The UK might be basking in glorious sunshine but the unusually hot weather could be about to wreak havoc with your Wi-Fi. We might love sitting out in the heat but your broadband definitely does not and leaving that flashing black Wi-Fi box in the wrong place could bring things grinding to a halt.
In fact, it’s vital to move the router off of any window ledges and away from direct sunlight. Like most gadgets, when things get too hot, routers can end up shutting themselves down until things get cool again. If that happens you’ll have no access to the web until the router comes back online and that could be disastrous for the morning Zoom call or afternoon Netflix binge.
Virgin Media is just one Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is telling users to check their equipment. In a recent email, the firm said: “Always keep it indoors in a cool place and out of bright sunlight to prevent it from overheating.”
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Another top tip during the heatwave is to make sure there is plenty of air circuiting around the router and try to make sure it’s not surrounded by clutter as this could clog things up.
Of course, heat isn’t the only thing Wi-Fi hates. There are loads of other objects that can slow down signals including fish tanks, cordless phones, baby monitors and microwave ovens.
To make sure your signal stays strong try and avoid placing the router near anything that could disrupt things.
It’s also a good idea to keep it out of cupboards and not hide it behind the TV.
The hot weather is sticking around until next week so if you don’t want to be hit by outages then give your router some attention and make sure its keeping cool.
