Tech Tips for Non-Tech People!
Original Air Date: Dec 9, 2015
Will Xmas Lights impact Wifi?
There’s been a lot of buzz on the Internet about how Christmas lights can cause problems for your wifi network.
While it’s technically possible, the likelihood of this actually being the cause of any wifi problem is pretty low.
Make sure you’re not plugging your string of lights into the same outlet as your wifi router to play it safe and if you think there’s a chance that they are interferring, it’s pretty easy to figure it out.
Just test your connection speeds with and without them plugged in at a site like http://speedtest.net.
Wifi signals are much more likely to be impacted by microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors or your neighbors competing wifi router.
If you’re wifi router doesn’t have the ability to automatically find the least congested channel, the best channels to try are 1, 6 and 11 because they have the least amount of overlap.
For Anroid users, there’s a free app called WiFi Analyzer that can also help.
On your Radio
As It Happens by subscribing to our Podcast or via iHeart Radio.
Newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter and get free tips and tricks to keep your computer running great!
