Q: I heard that the wi-fi signal is not good to health. Should I setup LAN ports in every rooms of my new apartment instead of using wi-fi router for Internet access?

A: Signal intensity and operating distance are two main factors to determine risk of radio frequency to health. Looking around our living environment, Microwave oven is emitting signal intensity 100,000 times more than Wi-Fi, and Cell phone is emitting more power than Wi-Fi and to be used very close to our important organs. Both are considered to be more risky than Wi-Fi.

There have been hundreds of attempts to find out whether Wi-Fi routers or, more importantly, mobile phones represent a health risk. All we can say is that there is no known risk from Wi-Fi, nor confirmation that WiFi is cancerogenic. Of course, it does make sense to minimize risk, as long as you concentrate on the biggest risks, not the trivial ones. It has been estimated that you get a bigger dose of microwaves from one 20-minute phone call than from a year's Wi-Fi. Twenty laptops and two routers is roughly equivalent to one mobile phone.

If you are extremely fussy about Wi-Fi, then make sure you sit 1m (or more) away from the router, and don't use your laptop on your lap. Put it on a table or tray instead. I don't think there is a risk, but you may feel safer if you remove a non-existent risk.

Alternatively, you could connect your computers and other devices together using LAN cables. This will eliminate your Wi-Fi while also improving the speed and reliability of your internet. Of course, you will still be receiving mobile phone and Wi-Fi signals from neighbours, local mobile phone masts, and distant radio and TV stations.