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Could you tell me if I need to use the before Wi-Fi signal in the sentence below?

If you have a Wi-Fi router in the living room, but you'll want to connect to it from another room, then the thick wooden walls may weaken (the) Wi-FI signal.

Would you please explain the logic of using it or not using it?

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    s/b "but you want"
    – user3169
    Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 20:15
  • More nit-picking. • Technically, {the thick wooden walls might weaken the Wi-Fi signal} regardless of {whether or not you want to connect to it from the pertinent room}. “Thick wooden walls can weaken Wi-Fi signals. If you have a Wi-Fi router in your living room, and want to connect to it from another room, it might not work properly.” • I would say “may” if this happened only sometimes (in this house)… and “might” if it might happen and we do not know. (Definitely “the”, because you are talking about a particular, mentioned signal.)
    – Carsogrin
    Commented Sep 6, 2021 at 15:56

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I think signal might be used as a mass noun by some communications technologists, but in normal English it is a singular count noun, and so needs an article in most circumstances.

Here it needs the.

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    I think you're right that this is why it's needed, but even if it were a mass noun, it would still be best to use "the" with it. "Wi-Fi" (or "radiation") can be that mass noun, and while "the walls may weaken Wi-Fi" might be grammatically correct, I think "the walls may weaken the Wi-Fi" fits the context better.
    – Dan Getz
    Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 23:30
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    @DanGetz: I think you're right; but it's much easier to make the argument from syntax than from semantics ;-)
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Sep 6, 2021 at 13:54

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