How Do I Fix This?
These days, I’m seldom more than a few feet away from my laptop or my cell phone. It’s one of the hazards of running four blogs. (I know, I know, what was I thinking?)
Anyway, this afternoon I was trying to get some writing done when my laptop’s speakers began hissing and then beeping in what sounded oddly like Morse Code. A virus? A hacker? I’d just started to panic when my cell phone suddenly rang. The laptop noise grew even worse, and when I answered the phone it sounded like an electronic screech on the other end even though the phone’s Caller ID said it was VH.
So, I hung up, rebooted my laptop and went upstairs for a glass of iced tea while I returned VH’s call. That call was perfectly clear. By the time I got downstairs my laptop had gone through the start-up procedure and wasn’t making any noise at all. Until VH called back again, then all the whole hissing, beeping, screeching resumed.
Obviously, there’s some sort of electrical interference going on. But short of wallpapering the house with RFI Shielding, how do I fix it?
And, please, don’t tell me the obvious: keep your phone away from your laptop. Doing that would mean I might (*gulp*) have to step away from the computer now and then.
So here is my (admittedly uneducated) opinion on it – a while back, I had a cheap pair of Altec Lansing speakers, and they were remarkably prone to this event. The same kind of morse-code-like beeping before the ring and funny noises during the ring (though mine just went silent when I picked up… maybe different bands). Once I upgraded to a better set of Creative Labs speakers, the noise went away.
The end conclusion is that speakers, due to their very nature, are remarkably succeptible to EM interference. It is just that better speakers are better shielded against random bursts of radiation. My advice would be to either wrap up your speakers in that upgraded aluminum foil, get better speakers (and if you have good ones now, bitch at the company who made them), or… step away from the computer once in a while *ducks*. Or just use your headset more (though be aware, Bluetooth does not seem to get along well with 802.11, at least in my experience).
Um, it’s the speakers built into my laptop that are doing it. I can’t wrap them up!
Oh. Right. Complain to the laptop manufacturer? Buy externals? Use headphones (hey, good ones of those will just block out the cell phone ring, so you do not have to worry about it regardless)?
Yeah, laptops kinda leave you hanging in these kinds of instances.
Well, first and foremost you need to narrow down what the culprit is and start a class action suit against them. The FCC has very strict rules covering exactly that problem. Heck, even my wheelchair had a statement of compliance it its literature.
Good lord, you Venomites are litigious, aren’t you?
My computer speakers used to constantly and quietly pick up the local smooth jazz station…
You could either keep them off unless you’re actually trying to listen to something (that would be easiest) or be ready to turn the sound off when your cell phone rings.
If I put my cell too close to my computer speakers (stand alone type) they will pop every time the cell searches for a signal. As my desk is an L shape, I’m able to leave the treo behind me and away from the computer – no noise. Then again no one ever calls it either as there’s no signal here – they use the house line.
That sounds horrifying! I mean, not being able to talk on the phone and use the laptop at the same time? What’s the point in having both of them then?
Aluminum foil hats work great for problems like you describe.
Mark is right but I find cell phones simply refuse to keep their hats on. :;
Jim, crazy glue.
How consistent is it? I get a sporadic buzzing in my computer speakers even if they’re on and the computer isn’t. But I also get actual radio interference from CB radios on the BQE (which I’m only a half mile from) and I’ve never figured out a solution.
The speakers in my car & computer do the morse code thing right before my phone rings. I never had it interfere with a phone call, though. And I don’t think there’s anything that can be done about it.
I’m down with the aluminum.
Cheap speakers…that is the culprit.
I’d go with the aluminum, but I look better in gold.
I think you’ve said before that you use Sprint or Verizon? CDMA phones don’t interfere with speakers like GSM phones.
In case anyone else (like me) was wondering whatinhell CDMA/GSM means: http://www.pctoday.com/Editori...../24t01.asp
It’s definitely your cell phone searching for a signal – it’s like your early warning that a call is coming. No need to be concerned for your speakers – it’s just the electronic interference from the cell phone. Mine does it all the time – it’s annoying, but not damaging as far as I know.
Thanks, Jen. That’s precisely what I was concerned about. But if it’s not going to cause damage to the laptop or phone, then I’m not going to worry about it!
I’m a ham radio operator and I have my base station set up in the same room as the computer with speakers.
I’ve noticed the speakers are sensitive to certain frequencies. I’ve noticed some interference at 440 MHz, but the static over the computer speakers is especially bad when I transmit at 144 MHz. So far my speakers don’t get any interference below about 50 MHz. I’m sure there’s some type of noise filter you can buy to block out this type of interference.