--- title: Interference: Signals Stepping on Each Other url: https://hdiss.net/glossary/interference/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Glossary](https://hdiss.net/glossary/) - Interference # Interference Interference happens when other signals share the same frequencies or nearby ones. It can slow Wi-Fi at home or disturb a longer radio link. A radio tower at sunset. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) ## What is Interference? In the open radio bands, 47 CFR 15.5 sets a two-part rule. A device may operate only if it causes no harmful interference, and it must accept interference from authorized stations, industrial, scientific and medical equipment, and other devices. Every Wi-Fi router lives under that rule, which means nobody owns the channel. Common indoor sources are a microwave oven, cordless phones, baby monitors, a neighbor's router on the same channel and cheap power adapters. Outside, it may be a nearby radio link or a piece of farm or shop equipment. ## Why does it matter on a fixed wireless connection? A radio link can degrade even if it is strong, because noise sits on top of the signal. Compare [signal strength (dBm)](https://hdiss.net/glossary/signal-strength-dbm/) with [signal-to-noise ratio](https://hdiss.net/glossary/signal-to-noise-ratio/). Interference lowers the second without touching the first. Rain, snow and swaying trees are a different cause of change, covered in [weather and a wireless link](https://hdiss.net/guides/weather-and-a-wireless-link/). The two can occur together, which is why a technician looks at the radio itself. Interference often follows a pattern in time. If trouble starts at the same hour each day, a person or machine nearby is likely turning something on, and that clue helps a technician find it faster. ## What should I do about it? Try the quick tests: restart the router, move it away from a microwave oven or a wall of electronics, and test with a cable. If the wired test is fine and Wi-Fi is not, the trouble is in the house. Our guide [internet fine but Wi-Fi slow](https://hdiss.net/guides/internet-fine-but-wifi-slow/) goes further. If the wired test is also slow, note the time and call 775-575-9593. Never go on the roof or touch the outdoor radio. ### Sources - [law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/15.5](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/15.5) (47 CFR 15.5, general conditions of operation, read 2026-10-15) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (company facts, read 2026-10-15) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) ### Related terms - [Unlicensed spectrum](https://hdiss.net/glossary/unlicensed-spectrum/) - [Signal-to-noise ratio](https://hdiss.net/glossary/signal-to-noise-ratio/) - [Signal strength (dBm)](https://hdiss.net/glossary/signal-strength-dbm/) - [Channel width](https://hdiss.net/glossary/channel-width/) - [Wind, snow, heat and smoke: what weather does and does not do to a wireless link](https://hdiss.net/guides/weather-and-a-wireless-link/) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)