Winter has arrived and, along with plummeting temperatures, many users swear their Wi-Fi has lost its pep. Is the chill somehow freezing the Internet? In short: no. Radio waves do not mind the cold. What changes is the way we live when it gets frosty.

Why the network feels sluggish

1. Closed-up houses 

Thick doors, double-glazed windows and extra insulation keep heat in—and Wi-Fi out. Every extra layer of wood, brick or glass eats a little more signal.

2. More gadgets on-line  

When the weather keeps everyone indoors, phones, tablets, TVs, game consoles and smart-speakers all compete for the same airtime.

3. Poor router placement  

Routers tucked inside TV cabinets or wedged behind furniture get further smothered by winter clutter (blankets, books, delivery boxes).

4. Radio interference  

Neighbouring networks, Bluetooth headphones, baby monitors and microwave ovens all shout in the same spectrum. Closed windows trap those signals inside, raising the noise floor.

5. Ageing hardware  

A three-to-five-year-old router was designed for fewer devices and lower bandwidth. Ask it to juggle 4K streaming, Zoom calls and on-line gaming at once and it stutters.

Five quick fixes that work

• Park the router in the middle of the home, on a high shelf, away from walls and metal objects.  
• Reboot once a week to clear memory leaks and re-select the cleanest channel.  
• Split the bands: use 5 GHz for speed in the same room, 2.4 GHz for range through walls.  
• Update firmware; manufacturers quietly patch performance bugs.  
• If the box is past retirement age, replace it.

Ready for an upgrade?

The COMFAST CF-WR627AX Wi-Fi 6 Mesh router delivers 2 700 Mbps of wireless throughput, four Gigabit Ethernet ports and one-touch mesh expansion for large or awkward floor plans. One unit covers the apartment; two or three blanket the chalet. Winter, spring, summer or fall, the speed stays warm.

Cold air does not throttle your data—crowded rooms, closed doors and tired hardware do. Tidy up the setup or step up to modern kit, and your connection will feel like July even in January.