RAIN can really batter your internet speeds – but not in the way you think.
Bad weather, such as the recent Storm Babet, can cause a sluggish Wi-Fi connection oreven wipe it out completely.
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But why does your Wi-Fi suddenly slow when during a simple downpour and not only during a wild storm?
According to the experts, it’s actually human nature that comes into play.
And it’s all because more people opt to stay in rather than going out.
“When it rains, more people might decide to stay indoors or work from home,” James Jin Kang and Paul Haskell-Dowland, from Edith Cowan University, wrote on The Conversation.
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“This inevitably leads to an increase in the network usage.
“When a large number of people increase their internet usage, the limited bandwidth available is rapidly consumed, resulting in apparent slowdowns.”
Most households in your area will be doing the same.
What happens then is the entire local bandwidth gets bogged down by people’s rainy-day internet plans.
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Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over an internet connection within a given period.
It is shared by all internet users in a particular area.
However, as Virgin Media explains, extreme weather like storms can have other consequences.
These can cause issues for any overhead cables in your area.
“While a storm can’t interfere with your router’s wireless signal, extreme weather can impact the WiFi connection in other ways,” the company explains.
“Heavy rain or wind can damage overhead cables supplying your broadband.
“Poor connections at the central internet exchange can also slow down your internet speed when there is stormy weather.”
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
