Is sleeping near a WiFi router dangerous?

Wifi routers emit non-ionizing radiofrequency (RF) radiation in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Non-ionizing means it doesn't carry enough energy to break chemical bonds or damage DNA, unlike X-rays or gamma rays which are ionizing. According to Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency, typical indoor exposure from a wifi router measures around 2 V/m at one metre and 5 V/m at half a metre. The ICNIRP's safety limit for these frequencies is 61 V/m. So even sitting right next to your router, you're exposed to roughly 1/12th of what international guidelines consider the threshold worth worrying about.

The WHO and ICNIRP have both reviewed decades of research and concluded there are no established health effects from wifi exposure at normal levels. The IARC did classify all radiofrequency radiation as "Group 2B, possibly carcinogenic" back in 2011, but that category is broad. It means there's limited evidence that warrants watching, not that there's proof of harm. Pickled vegetables are in the same category.

That said, "no established health effects" isn't the same as "proven safe forever." RF research is ongoing, and the WHO recommends basic precautionary steps: keep the router at some distance from where you sleep, turn it off when you're not using it if you want to, and use wired connections where practical. These are sensible habits, not urgent warnings.

Here's the practical angle though. If your router is on your bedside table, moving it to another room is a good idea regardless of radiation concerns. Routers perform better when placed centrally in your home, elevated, and away from obstructions. Sleeping next to one means it's in a corner, which is the worst possible spot for coverage. So the health question and the performance question have the same answer: don't keep it next to your bed. Not because it's dangerous, but because it's a waste of your router's range.