Tech Bytes

Tree trimming

Your Christmas tree may be a greedy Scrooge when it comes to your Wi-Fi. Interference caused by decorative lights on your holiday display could mean slower Wi-Fi, according to research from British communications regulator Ofcom. The agency notes that slower Wi-Fi may also be caused by interference from other home electronics, including microwave ovens and baby monitors.

Secret shoppers

Half of your co-workers are hard at work. The other half are shopping. A new CareerBuilder survey found that 50 percent of employees said they’d do holiday shopping while at work, many spending more than an hour filling their online carts. But some may have to shop around for a new job. The survey found that more bosses are firing employees they catch shopping at work.

Rent control

With the cost of a Manhattan hotel room sky high, some city residents are picking up extra money renting their homes on Airbnb. Bloomberg News, given a look at the closely guarded data by Airbnb, says the median annual amount earned by a city Airbnb host was $5,100 with the median property rented out 42 days a year. About 59,000 New Yorkers are listing their homes on Airbnb. — PETER KING