A British telecom regulator reported on December 1, Tuesday that Christmas lights could slow down the Wi-Fi signal in a home, which could affect video streaming of holiday movies on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The organization has released an iOS and Android app to check the speed of wireless Internet, which can also be affected by things such as wall insulation, television monitors, and stereo speakers.
xG Technology's vice president of marketing is Daniel Carpini. He verified that Christmas lights can affect the speed and performance of routers and broadband Internet, according to NBC News.
Different types of electronic gadgets have different strengths of electro-magnetic fields. Items such as water pipes, cordless phones, washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, ovens, and microwave ovens create the most interference, according to The Guardian.
Wi-Fi uses an unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. Several other devices use the frequencies ranging from 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which results in many sources of interference.
Experts explain that Christmas lights produce very tiny amounts of energy. They would only cause the wireless Internet speed to slow down significantly if a person wrapped them around Wi-Fi routers.
However, Christmas lights might cause major interference for devices that turn the Christmas light strings on or off. They include Wi-Fi-activated controllers and switches.
The Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets in smart homes, which are becoming more and more popular are a bigger threat to slower Wi-Fi speeds than Christmas lights. They can have a big effect on voice communication software.
Homeowners can take steps to reduce Wi-Fi interference. They include removing objects that easily absorb Wi-Fi waves out of the router's path; placing the router in the center of a home; and using devices such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs that support the Wi-Fi version.
Edward H. Johnson is usually credited with using the first Christmas lights in a home, in 1882. Johnson was a close friend of Thomas Edison, who invented the incandescent bulb three years earlier.
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