NFL Official: Weather Station Caused Wi-Fi Problems With Tablets

A weather forecasting station caused the Wi-Fi connectivity problem with coaches’ tablets during the Redskins-Patriots preseason game last week, said NFL Chief Information Officer Michelle McKenna. Patriots coach Bill Belichick made news this week when he said his tablet’s Wi-Fi did not work. The NFL is transitioning sidelines away from paper photos and sheets to tablets, so Belichick’s complaint is a big issue if it continues. The issue arose not because of Wi-Fi capability at FedExField, McKenna said, but a nearby National Weather Service Doppler facility that used the same frequency the tablets were set to.

The NFL has a few trouble spots as it seeks to roll out the tablets, she said. For example, Sun Life Stadium in Miami is located near TV stations. McKenna said she expected all the kinks to be worked through and the tablets to be fully functional come the start of the regular season.