Wireless internet is one of the biggest advantages of the modern computer age. No longer are we all tied to cables in order to get online. Thanks to ever improving batteries on our computers and the availability of a wi-fi signal at home, we are able to work in far more places than we could before. There is in fact nothing to stop us from taking our laptop into the garden and working from home while using the internet at the same time. It is bliss during the summer months!
But it would seem that if you have a baby, you are far more likely not to be able to enjoy the versatility that wi-fi offers. It has long been known that wi-fi signals can be a bit hit and miss. Some people say that if you live in an old house with much thicker walls than its modern day counterparts, you are less likely to be able to enjoy wi-fi signals.
And it isn’t only thick walls that can get in the way of this technology. Apparently baby monitors can be just as much to blame.
It seems bizarre that something as humble as the baby monitor can cause so much trouble in the wi-fi world. But it would appear to be true, judging by the many news stories that have hit the internet recently. And there is more to this than meets the eye as well.
Now we’re sure that some of you will be reading this thinking you aren’t in trouble because you don’t have children, and therefore you don’t have any need for baby monitors. But think about how these wi-fi signals work. Baby monitors work on sound waves as well, which is why you could be affected just as much if you have neighbours who have young babies.
So how will this situation be resolved? Well it should be noted that not all baby monitors are guilty of interfering with the wireless signals. It seems to depend on which band the item uses. Wi-fi signals make use of the 2.4GHz band. So if a baby monitor uses another band other than this one, it doesn’t interfere and both items can work perfectly independently of each other.
As such, it has been suggested that the 2.4GHz band should be regulated to make sure it is dedicated to wireless broadband signals and nothing else. Furthermore, baby monitors that don’t interfere and which use a different band altogether should be marked as such. This will enable new parents to go out and buy a baby monitor that they know won’t interfere with their ability to get online in this way.
So it would seem that some relatively simple regulations would solve this problem. But it remains to be seen how long it will take for them to be put in place. Until then your best bet is to make sure you buy a monitor which doesn’t use this frequency. But if your neighbours use it, there isn’t a lot you can do.