Why does my microwave kill the Wi-Fi?
- by Ohlin
Every time I start the microwave in the kitchen, our home Wi-Fi stops working and all devices lose connection with our router! The kitchen and the Wi-Fi router are in opposite ends of the apartment but devices are being used a little here and there. We've been annoyed by the instability of the Wi-Fi for some time and it wasn't until recently we realized it was correlated to microwave usage.
After some testing with having the microwave on and off we could narrow down the problem to only occurring when the router is in b/g/n mode and uses a set channel. If I change to b/g mode or set channel to auto then there is no problem any more...but still!
The router is a Zyxel P-661HNU ("802.11n Wireless ADSL2+ 4-port Security Gateway" with latest firmware) and the microwave is made by Neff with an effect of 1000W (if this information might be useful to anyone). There is an "internet connection" light on the router and it doesn't go out when the interruption occurs so I think this is only an internal Wi-Fi issue.
Now to my questions:
What parts of the Wi-Fi can possibly be affected by the microwave usage? Frequency? Disturbances in the electrical system?
How can setting Auto on channels make a difference? I thought the different channels were just some kind of separation system within the same frequency spectrum?
Could this be a sign that the microwave is malfunctioning and slowly roasting us all at home? Is there any need to be worried?
Since we were able to find router settings that cooperate well with our microwave's demand for attention, this question is mainly out of curiosity. But as most people out there...I just can't help the fact that I need to know how it's possible :-)
