It is tempting to ignore interference, and many network users begin accept a sluggish network. But this will have a long term impact on the productivity of your business, so it is worth assessing how often wifi interference occurs, and its impact. Several reports from technicians working for a major wifi infrastructure companies showed that interference from around 20 devices in a business were causing 50% of the problems their network was experiencing. In a residential environment, it is reported that 67% of problems were caused by interference. So it can be concluded that interference is an issue that needs addressing.

Understanding the radio frequencies that wifi networks run on is key to managing interference, and this may take a little patience – but help is at hand, if you need it. Tools are available that will classify the sources in interference on your network and make RF easier to understand. Once the sources have been identified, they can be removed from the network.

How to remove (or move) the offending source of the interference is key – you could replace a microwave or cordless headset with different models that operate outside the radio frequency band. If the source of the interference is an integral to the business as the wifi network, you could try moving the affected access point or changing its operating channel so that it is different to the interfering device and therefore unaffected. Finally, you can try to shield the problem, so that the equipment that causes the RF interference is isolated to a particular room, well away from access points, or shielded with foils or insulating foams in the walls.