When I use my laptop in the kitchen, the wireless connection is always broken when I start the microwave. If I reset the network ­adaptor, it works again.

Dave Null

Microwave ovens use radiation in the same waveband as Wi-Fi connections, remote control cars and many other devices. It's certainly possible for the very strong microwave signal to leak far enough to disturb relatively weak Wi-Fi transmissions, but I wouldn't have thought it would have any impact beyond about 3 metres (since radiation follows the inverse square law). It might help if you change the Wi-Fi channel as the microwave oven's frequency will be closer to some than to others. It might also help if you could use 802.11n as this is more resistant to interference. However, if you are getting a strong effect, you should probably have your microwave oven checked for radiation leaks. An article at TxTu reckons you can do your own check by unplugging the oven, putting a mobile phone inside, and calling it. If the oven is really radiation proof, the phone shouldn't ring. I have no idea if this works. The traditional solution is to use an RF radiation detector.

Backchat: Michael Sanders says: "He needs to get his microwave checked NOW, as this is dangerous. If the microwave is faulty he should get rid of it. If the oven isn't leaking then there is a problem with the power supply."

