When you really need your technology to work, and it does not, it is about the most frustrating thing that could possibly happen.
You might try to stream movies while it’s raining outside and you’re stuck inside because you can’t play outside, but sometimes it feels like your Internet speed is just as slowed down by the bad weather as you are. Is it possible that the fog is causing congestion in cyberspace?
Are the circuits in your system freezing due to the snow? Do certain weather conditions have an effect on how fast your Internet speed is?
A few drops of rain or a dusting of snow throughout the winter are unlikely to have a substantial impact on your slow Internet. It’s possible that the increased Internet traffic on stormy days is to blame for the slower-than-usual internet speeds, rather than the weather itself.
But then again, there are certain instances when the weather can cause issues with the signal strength. During times of severe rain, signals for satellite Internet, television, as well as mobile phones may get disrupted.
A patchy Internet connection may also be caused by a number of other atmospheric occurrences at times. And of course, if you are currently right in the middle of a severe weather condition, such as a hurricane, a tornado, or even a snowstorm, the inclement weather may very well affect your ability to connect to the Internet or to have decent Internet speed.
Why Does Rain Affect The Internet
The Wi Fi router and cables that we have and use in our homes as well as in other establishments are little compared to the complexity of Internet connections. Between our houses and the websites that we visit and look through, there are a large number of cables, connections, as well as networking equipment of a wide range of types.
A connection to the Internet could give rise to a number of various types of physical link, such as the copper wiring that was utilized in the standard phone network or the more up to date fiber optic connections. There is a likelihood that wireless links are compromised as well, specifically electromagnetic waves, WiFi connections, as well as satellite radios.
Aside from rain, high wind also has the potential to inflict material damage to cables, which is especially troublesome in scenarios when communications networks make use of already old infrastructure.
Since a considerable section of the Internet’s wiring is buried underground, any time there is heavy downpour that leads to flooding, there is a probability and threat of moisture going into the cables or the connectors that tie them up in the time of the rainy weather.
By either decreasing the bandwidth or generating an electrical short-circuit, this can result in substantial interference with WiFi signal or even altogether block them from getting as far as their destination.
But then again, this weather condition may have an effect on more than simply the fiber Internet connection in your property. Rainfall can have an effect on wireless signals outside of a home or structure because water droplets can partially absorb the signal, which can lead to a lesser degree of coverage. This can happen when rain is falling.
The impacts will still be present even after the rain has stopped falling. The strength of wireless signals can continue to be negatively impacted by high humidity, which may also result in reduced Wi Fi signal speeds.
Getting Ready For Power Disruptions Caused By Storms
Download the app for your Internet service provider ahead of time so that you may check the status of outages and access your account from your mobile device in the event that severe weather strikes. You also have the option of purchasing a battery backup to ensure that you continue to have access to the Internet in the event that the power fails.
Large service providers offer their consumers access to free Wi-Fi hotspot networks within their own networks. These wireless hotspot networks can ensure crucial communication even if your home’s Internet connection is disrupted during a severe weather event due to the loss of electricity.
They can also be useful if the Internet service in your location is down but is still available in the surrounding area. After the storm has passed, you can get in your car and drive to a central location in the area to let your loved ones know that you are safe.
Extreme Weather
When the weather becomes so abnormal that it poses a risk to people’s lives or their property, this is referred to as an extreme weather event. Extreme weather phenomena that have the potential to knock off Internet service in your region include blizzards, hurricanes, floods, snow storms, tornadoes, as well as extreme windstorms. Internet access may be inaccessible for a number of days if severe weather conditions be the case.
Internet outages can be caused by inclement weather in a few different ways – the weather event itself can interfere with wireless connection or the fiber optic cable.
For instance, heavy rain can block or intercept a steady and dependable satellite signal from getting to your home, or the current inclement weather can give rise to infrastructure failures that bring on Internet outages, such as cable lines cracking in the course of a continuous freezing weather. When it comes to satellite Internet, inclement weather can also cause harm to the outdoor satellite equipment that you have.
Internet Through Satellite And The Weather
Due to the fact that data has to be transmitted through the air, satellite Internet service is more prone to experience slower speed troubles during periods of inclement weather than other types of Internet (rather than through wires buried underground).
