Can bad weather impact your Wi-Fi?

AS STORM Babet sweeps the UK today, it may be time to brace for worse Wi-Fi speeds.

While a slow internet is the least of many people’s worries, here’s how you can secure stronger speeds during a spate of bad weather.

LNPFor the most part, the impact will be slight and even major storms are unlikely to tank the Wi-Fi of most homes[/caption]

Can bad weather affect your Internet?

Bad weather can almost certainly bring about a poor internet connection, according to experts.

Writing in The Conversation, James Jin Kang and Paul Haskell-Dowland, computing experts at Edith Cowan University, explained that there are a number of reasons why this happens.

These include physical damage to the network, water getting into electrical connections and wireless signal interference, they said.

“Some types of connection are more vulnerable to weather than others,” the pair added.

For the most part, the impact will be slight and even major storms are unlikely to tank the Wi-Fi of most homes.

More often than not, if your Wi-Fi is struggling during bad weather, then something other than the conditions outside are to blame.

For instance, during storms, people often hunker down inside, leading to a strain on broadband networks as everyone uses their WiFi at once.

What to do if bad weather affects your Wi-Fi

There are a number of common techniques that can boost your connection at home.

Firstly, try to minimise the number of devices you have connected to the internet.

If you’re not using your smart TV, for instance, then unplug it from the wall to ensure it’s not using up any bandwidth.

It’s also advisable to move closer to your Wi-Fi to ensure you have the strongest signal possible.

If you suspect that your Wi-Fi network is down due to physical damage caused by a storm, get in contact with your broadband provider.

Alternatively, use the bad weather as an opportunity to switch off from the internet for the day.

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