Right now, I'm trying to solve a technical problem. Every time I turn my room fan off and on, my internet momentarily goes out. Yes, you read that right. Please feel free to read that again if you wish, I can wait.
Insane, right? I feel like the Christmas light guy in the parody, 12 Pains of Christmas. "One light goes out, they all go out!" Haha, what a funny song. Anyway, it's starting to kind of drive me batty, and it's making me painfully aware of just how often I turn my fan off and on throughout the day. This issue has gotten so bad that I am finding myself just leaving the fan on through the day and night, and sometimes even falling asleep without realizing that the fan was still on the whole time.
I did a quick survey of my room's power draw, and it's very well below the wattage limit. In fact, my killowatt barely registers above 200 watts on average, unless I turn on my PC, but even then, it's not even close to half the limit, nor does turning my PC off and on cause any issues.
Perhaps the issue is with the fan itself? OMG, as I was blogging this and testing everything along the way, I finally figured out what the problem was! It wasn't the fan, but the extension cord that I plugged it in, that was apparently the issue? Why is that, I have no idea. I'm just glad that the mystery is finally solved, and jinkies, it was Mr. extension cord all along?!
Edit: Well poop. I just turned on the fan and the outage happened again. Looks like the mystery continues, gang.
June 28th, 2026 at 02:28 pm 1782656918
June 28th, 2026 at 07:22 pm 1782674573
Here's what AI had to say:
Losing your internet momentarily when turning on a fan plugged into an extension cord is usually caused by electrical interference or momentary voltage drops affecting your modem or router.
Users on DIY StackExchange and Reddit agree this is a common issue tied to how appliances and networking gear share power.Inrush Current: Electric motors (like the one in a fan) require a sudden surge of electricity to start up. This quick draw can cause a momentary dip in voltage on that electrical circuit, causing sensitive networking equipment (like your modem/router) to reboot or lose sync.
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI): The initial electrical spark created when the fan's switch flips, or the operation of the motor itself, can emit electromagnetic waves that disrupt your router or the coaxial/ethernet cables nearby.
Extension Cord/Outlet Overload: If the extension cord is old, damaged, or rated for a low wattage, it can cause resistance or voltage drops when handling motor-based loads, amplifying the interference.
To prevent this from happening, you can take a few steps:
Relocate your router: Plug your modem/router into a completely different wall outlet that is not shared by the fan's circuit.
Remove the extension cord: Try plugging the fan directly into the wall, or ideally, plug your networking gear into a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or a surge protector designed specifically to handle power drops.
If you want to troubleshoot this further, tell me:
Are the fan and router plugged into the same outlet or the same extension cord?
Does your internet only drop when turning the fan on, or also when turning it off?
Are both the fan and router on the same room circuit breaker?
I can help pinpoint the exact cause and the best fix for your setup.
June 28th, 2026 at 08:29 pm 1782678550
Patient: Yep, so that’s why I thought it was initially solved when I removed the extension cord. It actually worked for a short while, but it’s started back up again.
EMI is unlikely as I deliberately wired the entire room with ethernet from the get-go, and they are suppose to be shielded? That’s why they’re all in my room. Ironically, if it was spread out all over the house, on separate electical outlets and lines, chances of this is much less likely, but I really do like this localized setup.
As you also pointed out, it could be the brief voltage spikes, which is what I am think is the most likely culprit as well. They are also plugged into an old surge protector that is probably 10 years old at this point, and has been through a few storms. The internet/AI suggests that they get replaced every 3 to 5 years, and especially after bad storms. So that’s my next move, and am awaiting for a replacement surge protector to arrive.
It especially goes off when I turn the fan off, and yes, they are all on the same room’s electrical circuit.
Also, let me add that I also have USB powered fans running in the room as well, and they don’t cause any problems.
June 29th, 2026 at 05:16 pm 1782753385
June 29th, 2026 at 09:48 pm 1782769722
I am still working on a solution that would work best for me, as I really need the fan in my room to stay cool, and of course, I can’t get rid of my router as it’s installed in my room as well.
Luckily, this isn’t a huge problem or anything, thank you and your hubby for the help.