Holiday lights could slow down your wifi speed

The holidays are time for family, trimming your tree and hanging your festive lights. It’s also a time to reminisce about holidays’ past, but instead some folks are remembering the days of dial-up when their wi-fi speed comes to a screeching halt. Holiday lights are beautiful to look at, but they could be slowing down your internet speed.

47 ABC spoke with William Primo, network manager for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to shed some “light” on the issue. He says, “There has been stories over the last six years or so that around the holidays the number of calls to ISP’s reporting issues with their connectivity increases.”

So what’s the problem? Primo tells 47 ABC, “Christmas lights are like any device that can emit an RF radio frequency type of interference or noise that could interfere with a wireless signal.”

In fact, Primo says there are many different types of devices that emit radio frequencies or RF’s that you may not realize. The list includes cordless phones, bluetooth, baby monitors and microwaves. He also says location can be everything. If you’re having trouble with the connections simply restarting your router or moving it to the middle of your house could help.

Primo tells 47 ABC, “A best practice would be to not place your holiday lights anywhere near your wireless home router. But I wouldn’t stop putting my holiday lights up.”

So don’t be afraid to Deck the halls this Christmas. But if you are having troubles with your internet after following these tips, it may be time for a call to your internet provider.