Wi-Fi drops the moment someone runs the microwave or a Bluetooth speaker.
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi shares its band with microwaves, older DECT phones, Bluetooth, wireless cameras and baby monitors. A leaky microwave sprays into the same band and your AP racks up retransmits. The fix is rarely the microwave, it is policy: keep critical devices on 5 or 6 GHz, leave 2.4 to IoT.
Try this first
- 1Confirm the source: run a Wi-Fi analyzer (NetSpot, WiFi Analyzer for Android) and watch 2.4 GHz collapse when the microwave runs.
- 2Move laptops and phones to the 5 or 6 GHz SSID, enable band steering so they do not voluntarily fall back.
- 3Park 2.4-only IoT on its own SSID with lower-priority QoS so it cannot dominate the band.
- 4Replace old DECT or move it to a non-overlapping DECT band, some cheap units transmit into the Wi-Fi band.
- 5A microwave that wrecks Wi-Fi with the door closed is usually broken, just replace it, no longer a network issue.
When to bring us in
Wi-Fi drops without a visible cause and everything is already on 5 GHz: the problem is elsewhere (driver, AP firmware, dead radio), not 2.4 GHz interference.
See also
- Wi-Fi drops randomly across the officeFirst rule out whether it is the access points or the internet connection itself. Different fix.
- One room or corner has no or bad Wi-FiNot always "add another AP"; often one is poorly positioned, or there is a metal wall in the way.
- Internet is suddenly slow for everyoneThree suspects: your provider, a colleague soaking the line, or a backup or update kicking in unexpectedly.
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