Wireless & Microwaves

We have two WL Access Points at different ends of the building.

One is located within a few feet of the staff kitchen and I think I've noticed that clients using that access point sometimes have their connection temporarily interrupted when someone uses the microwave oven!

Cant prove it, maybe even imagining it, but, just in case....

Is there anything known about this possibility?

TIA,

JohnK

Reply to
John F Kappler
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You aren't imagining it. My microwave occasionally interferes with both my 2.4 GHz cordless phone and wireless network. A microwave that I had several years ago was even worse, the computer and router were both on the same side of the microwave (therefore signal didn't go past microwave for them to communicate) and the computer (which was closest to the microwave, but in another room and at least 15 feet away) would always lose the connection when the microwave was on.

ken

Reply to
ken

Well-known phenomenon, no doubt about it. One of the most common sources of interference. Another is 2.4 GHz cordless phones. Then other wifi signals also interfere.

Metal will shield microwaves, by the way. It might be possible to shield the oven from the wifi zones....

Steve

Reply to
seaweedsteve

seaweedsteve hath wroth:

Not exactly. Metal will *REFLECT* microwaves. They bounce around and just create intererence from a different direction. If you want to block RF *and* prevent re-radiation and reflection, use an absorber, not a reflector. I have one customer where an aquarium serves the purpose. At another, I have a large sheet of carbonized foam (used for anti-static IC packaging) sandwitched between two sheets of aesthetically tolerable white cardboard. A wet towel will also work but usually fails the practicality test.

Anyway, shielding between wi-fi and a cordless phone is not a good answer. That's because the user of the wi-fi client and the cordless phone are generally far too close together for a shield to be effective.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Which side/sides of the mw-owen should the absorber (in form of water body) be created. Top & two lateral sides? Also needed on the bottom? At the back? Just trying to determine practicality.

Thanks

PS: For those wondering what the role of water is in "absoribing" microwaves, check this out:

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Reply to
c24

c24 hath wroth:

It varies by oven. Double shielding a MW oven is not my idea of practical, especially by submerging the oven in a tank of water.

I have a Magic Chef something MW oven that had apparently been dropped. The lower hinge was slightly out of alignment. The result was that whenever I nuked something, my wireless LAN would shut down. I later discovered that I also shut down other WLAN's in the neighborhood.

Rather than spend a few dollars at the local thrift shop for a replacement, I bought a digital MW oven leakage detector.

I also have an ancient analog version. The leaky oven was withing spec (5mw/cm^2) but I wanted it gone. So, I judiciously pounded on the hinge with a blunt instrument while watching the meter readings. I eventually reduced it to the point where it could not be seen on either meter.

Testing my network, it would now slow down somewhat when the oven was running, but at least it wouldn't freeze and disconnect. Progress, I guess.

Unfortunately, I made no attempt to check other sources of leakage in my oven. I just assumed that the bulk of the leakage was coming from the door seal, and not from other points of egress. I'll check when I have time.

Also, a fun test for shielding can be done with a cordless 2.4GHz phone. Place handset inside microwave oven, close door, and press the "page" button on the phone base. Even with the door shut, the phone will usually ring. So much for shielding. Of course, when I demonstrated this at a customers home, the phone did NOT ring, but might have been a deaf phone instead of a properly shielded oven.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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