It’s a very first world problem but having a slow broadband connection can be frustrating. Especially when you are trying to work or need to submit an essay for your homework in time. Over the years broadband speeds have improved a lot. The average UK broadband speed in 2008 was 3.6 Mbps, today it is 16.5 Mbps. However, an investigation by Which? found that households are paying for broadband services that are 51% slower than advertised. So if you have slow internet try out the points below to help maximise the speed you are getting through your broadband cables.
1. Check connections
This may sound obvious but check that all of your wired connections from the street to your router are plugged in correctly. If any connections are loose you could be losing valuable internet speed that you are paying for. Also check the condition of the wires to make sure they are not causing any problems. The type of things you are looking out for are cuts in the wires, squashed parts of wire or any breaks in the wire.
2. Router position
One of the main things that could be causing issues is the position of your router. Follow the steps below for the optimal router position in your home.
– The router should be placed in a central location so that every part of your home receives the same amount of Wi-fi signal.
– Avoid putting the router near thick walls. It’s a lot harder for a signal to go through brick or concrete walls.
– Don’t put the router on the floor as Wi-fi signals go down as well as up, so some of the signal will just be wasted going into the ground. Make sure the router is up on a shelf or table.
– Make sure that you can see the router in the room you use the internet the most. If you can see it that means there is an unbroken connection between your device and the router. If it is hidden away in a cupboard the connection will be reduced.
– Unless you want a good Wi-fi signal in your garden don’t put the router near a window as you will just be sending signal out the window, literally.
3. Interference
Common household items can interfere with your router and cause a lower Wi-fi signal. Metal objects can reflect your signal, much like light reflects off a mirror dispersing it. Also keep your router away from fish tanks as the water will absorb Wi-fi signal. Finally, don’t keep the router near a microwave as the waves given off by it when cooking will disturb the signal.
4. Router booster
If you have followed all those steps, the internet speed is fine close to the router but just having issues in certain places like the garage or bedrooms upstairs you should consider getting a Wi-fi booster. They can be plugged in to a power socket in any room in your house where the signal is poor. They work by receiving your existing Wi-fi signal, amplifying it and then transmitting the boosted signal.
5. Router is old/faulty
When wireless routers get to a certain age they can start to become slow, even though the internet speed going into them is perfect. It could also just be the fact that your router is broken or faulty. In that case you would need to by a new one or send it back to the broadband provider to exchange for a new one.
6. Upgrade
If you have tried all of the points above to no avail we would recommend that you hire a professional to come and check out what the issue could be. It may just be the case that the broadband speed your are paying for is not enough for your family’s downloading and streaming needs. So in that case it is best to contact the company who provide your broadband to see what they can do to help.
We hope this has helped you out improving your broadband speed. Keep a look out for our next blog post coming soon.