If you follow the path that data takes, you will see a line going from your house to a satellite that is located hundreds of miles away, and then the line will come back down to Earth and end at a ground station. After that, the signal will come back to you using the same path it took to get there. Bad weather has the potential to diminish, block, or redirect the satellite signal while it is on its way.
Radio waves are used to transmit satellite signals. Radio waves travel the farthest and most efficiently over open air, but they can become deflected or scattered if they go through water, buildings, or dense vegetation. Because of this, satellite communications become less reliable when adverse weather conditions, such as snow, rain, or even dust storms are present. The radio signal is deflected and fragmented when it passes through the air because of water or dust particles, which results in a patchy or weak signal.
Due to the fact that water in its liquid state has the highest density, raindrops have the greatest impact on radio waves and are most difficult for radio waves to travel through. But things, such as fog, snow, and even weather that’s particularly hot and humid might interfere with or degrade your Internet access. Trees and other plant foliage contain a high percentage of water and can either completely block or significantly decrease a satellite signal.
Because the equipment used for satellite Internet is situated outside, disruptions in Internet signal are also common when there is inclement weather. Although highly weather resistant to the majority of storm types, satellite dish can be destroyed during extreme weather events, such as floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes. These types of weather events can either damage the equipment or force it out of alignment, depending on the severity of the event.
Weather And Other Types Of Internet
Even while satellite Internet is the most likely to become unavailable when there is severe weather, it is important to note that any sort of Internet service provider can be disrupted by the environment. Internet signal outages caused by extreme weather conditions or even construction can happen everywhere. Cable, DSL, fiber, as well as fixed-wireless are all sorts of Internet that might be affected in a bad way.
However, while a reduction or eventually loss of satellite Internet signal is to be expected to happen as a result of rain or other inclement weather conditions interfering with the signal itself, other kinds of Internet outages are predominantly the outcome of failures in equipment as well as infrastructure brought on by strong weather disturbances.
Storms with heavy snowfall can cause wires to freeze and shatter, and power lines can be accidentally severed during construction or gardening. Aside from that, lightning strikes have the potential to bring down power lines, telephone lines, and even servers. Internet service could be completely disrupted if any of these problems occur. Even though these occurrences are extremely uncommon, they are still occasionally responsible for Internet disruptions.
Why Does Weather Have A Bigger Effect On Satellite Internet Than On Cell Phone Signals?
A city’s mobile phone connections and public Wi-Fi hotspots may become less reliable when there is inclement weather. This is also true of Internet transmissions. This is for the reason that cell phone signals are also carried via radio waves, and radio waves just aren’t as uninterrupted and reliable while they are passing over water in the atmosphere. This is for the simple reason that radio waves are also transmitted via radio waves.
Cell phone connections and public Wi-Fi hotspots can be made less reliable by precipitation of any kind, including rain, snow, as well as sleet. Cell phone signals only travel five to ten miles to the nearest cell phone tower, whereas the signals used for satellite Internet reach over 60,000 miles. As a result, the likelihood of interference caused by cell phone signals is significantly lower.
Imagine the number of water droplets that a radio wave might encounter over a distance of 60,000 miles. Therefore, communications from satellites are more likely to be disrupted by inclement weather than signals from mobile phones.
Radio waves are also brought into play in the process of fixed wireless Internet and 4G LTE home Internet. However, because signals only travel a maximum of ten miles, they are significantly less likely to be disrupted by the elements than Internet service provided by satellite.
Do’s And Don’ts When The Rain Affects Your Internet Connection
The following is a list of things you ought to do as well as the things you have to avoid doing in order to get your Internet back online:
Do’s:
- You could try resetting your modem and/or router. You can also unplug them, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect them.
- Bring your device closer to the router. In some circumstances, moving your device closer to your router will help you fix a problematic and slow Internet connection.
- Examine other devices as well. If your phone works but your PC doesn’t, the problem could be with your device rather than your network.
Do Not’s:
- Don’t even try to attempt to repair it yourself! Instead, contact a technician and leave the problem to them.
- Do not even think of stepping outdoors until the storm is gone. Contact a professional if you have debris in your satellite dish, damaged equipment, fallen power wires, or other technical issues.
Final Words
We are notoriously critical of the service provider whenever there is an issue with the quality of the Wi-Fi connection. But then again, even if inclement weather conditions have an effect on network congestion and overall signal, the majority of those issues maybe the result of low quality services provided by the Internet service provider.