Can Sound Interfere with WiFi?

[OldFatGuy]

I know this sounds like a crazy question, and I suppose there's a good chance that it IS a crazy question... but I'm asking anyway just to rule it out. lol

I am bedbound, and have a hospital bed that adjusts all sorts of ways. The way I use it most often is raising and lowering the top half, as I sit to play games or watch TV but have to lay back and make the bed level to use the bathroom (I won't expand as I assume you can imagine). Anyway, the bed makes a horrendous squeaking sound when raising or lowering it.

And it has happened time after time after time after time that when I'm raising or lowering it and that sound occurs I temporarily lose wi-fi... this manifests itself for example when streaming TV it will freeze and the rotating cursor appears saying "Attempting to Resume" or something like that. I swear it's happened enough times that I now wonder if there is a causal effect.

But that's crazy, right? A hospital bed interfering with wi-fi is crazy talk right?

[✨Saint✨]

Depends on the frequency. Wi-Fi uses radio waves, so it could be something interfering on the same frequency.

[emoticorpse]

I suppose I'd say the short answer is yes. But I'd say the long answer is that it's not likely. If anything your bed might itself and not the noise are interfering. I don't think I've ever noticed my internet drop because of any kind of sound increase meanwhile a single small move of my antennae can really screw it all up.

[OldFatGuy]

Originally posted by emoticorpse:

I suppose I'd say the short answer is yes. But I'd say the long answer is that it's not likely. If anything your bed might itself and not the noise are interfering. I don't think I've ever noticed my internet drop because of any kind of sound increase meanwhile a single small move of my antennae can really screw it all up.

Well, my laptop is on a tray that sits beside the bed and never, ever moves. I mean, when I move the bed up and down the laptop, presumably with the antenna, is most certainly not moving an inch. Nor is the bed "in between" the laptop and the wifi signal, if that makes sense. I mean if I had the tray with the laptop on the other side of the bed, I might understand it since moving it up or down might create a "line of sight" issue since the signal comes from the hallway on one side of the room. But that's not the case here.

What I'm trying to say but likely failing to is that the laptop isn't moving at all and the bed itself is not in between the signal and the laptop. Yet it happens so often I'm almost convinced it's causal... even though I think that sounds literally crazy. lol

[emoticorpse]

Originally posted by OldFatGuy:

Originally posted by emoticorpse:

I suppose I'd say the short answer is yes. But I'd say the long answer is that it's not likely. If anything your bed might itself and not the noise are interfering. I don't think I've ever noticed my internet drop because of any kind of sound increase meanwhile a single small move of my antennae can really screw it all up.

Well, my laptop is on a tray that sits beside the bed and never, ever moves. I mean, when I move the bed up and down the laptop, presumably with the antenna, is most certainly not moving an inch. Nor is the bed "in between" the laptop and the wifi signal, if that makes sense. I mean if I had the tray with the laptop on the other side of the bed, I might understand it since moving it up or down might create a "line of sight" issue since the signal comes from the hallway on one side of the room. But that's not the case here.

What I'm trying to say but likely failing to is that the laptop isn't moving at all and the bed itself is not in between the signal and the laptop. Yet it happens so often I'm not almost convinced it's causal... even though I think that sounds literally crazy. lol

Nah, I hear you. I figured that was the case about the laptop/wifi device being stationary and not moving at all. I still think sound itself isn't the issue or definitely not likely. That would be like saying if it was truly a squeaking sound maybe due to rust or something else then putting wd-40 on it and quieting it down would fix the issue?. The point is I thought you were exclusively talking about the sound waves themselves. I just don't see that as a likely cause.

But the bed itself causing some kind of vibrations or the friction caused might be what's interfering?. That's what I would suspect.

I don't want to go into tl;dr but have you tried anything to check this out? I know you're limited in physical movement, but maybe shifted the antannae to a different position? What exactly is the "wi-fi signal"?. I'm assuming the source of your wi-fi?.

Can you explain your wi-fi setup with as much detail as possible?

[_I_]

no
sound is a linear pressure wave
em is a lateral wave
)))) vs /\/\/\

and the freqs are way out of range from each other
human hearing is around 10hz to 20khz (20,000hz)
wifi is around 2.4/5ghz +/-10% (2.400,000,000hz)

[OldFatGuy]

I don't know how to explain it more than I have but I'll try.

I am sitting up in bed, facing the wall with the doorway to hallway at the far left of that wall. Also on my left, is the stationary bedside tray with the laptop. The gateway/router is stationed in a room down that hallway on the left side of the hallway, So, in other words, the bed is nowhere in between the laptop and the gateway/router. There are walls and doors in between, but the bed, no matter what position, is not ever physically in between (what I would call blocking a line of sight if there were no walls and doors).

