Are you struggling with slow broadband speed? If your downloads are taking forever or you're tired of buffering calls, there's more than one thing that could be the problem.
Your broadband speed is affected by many different things, both inside your home and beyond. Understanding what's causing your slow broadband is the first step to getting faster internet.
Here are the common factors that decide your broadband speed:
The download speed of your broadband package
The most important thing determining your broadband speed is the maximum speed of your broadband package. When you set up broadband, you choose a package and broadband speed that's right for you.
Broadband plans are usually listed by their average download speed. That's how quickly you can receive data, provided all the other factors below are working at optimum levels. Under advertising rules, that headline figure has to be achievable for at least half of a provider's customers at peak time. If the speed of your package is too low, even the most ideal home setup won't help.
The type of connection you're using
So, your broadband plan is fast enough for your home - the next question is how are you connecting to the network? Most households rely on their WiFi network for convenient, wireless internet access. However, most speed estimates are actually based on using a wired Ethernet connection.
For the most important devices in your home - your work laptop, gaming PC or under-the-TV streaming box - a wired connection will offer a faster, more reliable broadband speed. Connect these devices directly to your router, or to a WiFi extender if the router is too far away.
Where your router is positioned
If you are connecting to the WiFi, the position of your router matters more than you might think.
For the best WiFi coverage, place your router:
In the room where you most need a fast connection
High up in the room, such as on top of a shelf
Away from large electrical devices like your fridge, and away from microwaves and cordless phones, which share the same frequency as older WiFi
How many devices are using the same network
Did you know your broadband speed is shared between every device actively using the network? If several people are streaming, gaming and downloading at the same time, each of them gets a slice of your connection rather than the full headline speed.
The key word there is 'actively'. A phone sitting idle on the WiFi barely touches your bandwidth - it's simultaneous heavy use that slows everything down. So if things feel sluggish, check nothing is quietly downloading or updating in the background, and disconnect devices that are mid-sync when you need the speed elsewhere.
When is peak time for broadband usage?
You may have seen your broadband provider talking about 'peak time congestion' for your internet. At the busiest times of day, more users share the same network and broadband speeds across the board dip. Ofcom defines peak time as 8pm to 10pm, as people relax after work streaming shows, gaming and video calling.
Unfortunately, you probably won't have any success asking everyone in your neighbourhood to get offline in the evening. Instead, make sure your network is fast enough for you even at peak times - and schedule that essential online meeting a little earlier in the day.
Still not sure what you need? Our guide to what broadband speed is right for me breaks it down by household size, and you can see which UK provider offers the quickest speeds before you commit.
