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LG UltraFine 5K Display, Apple's Thunderbolt Display Substitute, Is Reportedly Useless Near Routers

LG UltraFine 5K Display, Apple's Thunderbolt Display Substitute, Is Reportedly Useless Near Routers

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 31 January 2017 12:04 IST

Highlights

LG UltraFine 5K Display was positioned as the Thunderbolt substitute
Some users are reporting a Wi-Fi router proximity issue
The display apparently goes useless when placed too close to the router

Tech giant Apple killed off its Thunderbolt Display series in October last year, and instead, introduced LG's UltraFine 5K Display as a substitute. The company claimed the monitor was especially made for connecting the new MacBook Pro laptops to a bigger display. However, reports of issues when the monitor is kept near a router are now cropping up, with LG UltraFine 5K Display supposedly flickering, blacking out, and even freezing the connected computer when a Wi-Fi router is placed too close to it.

9to5Mac first spotted this issue, and even spoke with LG customer care for more clarity. The spokesperson suggested that the router and display be placed far away from each other - at least 2 metres - for proper functioning. After the Wi-Fi router was moved away, the problem of flickering on screen disappeared, and the display starts to work fine.

When the router is placed in the 2-metre radius, the display reportedly starts to flicker, and moving it too close will cause it to go completely black, rendering it useless. The report notes that the LG UltraFine 5K Display's manual warns the display should be installed "where no Electromagnetic Interference occurs" but doesn't specifically mention routers.

A reviewer on the Apple site claims that the flickering depends on 'how much Wi-Fi traffic goes through the WAP'. Furthermore, the customer care executive also clarified that this issue was only restricted to LG's 5K monitors, and not any other displays in its portfolio.

This WAP proximity issue is a serious flaw overlooked by Apple and LG both. For now, the LG UltraFine 5K Display is the best alternative to the Thunderbolt Display, and it comes with a 27-inch display that can support resolution up to 2880x5120 pixels. The 27-inch display offers more app real estate for MacBook Pro users for editing and other purposes. It connects with the MacBook Pro through a Thunderbolt 3 port, so apart from being connected, it even keeps it charged.

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