The British should prepare themselves Enjoy a four-day heatwave with temperatures above 30ºCWith the mercury set to rise this week, the Met Office has issued a heat warning from today (June 24). The yellow warning – which applies to all regions of England except one – began at 8am and will be in place until Thursday afternoon.
And now experts are warning of another side effect of rising temperatures across the UK: broadband outages. Telecoms expert Simrat Sharma told GB News that higher temperatures can have a detrimental effect on household appliances like your Wi-Fi router.
If your Wi-Fi router overheats and goes offline, you will lose Internet access on all your devices. Whether you are working or studying from home, streaming music, listening to the radio over the Internet or watching TV via Sky Stream or a streaming service like Netflix, Disney+or Prime Video — Losing Wi-Fi and wired broadband connections can be extremely inconvenient.
Temperatures are expected to rise to nearly 30ºC in many parts of the UK in the coming days.
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Those, who switched from a conventional landline connection to a Digital Voice handset also lose the ability to make or receive landline calls. Critical Personal alarms could also be affected.
Ms Sharma, who works for broadband comparison service uSwitch, warns that when temperatures rise above 30°C, people need to be careful of overheating devices. And those who are busy in their household or have a lot of internet-connected devices should be especially careful.
“The more devices you have connected to your router, the harder it has to work to keep them all online, making it more likely to slow down or shut down,” Ms Sharma told GB News.
The telecom expert has three simple, easy-to-follow instructions for you to avoid broadband outages due to overheated Wi-Fi routers or damage to your other devices during the summer heat.
- Beware of hotspots | Place your router in the coolest room in your home, away from direct sunlight. Usually, a central location in the house is best to ensure a good Wi-Fi connection everywhere. And a cooler environment for operation. Keep your router away from sunny places, such as a windowsill
- Ensure adequate ventilation| Wireless routers require airflow to avoid overheating. Place your router on a stable, flat surface – preferably one that stays cool. This will ensure adequate ventilation around the device, especially underneath it. Never place the wireless router on a carpet that could block airflow.
- Working outdoors | If you’re lucky enough to be able to work from your garden, it’s important to keep your tech devices out of direct sunlight, as they could overheat. Don’t be tempted to put your router in the sun – instead, consider a WiFi extender if you need it.
While it may seem like a good idea, experts warn against turning off your Wi-Fi router, especially overnight. That’s because broadband companies typically release critical security and performance updates overnight, as that’s the least disruptive time to make adjustments.
If your wireless router is not connected to the Internet, you could miss these important firmware updates. However, a simple restart – also called a power cycle – every now and then can improve the performance of your wireless router by giving the components a chance to reset.
Of course, the heat wave will cause more than just Only Your Wi-Fi router. Ms Sharma also has some expert advice for those worried about their smartphones in the sweltering temperatures.
- Be aware of heat stress | Most phones are designed to operate in temperatures up to 35ºC and can keep themselves cool. However, direct sunlight will put additional stress on your device, so make sure your phone is not exposed to direct sunlight.
- Give your phone a break | If you feel your phone getting really hot, first of all give it a helping hand and close any unused apps or features like Bluetooth connectivity and App Refresh. All the features on your phone require the processor to generate heat, so closing these features can cause the heat to increase.
- Avoid a cold reception | A drawer or glove compartment is usually the best place to keep your device cool. Never Place your phone in the refrigerator or freezer to lower the temperature
- Check your charger | Unofficial chargers, especially cheaper replacement ones, can often overload a smartphone while charging, which can become a bigger problem if your phone is already struggling with the heat
Simrat Sharma warns: “We’re all delighted that summer is finally here in the UK, but of course your technology doesn’t always feel the same way and there’s a real risk of long-term damage to your mobile phone or router.”
“Mobile phones and routers have built-in hardware to keep them cool, but there are some things you can do to help with this. As a general rule, direct sunlight can often have a detrimental effect on your tech.
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“Electronic devices all rely on ventilation to stay cool. That means they need space around them for the hot air generated by processing to escape. If your router is surrounded by a lot of other objects, it won’t be able to ventilate properly and could overheat. For your cell phone, a case could have the same effect.
“The more devices connected to your router, the harder it has to work to keep them all online. This makes it more likely to slow down or shut down. The same goes for your mobile device – if you have too many apps running on it, the processor has to work harder and generates more heat.
“If your phone is overheating, you should never put it in a refrigerator or freezer to cool down, as the rapid change in temperature can do more harm than good. Instead, turn the device off and let it cool down in a well-ventilated place away from sunlight.”