The weather can affect your mood. Unless you are an introvert you probably don’t feel quite as well on a rainy day and you feel much happier on a sunny day. That seems to be the same with your Internet connection. While you can still function on a rainy day, have you ever wondered if that same weather can affect your Internet? As we get set for another spring and one that you are spending a lot more time at home using your Internet connection, we’ll go over some of what the weather can do to your Internet connection.
Now of course we are not talking about situations where a tree limb falls during a storm taking out a wire and bringing your Internet connection to a screeching halt. Or an extreme weather situation like flooding or something that ignites a fire. No, we mean the normal weather patterns that we see day in and day out like with rain, heat, cold and humidity.
Rain
Have you ever noticed that it seems like your Internet connection slows down on rainy days? It sure seems like it does a lot. There are a myriad of reasons why this can happen, many of which are actually out of your control like moisture getting into a buried cable line. If that is the case as the ground dries out the connection should return to normal. You’ll need to contact your Internet provider and they’ll need to replace the cable line. Good luck to you!
With that said rain can affect a wi-fi or satellite signal. Now for the most part this should not affect wi-fi as much since wi-fi is usually for in-home use but the drops of water can absorb and block the signal. That means if you go outside to do something or are using a public wi-fi connection like one of the Xfinity hotspots or are down at a Revolution game your connection might take a hit when the drops start falling.
Keep in mind as well if you are getting satellite Internet that just because the weather is good where you are does not mean you are in the clear. That signal has a long way to go before it reaches you and anything and everything can be in its way.
Temperature
Temperature itself actually has little effect on your Internet. Copper and fiber optic cables are impervious to extreme cold or heat but the ground that it is buried in is not. Extreme cold can cause the ground to heave which can tear or rip wires. That will slow down your Internet connection pretty quickly and only your ISP will be able to fix it!
At the same time extreme heat can cause your equipment to overheat. It is harder for these devices to cool themselves and when they overheat the Internet speeds will decrease. Keep that in mind if you are not running your air conditioner during the summer or if you have your equipment kept in your garage.
Humidity
Like rain, humidity can affect a wireless connection. Of course humidity is caused by moisture in the air and as already mentioned that moisture can absorb and block a radio signal. This is more of a possibility if you are outside or if you are using a wi-fi hotspot just like with rain but humidity can get into the home as well. You’ve probably kept your windows open during the spring and fall when it is cooler so keep this in mind.
Thunderstorms
Have you ever listened to the radio when a thunderstorm is happening? You can hear the static on the AM band when lightning happens. Just like with radio, your wi-fi is an electromagnetic signal and that can be interrupted by lightning. Just like with the other examples this is more likely if you are outside but it can happen. We don’t recommend being outside during a thunderstorm as most electronic devices don’t mix well with rain to begin with.
Wind
Wind can cause obvious problems with your Internet connection like bringing down a wire or as a line swings to cause it to lose connection temporarily. This is something that can happen on a cloudy day or a sunny day, with no rain or in a torrential downpour. Keeping the line underground can help to mitigate some of the potential for damage but that line has to go above the ground at some point. But wind does not affect your Internet connection otherwise.
In all likelihood if your Internet connection is slowing down during inclement weather the reason is actually because more people are inside and with nothing else to do (like right now), they are using the Internet too and putting more strain on the area’s connection. If you are sitting around on a rainy or snowy day chances are others are too and they are using the Internet as well to surf the net, watch YouTube videos or binge watch on Netflix.