Tips to Speed up Your Broadband

We are often asked, “How can I speed up my broadband connection?” Many people across the UK suffer from painfully slow download speeds, making internet tasks incredibly difficult. This can be extremely frustrating, particularly when you pay good money for your broadband service. You may have contacted your provider and been advised that everything is working as it should be, yet you’re still finding it impossible to get online. In this article, we provide some tips to help you get the best out of your internet connection, without having to upgrade to a more expensive package.

• Understand your broadband connection

 

First and foremost, you need to understand your service. When you signed up for your broadband service, you would have been advised of a maximum download speed to expect. For example, the advertised speed may have been ‘up to 8Mbps’. Now, it is unlikely that you always experience the maximum advertised speed, particularly at peak times since domestic connections are normally shared with other users in the area. This means that when there is a heavy demand on the service, each user receives a proportion of the maximum speed. Your broadband speed will also depend on additional factors such as the distance of your line from the telephone exchange. With standard broadband over telephone lines, the speed degrades the further the cables have to travel to the telephone exchange.

You can run a broadband speed test on the internet, using your postcode. There are many sites that offer this service and it doesn’t cost anything. This will tell you the speed of your line, so you will know whether it is much slower than your provider has told you to expect. It may be that you are already experiencing the fastest speed your line can expect; in which case, you may need to think about upgrading your service.

Next, make sure that you are aware of your monthly usage allowance and any traffic management policy that may be in place. If you have exceeded the limits of your monthly usage allowance, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may have capped your speed. In the past, ISPs tended to charge customers for exceeding their allowance, but many now reduce the speed instead. Your provider will usually email you a warning if you have exceeded your usage allowance, so be sure to check your inbox. However, you won’t receive a warning if you have exceeded your traffic management allowance. Traffic management policies are used by the majority of broadband providers. They aim to ensure that customers get the best possible internet service, especially at peak times when there is a lot of traffic. With traffic management, providers slow down data that isn’t speed-critical, to ensure that other services run smoothly. They are also sometimes used to curb the activities of the heaviest downloaders on the network, with the aim of providing fair access for all. If you have exceeded the traffic management allowance, your speed will decrease for a fixed number of hours or until the end of the peak period. Check your ISPs website for details of any traffic management policy.

• Check your devices and security settings

 

Always make sure that your wireless network is password protected. If it is not password protected, then others in close proximity will be able to connect to your service and drain the bandwidth. If this happens, then it is likely you will see your speed dramatically decrease.

Many applications will run in the background, using your connection for various tasks such as uploading data or installing updates. Having large numbers of browser windows open at the same time can also affect your speed. Ensure that all unnecessary applications and web pages are shut down. If this makes a difference, try running a speed test with various applications and windows open each time, to identify which ones are causing the problem.

Ensure that you install anti-virus software. If you already have anti-virus software installed, make sure that is up-do-date and operational. Viruses, Trojans and Worms can drain your broadband, slowing down the speed. They can also slow down your computer or devices, which will make is seem like your broadband is running slowly.

Finally, experts suggest that routers need to be regularly rebooted; make sure that you reboot your router about once every month, to clear up any issues it may have.

• Check your sockets and wiring

 

Signals can be disrupted by electrical interference from other equipment. Experiment with turning off different devices to see if they are causing your broadband speed to slow down. If you have your WIFI router near a wall or under your television, then your signal may be restricted. If possible, check with your neighbours to see where they put their routers, as routers can interfere with one another. Try and place your router in a part of your house that is well away from where your neighbour keeps theirs. For best results, place your router away from obstacles and put it as high up as possible. If you do this, you could see an instant improvement.

It is not advisable to connect your router using an extension cable. Extension cables can significantly increase interference on the line and lower your broadband speeds. Instead, connect the router directly to the phone socket and use an Ethernet cable to connect your computer to the router because Ethernet cables will not degrade your connection speed. If you have to use an extension cable, ensure that it is a new and high-quality cable that is the shortest possible length. This is because tangled and coiled cables can cause interference. To test if your cable is causing the problem, connect directly to the master socket and check if there is an improvement. If there is an improvement, then it’s likely that your cable is the problem.

All devices that need to be connected to the phone system should be connected via a microfilter. This can include telephones, fax machines, digiboxes etc. A microfilter will prevent other devices from interfering with your broadband signal, so make sure that your filters are high-quality and that none are faulty. To check if your Microfilters are working correctly, unplug all of your devices and then add one back at a time until you identify which is causing the problem.

Try connecting your router to the BT Master Socket, which is where your telephone line comes into the house. There will usually be a split across the front plate of the master socket, and the lower part of the plate can be unscrewed. Inside, there will be an engineer’s test socket. Removing the lower face plate will disconnect all of the extension wiring in your property and you can then connect your router using the test socket. If you do this and your connection speed increases, then it is likely that your internal telephone wiring is causing interference that is resulting in lower broadband speeds. If you have identified this as the problem, then you can try fitting an I-Plate (or BT Accelerator). This is a device which fits into the lower section of the master socket and works by preventing interference from internal wiring. An I-Plate costs around £10, you can fit it yourself and, once fitted, you should see significantly increased speeds. Newer master sockets already have this technology built in, so will not benefit from an I-Plate. Newer master sockets have Openreach written on them.

If you have tried everything, and you are still not satisfied with speed of your broadband then it might be time to think about upgrading your broadband or switching providers. Make sure that you shop around to get the best deal, and be sure to check the speeds you should be expecting from your new service. Upgrading to fibre broadband if you haven’t already done so will improve speeds massively  . The good news for those still in contract, is that new rules will soon be coming into force that will allow consumers to exit their contract, and switch providers, if their internet speeds are falling below acceptable levels.