I know that wifi issues are common, and at times I do temporarily have issues. But the number of times it happens whilst adjusting the bed is staggering. I mean obviously. The fact is if it were rare or whatever I would never even attempt to connect the two. But it happens so often. Just before I posted for example. I had to pee, had a cable news channel on my monitor (which sits on a separate bedside tray that sits in front of me. So, I grab the remote, lower the bed, and there goes my wi-fi. As I'm peeing, it comes back in and the show returns.

Then when I'm done, I grab the bed remote and start moving it back up to sit up again. And again, there goes the wi-fi. About 30 seconds after getting the bad back in place it resumes normally. Hasn't gone off any since.

And I swear it's happened like this many, many times. I had considered asking before but always remembered that old line "You can remain silent and let folks wonder whether you're a fool or you say something and remove all doubt" and thus never said anything. But today to see it happen during both putting the bed down and again putting it back up.... at this point there is either something connected between the two or I've got some seriously strange coincidences going on... which is possible.

[KalGimpa]

Originally posted by OldFatGuy:

I don't know how to explain it more than I have but I'll try.

I am sitting up in bed, facing the wall with the doorway to hallway at the far left of that wall. Also on my left, is the stationary bedside tray with the laptop. The gateway/router is stationed in a room down that hallway on the left side of the hallway, So, in other words, the bed is nowhere in between the laptop and the gateway/router. There are walls and doors in between, but the bed, no matter what position, is not ever physically in between (what I would call blocking a line of sight if there were no walls and doors).

I know that wifi issues are common, and at times I do temporarily have issues. But the number of times it happens whilst adjusting the bed is staggering. I mean obviously. The fact is if it were rare or whatever I would never even attempt to connect the two. But it happens so often. Just before I posted for example. I had to pee, had a cable news channel on my monitor (which sits on a separate bedside tray that sits in front of me. So, I grab the remote, lower the bed, and there goes my wi-fi. As I'm peeing, it comes back in and the show returns.

Then when I'm done, I grab the bed remote and start moving it back up to sit up again. And again, there goes the wi-fi. About 30 seconds after getting the bad back in place it resumes normally. Hasn't gone off any since.

And I swear it's happened like this many, many times. I had considered asking before but always remembered that old line "You can remain silent and let folks wonder whether you're a fool or you say something and remove all doubt" and thus never said anything. But today to see it happen during both putting the bed down and again putting it back up.... at this point there is either something connected between the two or I've got some seriously strange coincidences going on... which is possible.

any lights dimming anywhere in the house? could be a power draw from the bed

i know i have a crap ton of stuff plugged in and do not have any trouble with my wifi, but bad/old wiring or the strain of the motors on the bed drawing a ton of power, is resetting a breaker

[_I_]

enough walls can block wifi (rebar in concrete walls can block nearly everything)
2.4ghz has longer range and better wall penetration than 5ghz
think of how higher sound freq are blocked by doors/walls

many other things can interfere with wfi
bt shares some of the same freq range as 2.4 wifi
other wifi ssid can steal time or interfere, 11ch, but all overlap by +2ch
2.4ghz ch3 uses freq range from ch1 to ch5
and many other 2.4ghz wireless devices phones, remotes
microwave oven blasts out all kinds of freq ranges
along with cfl/florescent lights

[emoticorpse]

Nevermind the original dumb question i asked. I see what you're saying now.

I think it is possible but not likely. A lot of stuff going on in air. I cant explain it

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by _I_:

no
sound is a linear pressure wave
em is a lateral wave
)))) vs /\/\/\

and the freqs are way out of range from each other
human hearing is around 10hz to 20khz (20,000hz)
wifi is around 2.4/5ghz +/-10% (2.400,000,000hz)

^ not the sound, however, the motor on your bed might not be well shielded and when you are using it, it is generating a magnetic field which is more likely to be the source of interference. Think about this, there are live concerts with way higher db sound and a much wider range of frequencies than your bed squeeking; and they still can have wifi without issue (other than congestion from number of users).

[_I_]

oh, yea if the bed has a heater and other electric features, then it can easily cause interference with many wireless devices

[JC]

It could easily be bad shielding. I have a LED plant light that when running i can't get a few TV channels and stereo stations. (the weaker ones)

There could be something with the motor or the way the electricity runs that is causing the issue. That little time after the thing stops could be the wi-fi reacquiring the signal.

as long as it is just when the bed goes up and down and then comes back i would not worry about it.

[Pocahawtness]

It's probably the motor generating electrical noise that's travelling through the mains wires.