7 ways Halloween decorations could be causing your WiFi to slow down

• You might have been tempted to give your home a spooky makeover. 
• But you could be in for a trick instead of a treat when it comes to your internet. 
• Your decorations could be causing the WiFi to slow down. 

Spooky season is upon us and you might be decorating your house with some ghoulish delights. From strings of skeletons to carved pumpkins it might be looking a bit scarier at home. 

However, if you are decorating for Halloween, you need to be aware that they could be interfering with your WiFi and causing it to slow down. Which might actually be the biggest trick of all. 

Tomas Novosad, founder of NetSpeed Canada explained: “More often than not, we tend to see consumers experience slow Wi-Fi speeds and even lost connections over the months of October and December. 

“Whilst there may be other reasons, one common factor that I’ve seen is that people with lots of decorations at home, especially Halloween string lights and garlands can experience Wi-Fi issues. Particularly with decorative lights, these emit something called an electromagnetic magnetic field (EMF) which is bad for your Wi-Fi and could slow down your connection.”

The expert shares his tips on ways to stop holiday decorations from slowing down your internet. Here’s all you need to know: 

Router position 

Keep decorative lights away from your Wi-Fi router. If your lights are plugged in closely to your router, then you’re more likely to experience slower Wi-Fi speeds.

LED lights

Where possible, high-quality LED lights are always best for home decorations as they emit less electromagnetic interference compared to cheaper lights.

Shielded Ethernet cables

Tomas added: “I would always suggest using shielded ethernet cables, which are designed to block electromagnetic interference.” 

Check your router settings

 If your router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, try connecting your devices to the 5 GHz network. Festive lights typically interfere with the 2.4 GHz band.

Check for faulty or old wiring

Damaged decorative lights are more likely to emit higher levels of electromagnetic interference.

Decorative garlands

Many people love to decorate their homes with spooky garlands at Halloween however, it’s important to remember to never cover your router, as this could block the Wi-Fi signal and slow down your connection. 

Mesh networks and signal boosters

Tomas said: “If possible, another great tip is to use mesh networks or Wi-Fi signal boosters, as they can help spread your Wi-Fi signal more effectively throughout your home.”

Have you noticed your Halloween decorations causing your WiFi to slow down? Share your experiences by emailing me: [email protected].