If family and friends are about to descend on your home, now could be a good time to check your Wi-Fi to ensure everyone stays connected over the festive period.There are loads of things that can affect those all-important internet speeds, and one of the biggest culprits for ruining the web at this time of year can be your Christmas tree.Yes, that popular festive accessory is not your broadband's best friend.Once covered in shiny tinsel, glowing lights and silver baubles, it can wreak havoc with the router, especially if placed near or underneath those needle-packed branches."Whether you’re going for a real tree this year or a pretend one, we bet there’s going to be twinkling lights all over it," UK Internet Service Provider Virgin Media said."But did you know that fairy lights can actually obscure your router’s wireless signals? Yep, if your router ends up stuffed behind the tree, you’ll likely see a reduction in your WiFi speeds.”Martin Lewis explains money saving broadband tip Your tree isn’t the only hazard for Wi-Fi.
Other things to be aware of are baby monitors, cordless phones, microwave ovens and even fish tanks.It’s also a good idea to place your router out in the open and get it off the floor as this will help the signal get to more areas around the home.Just don't put it next to the window as this is not only bad for speeds but can also be a security risk as well.One final top tip is to remember the 10-second rule and give your router a big reset before everyone arrives at the front door.
Switching the flashing black box on and off again can clear any issues and get speeds back to their best.Trending SUBSCRIBE Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you.This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding.
You can unsubscribe at any time.Read our Privacy Policy"If you find your broadband is unusually sluggish, the first port of call should be to power cycle your Virgin Media Hub – in other words, the classic “turn it off and on again” method," explained Virgin in a recent message to its users."It might seem simplistic, but power cycling your Hub (especially if it hasn’t been done in some time) can help to clear the Hub’s memory and CPU of older and no longer needed data and processing."
