Well, I suppose it might not be freaky, but it seems freaky. So perhaps y’all can fight my ignorance.
I’m sitting on the couch being a multi-tasking fool, with my xbox headseat on my head, controller on, but I’ve been surfing for a bit before playing some Halo.
The wifey is in the kitchen, and she just microwaved some soy milk for her chai tea.
Usually I have halo blaring in my ear when I have the headset on, but this time it was quiet. The whole time the microwave was on, I could hear static crackling coming from my wireless controller, into which my xbox headset is plugged. The internet also slowed down during this time. We have Verizon DSL and a wireless router.
As soon as the microwave turned off, the crackles in my ear stopped and the pages started to load again.
Are both things susceptible to microwave interference? Are our pets going to get brain tumors from all of the exposure that they get when being close to the microwave while begging shamelessly for food?
I don’t know about your microwave giving your cats cancer, but they definitely do interfere with WiFi. Google “microwave wifi interference” for lots of hits.
You should try changing the channel on your wireless router. That might keep the microwave from interfering.
Q.E.D will probably be in to correct me shortly, but I’m 99% sure it’s the electronics in the microwave that are interfering with the WiFi, and not the actual microwaves themselves. Manufactures are pretty careful to keep the microwaves from leaking, having (IIRC) three separate interlocks to keep you from starting it with the door open (which would render all the shielding ineffective.
Two anecdotal stories of interference: Any time my roommate uses a cordless telephone, my router disconnects me. In my old office, about a full second before my cell phone would ring, the computer speakers would click.
