occurs to us that many ordinary household objects quietly interfere with the signals bouncing around our homes every second.
But it’s not all bad there is good news too. Which is that you probably don’t need a faster internet package.
It would help to move your router to a more central location. Keep it at a distance from the microwave and large metal objects. Also avoid obstacles like fish tanks and this is sure to make a noticeable difference. If your home is particularly large, a mesh Wi-Fi system or additional access points can help spread the signal more effectively.
The Bottom Line
The next time your Wi-Fi starts behaving like it’s powered by carrier pigeons, don’t immediately declare war on your internet provider.
First, check whether someone’s making popcorn. Then scan the location of your fish tank. Followed by a suspicious glance at the giant mirror.
And finally…
Take one small step to the left.
Because after all these years, the biggest thing standing between you and a stable Wi-Fi signal might just be… you.
