Internet

Christmas lights can disrupt wifi, warns Talk Talk

(TELEGRAPH) - The internet service provider said it received dozens of calls from customers over the festive period, complaining about slower than normal broadband speeds.

“A significant percentage of these complaints were due to interference from Christmas lights,” wrote Sylvain Thevenot, a senior manager at Talk Talk, on the company blog .

“Our past experience has shown that in-home lighting and wiring, such as Christmas tree lights, can interfere with wireless signals and reduce broadband speeds — regardless of internet service provider — by up to 25 per cent.

“We estimate that this problem could affect thousands of broadband users this coming Christmas.”

While many broadband users are aware that their distance from telephone exchange and traffic “congestion” on broadband connections can impact speeds, many do not realise that other factors can also affect internet performance, wrote Mr Thevenot.

“Although it might sound silly, interference from domestic lighting and wiring is a major problem across the industry, and at this time of year Christmas lights tend to aggravate it,” he added.

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