Virgin Media Inc. : ‘Broadbandits' wanted by Virgin Media for crimes against WiFi

Virgin Media has released details of seemingly innocent household items that have been identified as being among the worst culprits for causing WiFi interference in homes.

A close consultation with Virgin Media's vast team of engineers and customer service experts has led the company's resident broadband sheriffs to call a showdown with the worst household hoodlums known to be playing havoc on WiFi signals across the land.

These pesky 'Broadbandits' include:

• Crafty cordless phones - these common culprits bust up your WiFi by sending out signals using radio waves on the 2.4GHz band, which can interfere with your WiFi
• Broadband-blocking baby monitors - like cordless phones, baby monitors can interfere with WiFi signal on the same crowded 2.4GHz spectrum
• Malicious microwaves - often work in cahoots with other electrical devices like baby monitors and cordless phones to interfere with your WiFi signal
• Wiley wireless-absorbing fish tanks - the water in these bulky Broadbandits saps your signal

Protect your router from the looters!

Virgin Media's broadband sheriffs urge web users to keep a vigilant watch for disruption to their WiFi connectivity and reprimand known Broadbandits by taking the following steps to get the most out of their wireless hubs:

• Wanted - more space: Leaving space around your router, like Virgin Media's Super Hub, helps its signal to spread far and wide, ensuring a stronger connection.
• Aim high: Many wireless hubs, like Virgin Media's Super Hub, are best kept off the floor on high, uncluttered places like a windowsill - just make sure you don't bury it on a bookshelf or behind the TV.
• Avoid other electrical deviceswhich could hold your signal to ransom: Especially ones that send out a signal using radio waves on the 2.4GHz band, like baby monitors and cordless phones.
• Don't give up! Saddle your router to a few different locations and see which one works best for you.
• Change the channel: Your wireless hub or router transmits signals on a particular channel. If another nearby wireless device (even your neighbour's wireless router!) is transmitting on the same channel, the two devices could be having a showdown for airwave space. Try changing the channel on your wireless router to avoid congestion*.
• If all else fails: Turn off your computer and router, have a 60 second siesta and then turn them back on again (router first, then your computer). This ensures that the connection to your network is refreshed, which should spur your network speed back into action.

Alex Brown, Virgin Media's head of broadband product experience and top broadband sheriff, said: "With so many Broadbandits on the loose we're concerned consumers don't fall prey to unnecessary signal sabotage and can always get the most out of their cracking fibre broadband connections.

"The good news is there are some easy steps people can take to thwart items responsible for WiFi interference. We're also doing our bit by developing a next generation Super Hub which is powered by the latest in concurrent dual band technology to enable simultaneous access to both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz spectrum bands. Ideal for households who regularly connect three or more gadgets to the Internet at the same time, the new Super Hub will enable a better signal for faster speeds and ensure customers continue to enjoy the best broadband experience in town."

For more handy hints on getting the best out of your wireless signal, visit: virginmedia.com/discoverbroadband