Four Common Broadband Problems

1.Slow Speeds:

If you feel your broadband connection is slow you should run speed tests over a couple of days at various times of the day to determine if the speed is both stable and gain an average speed. Ensure you run this from a device that is hard-wired into the router to eliminate any potential Wi-Fi issues. It would be advisable to remove all connected devices to ensure you can get an accurate speed of the broadband into your router. Try the speed tests on Wi-Fi and see if the speed remains constant. Note – the way a Wi-Fi signal emits from your router the best place to get a signal is not always close to it. Once you are satisfied you have a speed reading then start to add the devices back on and retest – if the speed drops dramatically then the last connected device may be the issue. Some reasons could be a virus on a computer, streaming from sites which do not compress their videos, or downloading large files.

2.Connection:
Look at the lights and compare them to what they should represent. Do you have a flashing internet light or is it red – this could mean that the username and password stored in the router are incorrect. If the router is hard coded, then you can safely reset the router and it will return to the condition it left the broadband ISP. If, however, it is not hard-coded you will need the broadband username and password from your ISP.

3.Network Faults:
If you are still experiencing issues with your connectivity, it will be wise to plug a corded handset into the telephone point to check you have a dialling tone. If there is no tone, you may be experiencing an outage in the area which is affecting your home. If the dialling tone is present and you can dial out successfully then the next test is to plug into the test socket on your master socket. Look for a section which can be removed – behind this there will be another socket. This will eliminate your home's internal wiring and you will be connected to the Openreach network directly. (add images of the sockets and how to find the test socket) If the problem still exists then there is a potential issue on the external network, if the problem stops then you have an issue with your internal wiring. Internal wiring is not normally covered by Openreach and is the responsibility of the homeowner.

4.Weak Wi-Fi signal:
Try to put your router on to a table off the floor, not hidden on a shelf and not hidden behind something. The radio signal on the router will bounce around and cause black spots in your property with slow or no connection. Ideally the router should be as high up as possible to increase the range. Consider moving some devices off the Wi-Fi network such as TVs and streaming devices. This can be easily done by adding Powerline adapters throughout your house. This easy to setup system uses the electrical ring main of your house to send the internet to other Powerline plugs. These in turn have an RJ45 (network) port which can be plugged directly into devices such as TVs, computers, and Sky boxes (these will need further settings to remove them from the Wi-Fi network). Powerline adapters are good and can be supplied with speeds from 300Mbps up over 2Gbps. They can even work if you have a shed or garage which is connected to the same ring main – ideal for adding security cameras to external buildings. Once you have removed items that stream and rely heavily on the Wi-Fi you should notice a difference in the Wi-Fi speed. You might even look at upgrading your router to a more powerful model which has both a more powerful Wi-Fi like AC, AX, or Wi-Fi6 and capable of handling more devices.