Warning issued as mirrors found to be secretly affecting your Wi-Fi
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A warning has been issued after experts revealed that hanging numerous large mirrors and having poor internet router placements could be to blame for your constant Wi-Fi woes.
Too many connected devices, overuse, and hiding your internet hub in cupboards can all weaken your Wi-Fi connection and make accessing the internet a chore.
But did you know that your large wall mirrors could actually be the main culprit when it comes to your sluggish internet connection?
According to Virgin Media O2, mirrors impact Wi-Fi connectivity as they are made up of a thin coat of metal.
Furthermore, Entrepreneur states that mirrors are ‘Wi-Fi vampires’ and claim that they 'can cut [Wi-Fi] strength up to 50 per cent because they reflect back the signal'.
So if you’ve placed your Wi-Fi router next to a large mirror, you may find that your online speeds are slow and your devices have a hard time connecting to the internet.
Gareth Lister, Director of Connectivity at Virgin Media O2, added: “Broadband is an essential part of everyday life.
“Whether working from home, doing an online shop, or catching up on that must-watch series, connectivity sits at the heart of it all.
“Yet being conscious of where to place your router is something that often gets overlooked."
The mirror revelation comes after 2,000 adults were surveyed by the provider and asked where the best place to host an internet router was.
Many of the adults questioned discovered that their current router placement is directly correlating to the poor streaming speeds they’d been suffering.
A staggering 41 percent of adults surveyed said that they put their internet router next to or behind their TV.
This means that many online users will have slow download speeds due to various frequencies interfering with their Wi-Fi signal.
“Most of us place our Wi-Fi routers next to… smart TVs, and this causes all these different signals to interfere with one another and eventually result in dropping the signal,” said Aseem Kishore, founder of Help Desk Geek.
The Virgin Media O2 survey also found that 12 percent of adults left their internet router on the floor, while 6 percent tended to stash theirs out of sight under the bed.
What you can take away from these findings is that you should place your Wi-Fi hub where you use it the most - like your home office, bedroom, or living room.
It’s also advised that routers are kept at least one metre away from large mirrors so that they don’t interfere with your Netflix screenings or late-night gaming sessions.
You've been warned!
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock
Topics: Technology, News
