Wifi is nothing more than a form of radio wave or electromagnetic radiation emitted by your router. It's the same technology that allows you to receive radio stations or TV channels via antenna, but wifi uses much shorter waves than radio or TV. These waves cannot just go through everything. The more obstacles there are between you and your router, the more difficult it is to receive a good signal. What are some typical obstacles?
1. Metal
The shorter wifi waves have a higher frequency, which causes problems with materials that are electrically conductive. In short, all metals. High frequencies emit a lot of energy in the form of electricity when metal barriers are penetrated. Concretely: your Wi-Fi signal loses power when it has to go through metal. Do not place large metal objects near your router.
2. Walls
It is not only the material of certain articles that causes problems with the passage of wifi. The density of matter also plays an important role. Walls consisting of concrete, brick or stone allow Wi-Fi signals to pass less well than a plaster wall. This is why a Wi-Fi signal sometimes gets through a ceiling, but not in an adjacent room on the floor where your router is located. Isolated walls pose the same problem for the scope of your network.
3. Wifi of your neighbours
Are you in an apartment or riding house and are there few visible obstacles that can slow down the signal from your wireless internet? There is a big chance that the neighbor's wifi is the wifi of the neighbors. When too many devices emit on a small area at the 2.4 GHz frequency with the Wi-Fi signal, broadband overcrowding causes interference. A possible solution to this problem could be to switch to the less frequently used 5 GHz band, but not every device supports this frequency.
4. Other electronics
Not only other Wi-Fi works can interfere with the strength of your signal. Many other electronics transmit radio waves at the 2.4 Ghz frequency. The biggest culprits are microwave ovens, cordless landlines and baby phones, but there are also other devices that work with radiation and can have a negative effect on the speed of your network. If you have any problems, adjust the position of your router or that of the interfering device. Here too, the 5 GHz band can provide a solution, because in 99 per cent of cases it is the 2.4 GHz frequency that is flooded with waves.
5. Water
Still in the list of materials that wifi can't handle well: water. Just like metal, water absorbs the radiation waves used to transmit network information. If you keep a device completely under water, the data sent over wifi will be able to travel a small distance, but not more than one meter. With wifi you will never be able to surf the internet under water. As a rule, water is probably not a problem in your home, but do not place an aquarium in front of your router. Air humidity can also affect the strength of a signal, but this impact is so small that you won't notice anything. There is also very little you can do about it.
6. fluorescent lamps
The harmless looking fluorescent lamp above your desk can also play a bad role in dampening your Wi-Fi signal. You're faced with the same problem that also occurs in microwave ovens and baby phones: a fluorescent lamp emits radiation at the 2.4 GHz frequency, which can cause a blockage on your network. Here again, the rule applies that you should keep your router as far away from it as possible, since moving the lights is probably not an option.
7. Glass
Normally wifi has no trouble with glass and the radiation goes on there without problems. However, do not expect this to be the case with every type of glass. Tinted windows contain metal particles, which complicate the situation. The thickness of the glass is similar: Double or triple glazing inhibits the waves. So if you're looking for a reason why your wireless internet doesn't get to your terrace, or only weakly, then your windows can be there for something in between. Luckily, this obstacle is pretty simple