Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@Buhlenomuhle
Topics: Technology, Viral
Callum Jones
Have you ever thought about wrapping your Wi-Fi router in aluminum foil? No me neither, but it's apparently a useful thing to do for one particular reason.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit back in 2020, thousands of people had to work from home for the first time, which saw those with bad internet hit with a world of frustration.
The dreaded buffering swirl is not something you want to see - especially when you have work to do - so if it's a problem for you, then a potential solution to improve speed is welcome news.
Well, this 'hack' is certainly out of the ordinary, but according to some people who have used it, it supposedly works a treat.
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It involves wrapping an everyday household item - in the form of aluminum foil - around your Wi-Fi router, which in turn is meant to improve speed.
Reader's Digest detailed how to go about doing this, and it seems pretty simple.
First of all, you want to 'cut a sheet to be approximately a foot long and the height of your Wi-Fi router', before bending the household item into a 'C' shape.
The shiny side of the foil must be facing inside the curve so it's covering the antennas.
"Place the foil behind the router, with the curved portion facing toward the router and the target area where you want to boost the signal," Reader's Digest goes on.
You should then head to your targeted area to see if the 'trick' has worked. You can do this via a speed test which will let you evaluate both the upload and download speeds.
But what is the science behind it?
Well, tech expert James McQuiggan claimed that aluminum foil can help the flow of Wi-Fi signals, which can apparently produce better internet speeds as a result.
The shiny side is said to reflect the beams coming from the antenna to a specific place, AKA the area you are struggling with.
Reader's Digest's Brooke Nelson Alexander decided to test out this method and explained how it went.
She wrote: "Though it didn’t quite work for me, it can’t hurt to give this trick a shot before forking over significant cash for a Wi-Fi extender if you’re having internet connection problems. After all, it did work for the Dartmouth researchers.
"I would venture to guess that this hack might be more effective at improving your internet speeds depending on the size of your space, the number and type of obstructions between your router and device, and your internet plan."
Alexander referenced 2017 research from Dartmouth College and Columbia University which used foil to create a 'virtual wall' to channel Wi-Fi signals.
However, it's worth noting that some people pointed out the 'hack' could potentially make the connection in other rooms even worse - so it seems it's not guaranteed to work in every situation.