We can’t imagine Christmas without fairy lights but then again, we can’t imagine our homes without internet access over the holiday period either.
So, it might alarm you to know that your Christmas tree lights might be interfering with your Wifi connection!
According to Express.co.uk, the electromagnetic signals emitted by swathes of festive lights can result in dropped connections.
Apparently, the technical name for this issue is Repetitive Electrical Impulse Noise (REIN). Ironic, right? #reindeer
Rachel Rothwell, regional director for southern Europe and UK at Zyxel, said it’s all down to electromagnetic radiation.
‘Fairy lights are a mass of wires carrying a current which creates a small electromagnetic field and this leads to interference,’ she explained.
However, there is hope. One simple method of improving the connection is to increase the distance between your router and where you plug in your fairy lights.
The electromagnetic field created by the lights gets weaker with distance so even if there is a problem, thankfully, it’s relatively easy to solve.
Let there be lights!
