Everyone
assumes that a poor internet connection can be caused by a bad cable, a cheap
internet plan, or a router that is too far away. However, many people forget
that the weather can play an important role in the quality of your internet
connection! Because Internet connections are more complicated than your router
and the cables in our homes. There are many networking devices, cables, and
connections between our homes and the websites we browse. An Internet
connection may involve various types of the physical links, including the
copper wire used in the ancient telephone network and more modern fiber optic
connections. There may also be wireless connections, such as WIFI, microwave,
and satellite radio.
In
fact, temperatures and rain can affect the quality of the signal that reaches
us. Radio signals are absorbed by raindrops and if your router is in range of
rain, the signal can be interrupted. As for the temperature, it affects the
hardware, not the signal. That is, if the temperature is too high or too low,
this makes the device work harder and thus results in a weak signal and slow
internet.
The effect of winter on the quality of your internet connection
Rain
can cause physical damage to cables, especially when telecom networks use older
infrastructure. For example, connections of the ADSL type, which use the old
landline telephone network, are particularly susceptible to this type of
interference. As we know, a large portion of internet cables are underground,
so if a flood occurs, moisture can get into the cables or their connectors.
This
can greatly interfere with signals or even prevent them from passing through
altogether, by reducing bandwidth or causing a short circuit. But it's not just
your home connection that can be affected. Even wireless signals outside a home
or building can be affected by rainfall as the water droplets themselves can
partially absorb the signal, which can result in reduced coverage. Imagine
this! Even after the rain has stopped, the effects can still be felt. High
humidity can continue to affect the strength of wireless signals and may cause
slower connection speeds.
But
there is also a human behavior factor! When winter comes and it rains, more
people may decide to stay indoors or work from home. This inevitably leads to
an increase in network usage and pressure. When a large number of people
increase their use of the Internet, the limited bandwidth available will simply
be used up quickly, resulting in significant slowdowns.
The effect of heat waves and wind on the quality of your Internet connection
Being
too cold isn't usually a major concern. Heat is perhaps a more common problem.
Our networking equipment is likely to run slower when exposed to extreme heat.
Even cables can suffer damage that may affect connectivity. To bring the idea
closer to our minds, imagine, for example, that the computer fan is not working
and that the computer is heating up and its temperature is rising; It will fail
and may eventually break. While the hardware itself may be fine, the power
supply is likely to struggle. This same issue can affect the networking
equipment that controls our internet connection.
Satellite
Internet services for users in rural areas can also be vulnerable to severe
weather conditions, as satellite signals have to travel long distances in the
air and are therefore more vulnerable to weather conditions. Radio signals are
not usually affected by wind, but devices such as satellite dishes can
oscillate, vibrate, bend, or be moved by the wind. But for most users, the
impact of rain will be minor unless they're physically affected by a major
issue like flooded cables or trying to use Wi-Fi outside during a storm.
Even
sometimes, we expect that the mere alternation of day and night affects the
quality of our internet connection, because of the very slow internet we notice
at night! But hey, it's not like that. Rather, most of the time, human behavior
and the increase in the number of users within one domain is the main reason.
So if
your favorite series on an online platform is running slow during rainy weather
at night hours, the behavior of other humans hiding in their homes and busy
with the Internet, just like you, is to blame!