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How can I stop WiFi dropping when flights pass over my house?

SSharma
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

How do I stop my signal dropping out if I live in a flight zone? Vodafone customer service appear to be in denial about this! The response is always “the flights are too high to interfere with your signal”, but everyone who lives in a flight path knows this simply isn’t the case.

Does anyone have a workaround?

 

Thanks

9 REPLIES 9

Cynric
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

I live under the approach to one of the larger UK airports. Aeroplanes are descending past 3,000 feet down to the cap at 2,000 feet before entering finals. If you have knowledge of Jepson's charts you can see the fight profile information. I have never had Wi-Fi drop-out due to aviation, even with that useless THG3000. Are the flights over your house below 2,000 feet? After all your neighbours are probably closer to you than the aeroplanes are.

Hi there,

 

I have no idea of the height of the flights but there is absolutely no mistaking that my signal drops every single time I hear a flight overhead. It is 100% related to flights and my neighbours say the same. If the dropout was at random times, I wouldn’t make the correlation, but that’s not the case.

Cynric
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Without knowing how high the aeroplanes are at when they pass you it makes it difficult to tell whether consumer band Wi-Fi for passengers is the problem or part of the radar system. Are you experiencing problems on 2.4GHz or 5GHz and is there a specific channel? 

 

Do you have DFS (dynamic frequency selection) enabled?

Anonymous
Not applicable

It's almost certainly got to be a part of the radar system, not the planes themselves, and I'd guess that there is or has been a military (possibly US) aspect to the airport too.

All the same, it shouldn't be knocking out domestic WiFi every time an aircraft lands.  If this is not something that has always happened and seems to be getting worse, it could well be that equipment at the airport is developing a fault. 

I'd suggest talking to your neighbours again, get some kind of idea of how long the situation has been occurring for and then put in a letter with multiple signatories addressed to the airport explaining exactly what is happening.  If necessary get your MP involved, this could even be a health and safety issue for those closer to whatever the cause is (just don't go all conspiracy theory)!

Thank you both responders. First responder - I’m sorry but you’re requests for information are too complex for me! I’m just a domestic user, I have no idea of height of planes or how to figure this out, but my guess is that they are too high for the plane’s WiFi to be interfering. I’m on 5Ghz and no idea what DFS is. Responder 2, I’m really grateful for your response but again I think you’re over complicating this. I have just moved to a new area of London where I’m experiencing the exact same problem I experienced for 3 years living in Camberwell where the same issue existed. All of the neighbours said it was an ongoing issue and broadband providers all claimed nobody had ever complained before and neither was it possible that a plane flying over was interfering with their WiFi. 

 

The simple fact is that every single time a plane flies over there is a direct correlation with interference to my internet connection. I will ask my new neighbours. But as I said, my previous neighbours of 3 years in a nearby area of London all experienced the same.

 

Really appreciate your suggestions however. Many thanks.

Jayach
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Mt Goodness, how unlucky are you to have moved from an area with such a bizarre problem to another area with the same? What are the odds?

Cynric
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Parts of the 5GHz overlap with radar frequencies, including weather radar. The IEEE approval for these frequencies was given long before Wi-Fi popped up. There is a Wikipedia item on this. You may be able to change to another 5GHz channel that is outside of the radar band.

 

Passenger planes are being fitted with Wi-Fi, but they would have to be very low overhead to be in range and at about 130 MPH they aren't going to be in range long enough. Are the aeroplanes large commercial ones (e.g. Boeing, Airbus, etc), small private ones, or military?

 

Aircraft proximity. Go to Google maps and using the distance tool measure the distance to the closest end of the runway. You don't have to reveal the name of the aerodrome but it would help if you can tell if it is civil or military. 

gipjon
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

The good news is if you are 100% sure its the planes you can make a Faraday cage or faraday shield very easy by laying chicken wire along the loft on top of the insulation and connecting it to your electric earth pole . This will block all electrical signal from above and your issue will be gone 

 

Long shot . Have you tried a wifi scan or a wifi jammer detection app using a phone app to see if that picks any thing up when you think the wifi drops etc . Might be a flood of wifi signals or a very strong signal  .On my android phone the wifi scan app shows some hidden 5g wifi high up on the band but are only weak    i would say find out how many people this is affecting by asking each neighbours to keep asking the neighbours on the other side if they have a issue .or do a Facebook post etc and then do as keith has said above 

Cynric
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

Try experimenting with this page

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/

you may be able to see if there is a particular aeroplane type or route, or even find that it is not aeroplane related after all.