Wi-Fi is a staple of modern life; virtually everyone relies on Wi-Fi to stay connected to the web through their computers and smartphones, to access streaming entertainment services, and use wireless internet-capable devices. When Wi-Fi disruptions occur, it can not only be frustrating but also impact important things like work and communication. If you are considering upgrading your home’s roof, you might be wondering whether a metal roof will interfere with your Wi-Fi network.
One of the biggest problems facing people considering new metal roofs for their homes is the amount of misinformation that circulates about metal roofs, their perks, and their supposed drawbacks. Metal objects and surfaces can interfere with wireless signals in many situations, so why wouldn’t a metal roof interfere with a home’s Wi-Fi network? Unfortunately, many people assume that adding new metal roofs to their homes would disrupt their homes’ Wi-Fi networks, but this is certainly not the case.
In This Article
Metal Roofs and Wi-Fi Signals
Most people who would assume that a metal roof would interfere with their homes’ Wi-Fi systems likely use their wireless devices under metal roofs all the time without disruption. Countless businesses, restaurants, office buildings, and retail stores have installed metal roofs due to their cost-effectiveness and efficiency, and patrons and visitors to these buildings can use their Wi-Fi easily in the vast majority of cases.
Metal roofs won’t interfere with cell reception, either. Most adults who rely on their smartphones every day typically prefer to use Wi-Fi for connecting to the internet for business or pleasure and try to reserve their data plans until they are absolutely necessary, but they need cell reception to make and receive calls in most cases. If you have used your cell phone to take a phone call or access the web from a business, restaurant, or retail store, chances are likely that the establishment had a metal roof and you didn’t notice at all.
Options for Ensuring It’s Never a Problem
A metal roof can provide a fantastic range of benefits and advantages for virtually any home, but if you have concerns about the new metal roof disrupting your cell service or Wi-Fi network at home, you can take a few steps to ensure that isn’t a problem.
When it comes to your home Wi-Fi network, the chances of the metal roof interfering with it are very low. Your internet modem carries the connection signal to your router, and the router releases a “bubble” of Wi-Fi signal around the router. As long as you keep your devices within range of this Wi-Fi bubble, you shouldn’t have any problems connecting to the internet. Since your router is likely inside your home, your strongest connections will be available inside the house. Situate your router off the ground and make sure it is away from any metal objects that might cause interference.
Upgrading your modem and router to newer, stronger models is a good way to ensure you won’t need to worry about a new metal roof interfering with your signal. A stronger Wi-Fi signal makes it easier to connect and stay connected throughout your home and probably a fair distance around your home in your front yard and backyard. It is possible for a metal roof to slightly diminish the strength of a Wi-Fi router’s signal, so investing in an upgrade to make your signal as strong as possible can circumvent this issue.
If you own a large home and want to ensure a strong signal throughout every room, you could invest in an additional router or a signal repeater to boost the Wi-Fi signal throughout the house. Again, it is unlikely that the metal roof will have much of an effect at all on your home’s Wi-Fi network, but additional factors like the size and layout of the home as well as the physical orientation of the router could influence your reception on some of your devices.
Another thing you can do to increase the strength of the Wi-Fi signal to your wireless devices is to limit the number of devices you have connected to your router at any given time. If you have any devices such as smart TVs, gaming consoles, or personal computers that are close enough to your router to hardwire, you should do so. Hardwiring a connection to your router or modem means an uninterrupted internet signal for the connected device and it also lightens the wireless load. When a router sends Wi-Fi signals to multiple devices, this can bog down the quality of the signal reaching each individual device.
Things That Actually Affect Cell Phone Signal/Wi-Fi
If you are experiencing difficulties with your cell reception or Wi-Fi signal strength inside your home, your new metal roof probably isn’t the problem. At most, the metal roof will have minimal influence on your Wi-Fi network. If you are noticing poor connection speeds or dropped signals on a regular basis, these issues likely stem from localized poor coverage in certain areas of your home or the geographical layout of your house. For example, if you live very far away from the nearest cell tower, you will probably have bad cell phone reception in your home. Unfortunately, if your home’s proximity to the cell tower is the source of your bad cell reception, there is really no way around this unless the cellular provider builds a new tower closer to your home.
Ultimately, investing in a new metal roof should have barely any noticeable effect on your home’s Wi-Fi network. Modern Wi-Fi systems are quite strong. As long as you have a newer modem and router, it should have no trouble supplying steady connections to the wireless devices throughout your home. Metal roofs offer many significant benefits, such as an incredible value thanks to the low long-term cost of ownership, minimal maintenance requirements, and robust protection and performance compared to typical asphalt shingle roofs. If you have concerns about whether a new metal roof might interfere with your home’s Wi-Fi, discuss the issue with your metal roof contractor and determine whether your home’s layout or building materials could potentially pose any issues.