WiFi Networks Face Interference from Electronic Appliances
Ofcom recently commissioned a study, conducted by the technical consultancy firm Mass, which sought to find the answers to the following questions:
How efficient is the 2.4GHz band?
Does it suffer from interferences?
The 2.4GHz band is currently unlicensed and is being used for enabling WiFi services.
The experiments conducted by Mass showed that Wi-Fi networks are carrying much less traffic than they are expected to. This under-utilisation and the loss in the quality of service were attributed to the interference between the WiFi network and various other devices.
It is common for Wi-Fi users to blame other networks in their vicinity for the sluggishness of their own connection, but the study revealed that this sluggishness is a result of the presence of household devices like TVs and baby monitors. These devices are found to have an adverse impact on the performance of Wi-Fi.
Furthermore, it was found that about 10-15% of the users experience problems with their WiFi connection, even when connected using a laptop dongle. However, some areas are more affected by service problems than others. For example, the areas inside a big city were found to offer poorer Wi-Fi services. This was due to spectrum overcrowding. Another example of a poor service area could be railway stations.
It was also found that the probability that Wi-Fi users will experience interference and network problems increases with an increase in the density of Wi-Fi networks in that area.
