Ofcom has issued new advice this morning to help people improve their internet speed as millions of people continue to work from home. And while many of them are as expected – keeping your router switched on, for example – one in particular has raised more questions than answers: the advice not to use your microwave when you’re ‘doing something important online’.
Yeah, really.
According to advice from the media regulator, a microwave is one of many devices that can interfere with your wi-fi signal. So much so, they say you shouldn’t be using it during video calls, watching HD videos or when you desperately need strong internet connection.
‘Cordless phones, baby monitors, halogen lamps, dimmer switches, stereos and computer speakers, TVs and monitors can all affect your Wi-Fi if they’re too close to your router,’ the Ofcom statement reads. ‘Did you know that microwave ovens can also reduce Wi-Fi signals? So don’t use the microwave when you’re making video calls, watching HD videos or doing something important online.’
It’s safe to say that many people were confused reading the advice, with some social media users confirming that their internet seems to cut out whenever someone in their house uses the microwave. So why does it happen?
‘The problem is that both microwave ovens and Wi-Fi operate on the same frequency, 2.4 GHz,’ writes George Dvorsky on tech website Gizmodo. ‘In theory, a properly shielded microwave shouldn't leak any radiation, but the reality is that they leak quite a bit, resulting in electromagnetic, or radio-frequency (RF), interference. And yes, Wi-Fi is a radio signal, but it's broadcasting on a much higher frequency than most broadcast radios operate on.’
'Most microwave ovens tend to be very well shielded and will not emit enough radiation to interfere with wireless communications,' another expert from How To Geek says. 'It is possible that your unit has a damaged shield. You could look into replacing it.
Naturally, the idea that our microwaves could be leaking radiation has also raised concerns. But, according to tech website How To Geek, it's not harmful. 'I must point out that 2.4 GHz is far from ionising radiation, which is at least 2400000 GHz (the type that can harm human tissue and/or cause cancer),' their expert says. 'Even if the shield is faulty, it will not cause any harm. Any (very slight) damage would be caused by heating (and not directly by ‘radiation’), which you most definitely will feel before any real damage.'
If your microwave is interfering with your Wi-Fi, Dvorsky suggests upgrading your Wi-Fi to operate in the 5 GHz band – another major band Wi-Fi networks can operate in. Or, as broadband providers are already overrun with the 20% surge in internet users since we all started working from home, maybe just save heating up that sausage roll for after your Zoom meeting.
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