You are close enough to the operating frequency of your WiFi appliance to see interference, but there is simply no way to tell whether it is a matter of a within-limits, expected, interference issue, or a defective device that has a serious problem. Every source of microwaves will emanate some energy outside the primary beam of the antenna and wave guide. These "side lobes" can and will be detected around a microwave tube, but at much lower power than the primary feed to the waveguide.

Your problem could be leaking around the door, an inadequately designed WiFi receiver in your network appliance, an excessive voltage drop on the AC power line associated with the energized microwave, or absolutely nothing at all other than normal radiation from a perfectly operating device. Keep in mind that microwaves do not and cannot completely stop all radiation in the primary 2.45 gH range. If your radio is a little too sensitive or your microwave a little too loose about what it lets out, either could result in the "dead air" you hear when you are heating up your potato.

One good test you could do is if somebody in your family has a newer microwave at home, offer them some beers to have them bring it over to your house. Plug IT in and see if you have the same symptoms. If so, don't worry about it. If not, and the radio still works, then order a new microwave and send ol' faithful to the recyclers.

You always offer practical, insightful advice mojavean -- I look forward to your posts.

That is very kind of you to say, Bishop8. Thank you very much! :^)

It would not take very much energy from the microwave to drown out a signal from the AP due to it's effective distance from your radio. A watt or two might do it.

Cell phones used to be 3 watt devices (the first bricks) since the cell towers were so far apart. Now they're more like 100mw.

I have a 2.4 GHS cordless phone with the base unit mounted on the wall about a foot away from my microwave. If the phone is in use, and the microwave is on, noise is heard in the phone. This noise can be heard even if the cordless handset is taken into other rooms in the house. I always thought that because they are so close together that the phone and mirco. probably share the same AC circuit. Should I be worried about leakage?

I'm not sure about your handset or m/w but it used to be that most cordless phone manufacturers had a little blurb in there manuals about putting the main station too close to a m/w. I think some of the m/w instructions mentioned the same thing

Good thoughts here. Thanks! I wouldn't have thought to borrow a newer microwave oven.