Had something similar happen in a 1920s bungalow I flipped last year. Figured the thick plaster walls would murder my Wi-Fi signal, but nope...somehow the bathroom became the hotspot. Not exactly ideal for Zoom calls, but hey, great for streaming while soaking in the tub. Old houses have their quirks—sometimes frustrating, sometimes hilarious—but always keeping things interesting.
"Old houses have their quirks—sometimes frustrating, sometimes hilarious—but always keeping things interesting."
Haha, couldn't agree more. I run into this stuff all the time on remodel jobs. Just finished up a 1940s Cape Cod last month, and somehow the smart thermostat started "learning" the weirdest schedule—like cranking the heat at 3 AM when nobody was around. Turns out the previous owner's old schedule was still saved somewhere deep in the system (ghosts of homeowners past?). Took some serious troubleshooting to clear it out.
But yeah, Wi-Fi signals in older homes can be super unpredictable. I've seen places where you'd swear the signal would die instantly, but instead, random closets or hallways become accidental hotspots. Maybe it's all the metal lath behind plaster walls bouncing signals around in mysterious ways. Who knows... At least your bathroom hotspot sounds kinda relaxing. Always good to have streaming options during bath time, right?
Haha, your thermostat story reminds me of a house I flipped a couple years back. It was a 1920s bungalow, and we installed one of those fancy smart doorbells. For some reason, it kept sending alerts at random times—like 2 AM—when no one was even near the porch. I was convinced we had some kind of ghost situation going on until I realized the camera was picking up reflections from passing headlights bouncing off an old stained-glass window. Took me forever to figure that one out...
And yeah, Wi-Fi in older homes is always a gamble. Had one place where the router signal refused to reach the living room but somehow worked perfectly in the detached garage across the yard. Ended up having to install a mesh system just to get Netflix working on the main TV. Old houses definitely keep you on your toes...
Haha, your doorbell story hits home. Had a similar issue with a smart security cam I installed at a client's place—kept getting alerts at weird hours. Turned out it was triggered by a neighbor's cat strolling by every night around midnight. Took me days to figure that one out...
"Wi-Fi in older homes is always a gamble."
Tell me about it. Had one job where the Wi-Fi worked perfectly everywhere except the kitchen—right where they wanted their smart fridge. Ended up running ethernet through the basement just to keep the groceries online. Old houses definitely have personality...
"Old houses definitely have personality..."
Haha, couldn't agree more. I swear older homes have their own moods—one day everything connects perfectly, the next day your smart lights decide they're on strike. Had a similar issue with my thermostat randomly disconnecting; turns out the plaster walls were messing with the signal. Ended up adding a Wi-Fi extender in the hallway closet...not exactly elegant, but hey, whatever keeps the tech gods happy, right?
