How inclement weather affects your internet connection

Despite the summer season, South Africans have been experiencing severe weather recently, as thunderstorms and showers have hit several regions. When severe weather strikes, you might notice your internet connectivity slowing down or cutting out entirely. While it might seem like storm clouds are directly responsible for laggy internet, the extent of the disruption depends on the type of internet connection you use.

Although no type of internet service is completely immune to weather impacts, connections relying on wireless signals or physical infrastructure are more vulnerable than modern shielded systems.

Internet types and their weather vulnerabilities

Satellite internet

Satellite internet is highly vulnerable to the atmosphere.

Satellite internet is generally the type most affected by weather because it depends on signals travelling between a dish on the ground and a satellite in space, and would traverse the atmosphere twice.

Heavy rain and snow can block, reflect, or absorb satellite signals, leading to slow speeds or dropped connections. This phenomenon is a widely known issue called "rain fade," which occurs when moisture in the atmosphere weakens the signal.

Cloudy weather can also weaken signals, though typically not as severely as rain or snow. Because satellite signals travel the longest distance between points, the effects of rain fade are most noticeable.

Strong winds can slightly move the satellite dish, affecting the Wi-Fi signal or requiring a technician to realign it. To make matters worse, snow and ice accumulating on the dish can block the signals entirely.

You might experience a weather disruption even when their local skies are clear, as the bad weather could be occurring hundreds of kilometres away between a gateway antenna (ground station) and the satellite.

We have covered weather on Earth but what about space? Beyond daily weather, atmospheric events like solar flares can also cause signal disruptions in satellite communications.

Mobile and fixed wireless internet (4G, 5G)

Mobile internet (including 4G, 5G, or hotspots) operates over high-frequency radio waves and are particularly vulnerable to environmental interference.

Heavy rain or dense snowstorms can cause signal interference and attenuation, leading to slower speeds or service interruptions. The higher-frequency signals used by 5G are easily blocked by physical obstructions, including rain or snow. Even fog can scatter signals and cause poor performance in areas with dense coverage.

Strong storms can physically knock out cell towers, resulting in signal loss.

On the topic of slower connection, during bad weather, more people might stay indoors and rely on mobile internet, slowing connections due to network congestion.

For systems like Fixed Wireless, which point toward a tower rather than space, wet snow accumulating on antennas can obstruct the signal. Strong winds can also affect fixed wireless equipment if alignment to the tower is lost.

Fiber internet

It's better news for fiber internet users as this is the least affected by weather and is considered the most resilient option.

It uses light to transmit data through glass-like "hairs". Since fiber infrastructure often runs through underground or shielded cables, it remains stable even during storms.

Fiber is generally immune to atmospheric issues like rain, snow, or wind that interrupt other internet services. Lightning is not a factor since the infrastructure is primarily installed below ground.

It's worth noting that fiber is not totally immune. Extreme weather events such as flooding or natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes) can damage underground infrastructure. Also, power outages caused by severe weather can take out the internet service if the modem/router loses power. Extreme cold might make physical cables brittle, though this is rare in underground installations.

General weather effects on equipment and service

Beyond specific connection types, general weather phenomena can cause common issues:

While wind usually does not directly affect Wi-Fi signals, strong winds can cause indirect problems by knocking down power lines or damaging internet cables.

Hot weather can slow down internet speed by causing equipment trouble, not by affecting internet signals. A router in direct sunlight or a hot room can overheat, slow down, or even shut off. Extreme heat can also cause cable lines to expand, leading to connection issues. High temperatures may also lead to "overloaded networks" if more people stay inside to stream and game.

Heavy snow or ice buildup on power lines or internet cables can cause them to break and lead to outages. Extreme cold might affect the performance of consumer-grade outdoor Wi-Fi equipment.

Lightning can cause temporary electrical interference for wireless services. No matter the service type, a lightning strike may result in a power surge that can damage home networking equipment. Even reliable underground fiber optic service will fail if a community-wide power outage prevents the modem/router from working.

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