39 counties in England at risk of 'power cuts' in 29C UK heatwave
Virgin Media warned that placing your router close to windows and within reach of bright sunlight could slow your internet connection.
39 counties in England face power cuts in a UK heatwave, it has been warned, with a broadband provider issuing an urgent warning. Virgin Media warned that placing your router close to windows and within reach of bright sunlight could slow your internet connection.
And it could even cause you to lose connectivity completely. In a statement, Virgin Media said: “Although we test our hubs carefully at a range of temperatures, they are better off out of bright sunlight, just like your phone or laptop.
“If the hub gets too hot, it could slow down your connection or even grind to a halt altogether.” The statement added: “Keep the hub at least 1m away from cordless phones or baby monitors, and as far as possible from big obstructions like cupboards and fish tanks.”
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Geoff Pestell, chief executive at broadband comparison site Fibre Compare, also advised against the “common mistake” of placing routers in cupboards or behind furniture, warning this can also cause them to overheat.
“What many people don’t realise is that by doing this, it can actually significantly diminish the strength of the signal you get to your devices in your home, as well as causing all kinds of connectivity issues,” said Mr Pestell.
“This occurs because airflow behind furniture can become trapped in cabinets or small spaces, which can cause your router to overheat and perform poorly overall.” It comes as all 39 counties in England face highs in the high-20s today (Thursday May 1).
29C could even be hit, according to the Met Office. A Met Office forecast for Thursday explains: "Cloud and showers, locally heavy, will move southeast across Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England. Turning drier and brighter, but cooler behind. Hot sunshine elsewhere, with heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms through the afternoon."
"Any showers or thunderstorms easing, though one or two showers perhaps persisting in the south. Clearer and colder in the northwest with a patchy frost, and a few coastal showers."