My Bluetooth headphones usually experience connectivity issues if I have line of sight with my running microwave. Interestingly it only happens sometimes. Usually audio will stop playing or cut off until there's a wall between me and the microwave.
Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
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Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think we should adapt it into devices like phones, after all who doesnt like cheap quality audio hardware that just works (TM), and for some reason doesnt degrade or die after few years due to batteries?
I hate cabled headphones on a portable device Physically tethering to something designed to be slipped into a pocket, put in case, set down on the table while I walk around, etc is stupid Physically tethering to a stationary object (that you can't really use if you walk away form it) makes sense in some cases
I like headphones primarily on devices that go in my pocket because they move with me. When I use headphones at a non-portable device I'm likely to damage them by walking away with them on.
I use a BT headset at my PC for this reason; I can get up and pace &c. without worrying.
Quick tip if you are using wired headphones while doing chores: run the cable under your shirt; that should leave little-to-no exposed cable to snag on things.
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#43My first microwave absolutely wrecked 2.4 ghz wifi, replaced it after a few years and the new one didn’t. Didn’t have many BT devices back then, but bet it would jam them as well.
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#44Yes. I've wondered about this for a while. Because although the microwave is supposed to be fully shielded, when I take EMF readings on it with my TriField TF2 EMF meter, it's spitting out >100mW/m^2 when it's turned on. And I've seen this happen with just about every microwave I've tried this on. The only ones that haven't seem to be those expensive integrated under-counter ones where the tray slides out rather than opens like a door. Also my phone still works/receives calls when I put it in there, so it can't be as good of a faraday cage as it's supposed to be...
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#45I used an SDR to check my microwave's emissions. They were pretty narrow and stable-ish. Not stable like an actual radio, but not all over the place wrecking all of the wifi channels.
I've not had it interfere with bluetooth or wifi. Bluetooth frequency hops, and moves away from channels with interference (dropped frames), doesn't it?
I have a couple of illustrations at https://blog.habets.se/2017/06/Microwave.html
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#46My first microwave absolutely wrecked 2.4 ghz wifi, replaced it after a few years and the new one didn’t. Didn’t have many BT devices back then, but bet it would jam them as well.
Would probably have been enough to change the wifi channel.
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#47There's about 1000 watts of RF inside the microwave, it has to be attenuated to less than a few microwatts on the outside to avoid congestion, as they use the same frequency band. I'm amazed WiFi or Bluetooth ever works at all. 8) You can thank Hedy Lamar for that. Try cleaning the mating surfaces around the door thoroughly. If that doesn't work, consider replacing the microwave or relocating the speaker.
> You can thank Hedy Lamar for that.
eh... maybe. Don't forget the microwave isn't CW so there's plenty of transmission slots available on the off cycle.
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#48Microwaves typically run 2.500GHz, most bluetooth and wifi is from 2.400 to 2.480GHz to keep some space between them (so if you want to minimise WiFi/Microwave issues on 2.4Ghz, use a low WiFi channel). Bluetooth is adaptive and will hop frequencies to find quiet space in the range above, however microwaves are an intermittent source so when they go on the leakage will kill any bluetooth that's on a nearby frequency.…
Where are you getting 2.5? 2450 +/- 50 is what I have seen.
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#49I used an SDR to check my microwave's emissions. They were pretty narrow and stable-ish. Not stable like an actual radio, but not all over the place wrecking all of the wifi channels. I've not had it interfere with bluetooth or wifi. Bluetooth frequency hops, and moves away from channels with interference (dropped frames), doesn't it? I have a couple of illustrations at https://blog.habets.se/2017/06/Microwave.html
> Bluetooth frequency hops, and moves away from channels with interference (dropped frames), doesn't it?
Hops yes, remembers to avoid certain channels, maybe. IIRC the hop sequence is controlled by the master device so that might add a layer of confusion if it isn't experiencing the issue.
> I used an SDR to check my microwave's emissions. They were pretty narrow and stable-ish.
Yes, the issue is it's manufacturing dependent, so a different batch of those same magnetrons the next weeek would have different properties. Hence the wide band.
Re: Ask HN: Does your microwave interfere with Bluetooth? Mine does
#50Didn't Wi-Fi originally use 2,4 GHz because it was free to use (without needing a license), because of the noise produced by microwaves on this frequency?
Yes, 1946 was when the FCC opened up 2450 +/- 50 Mc (later MHz), for microwave and medical diathermy use. It was later, in the 80s that they allowed intentional emission. Either as CDMA or FHSS. Within a year we had Wi-Fi (CDMA) and Bluetooth (FHSS).