Have you ever noticed your internet running a bit slower over the festive season? The main culprit could be your Christmas tree!
The pine needles, branches, lights, tinsel, and baubles can absorb and deflect your router’s Wi-Fi signal, causing it to slow and reduce its range throughout your home.
Sophie, a Broadband Genie researcher, found her broadband download speed was 31% slower and her upload speed was 88% slower after putting up her Christmas tree.
Before putting up the Christmas tree, Sophie's broadband speed recorded an average download speed of 193Mb, this dropped to 134Mb after the tree was in the house and decorated.
Upload speed was affected even more by the Nordmann Fir, and plummeted from 26Mb all the way down to 3Mb.
Speed test results
Table: Broadband speed with and without Christmas tree
| Download speed | Upload speed | |
|---|---|---|
| Before Christmas tree | 193Mb | 26Mb |
| With Christmas tree | 134Mb | 3Mb |
| Difference | -31% | -88% |
“I was shocked to discover just how much of a difference it can make. I first noticed when I couldn’t receive signal in some parts of our home and my video calls for work were very jittery. Our house isn’t massive, so there is nowhere else for the tree to go. I’ve moved it away as much as I can from the router, and it has since made it a bit better. I just wish I’d known this before we decorated it!”
- Sophie from Cambridge
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Why does your Christmas tree slow down your internet connection?
Fairy lights can interfere with Wi-Fi
Many Christmas tree lights (especially the older LED strings) emit electromagnetic interference. This can disrupt the Wi-Fi signal from your home broadband router, causing slower speeds, unstable connections, and reduced reach.
Christmas tree blockage
Wi-Fi signals can slow when passing through dense obstacles such as walls, furniture or
A Christmas tree, especially a large (real or artificial) one, can partially block or weaken your home router’s Wi-Fi signals if it’s placed near your router or between your router and your device.
Decorations
Tinsel, metallic baubles or decorations can reflect or absorb Wi-Fi signals, slow the connection and cause dead spots in your home.
How to stop your Christmas tree from interfering with your Wi-Fi
Christmas tree placement
Whatever you choose this year, a Nordmann Fir, Norway Spruce, or an artificial tree, try to place it at least 1-2 metres away from your router and out of the path you want your Wi-Fi signal to take (between your router and the room where you use the internet most).
If the Christmas tree is unavoidable on the signal route, place the router on the other side of the room. This way, the signal goes around the tree rather than through it. This should help avoid the signal getting blocked by branches or decorations.
Check your router placement
Try to place your router as close as you can to the middle of your home, this will give it the best chance of reaching all the corners of your home.
To get the best performance from your router, place it on a flat, hard surface raised about 30cm off the floor, away from any large objects such as sofas, armchairs, and Christmas trees. Other objects such as fish tanks and electrical appliances can also cause problems to your Wi-Fi signal.
Optimise your Wi-Fi band
Ensure that you are using the 5GHz band. It gives higher speeds, although with a shorter range. This shouldn't be an issue in a flat or small home.
Strengthen the Wi-Fi signal
You can add a Wi-Fi mesh node or a range extender in decoration-heavy rooms to sidestep the absorption issue.
If you’re streaming or making numerous video calls, consider wired connections such as an Ethernet cable.
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Methodology
A researcher ran a speed test and recorded the average broadband download speed with a Christmas tree between the device and the router. The test was repeated with no Christmas tree. Broadband speed was recorded in Mb (Mbps).
Speed tests were recorded using the Broadband Genie speed test