Which environmental factor can potentially affect network performance?

Temperature and humidity are critical environmental factors that can significantly impact network performance. Equipment such as routers, switches, and servers are designed to operate within specific temperature and humidity ranges. When devices are exposed to excessive heat or moisture, it can lead to overheating, which might cause hardware failures, reduce efficiency, and result in errors in data transmission.

In addition, high humidity can lead to condensation inside devices, causing short circuits and other physical damage. Maintaining optimal temperature and humidity levels helps ensure that network hardware operates reliably, thus supporting consistent performance in data transfer rates and overall network stability.

While factors such as router brand, operating system, and the number of connected devices can influence network efficiency and performance, they do so primarily through software and configuration aspects rather than physical or environmental conditions. In contrast, temperature and humidity directly affect the physical integrity and functionality of the network equipment itself.