Here’s why you shouldn’t use your microwave while on video calls when working from home

Millions of UK residents are currently working from home amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But, conducting video meetings can be hard for people whose homes have slow broadband speeds.

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Internet regulator, Ofcom, has created a list of tips to help people improve their internet connections.

These tricks might come in handy for boosting your home wifi signal or the quality of your video calls on your mobile devices.

Use your landline for calls

With so many people conducting business calls over their mobiles, the high demand can result in poor sound quality and an unreliable connection. Ofcom recommends using your landline to make calls, where possible.

For homes that might not have a landline phone anymore, people can turn on ‘wifi calling’ in their smartphone’s settings. Many mobile packages allow customers to make calls over the broadband.

You can also make voice calls using a broadband connection, with apps like Facetime, Skype, and Whatsapp.

Move your router away from other devices

Ofcom advises people to keep their internet router away from other devices, especially ones that work wirelessly. Examples include:

- Cordless phones- Baby monitors- Halogen lamps- Dimmer switches- Computer speakers- TVs- Microwaves

All these devices can reduce wifi signals, so do not use them while you are doing something online which requires a lot of signal, like watching videos or making Skype calls.

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It also helps to keep the router on a shelf or table, rather than on the floor.

Lower the device demand on your wifi

The more devices with access to the wifi, the slower the internet will be for each of them. Recreational devices like playstations and tablets often use the internet in the background, so make sure to turn them off while you are working.

Workers with families could also create wifi schedules to make sure that children are not playing online video games when their parents are trying to work.

Use ethernet cables to boost speed

Ethernet cables, which link a device directly to the router, are much more reliable than wireless connections, and deliver the maximum speeds available.

Some cost as little as £3, but require you to sit quite close to your router because of the length of the cable.

More expensive models, however, allow you to use plug sockets around your house as a sort of extension lead - meaning you can sit anywhere that is close to one of the sockets.

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