Simple tips to improve your broadband speed at home

Improve your home broadband speed
Friday, 19 February 2021

How is your broadband speed performing at home? When you sign up for a broadband plan the speed advertised is usually the maximum speed you can expect to receive. It can be frustrating if you test your broadband speed and the actual speed is much lower than the advertised speed.

There are a range of factors that can affect your home fibre broadband performance. The quality of the connection coming into your home may be performing well, but slowed significantly by factors within your house.  

Here are some common issues that affect broadband performance that can be easily solved by making changes to your home environment or your network connection.

1. Make sure your Wi-Fi modem is in the best spot

The perfect spot for your Wi-Fi modem will be a central spot in your house, and high up in the room. Try to make sure your Wi-Fi signal isn’t being blocked by physical barriers like walls, large metal objects (fridges, desks, shelves), water cylinders or fish tanks, or even large glass windows. Learn more about finding the perfect spot for your modem.

2. Set up as close to your Wi-Fi modem as possible

The distance between your modem and your device can affect your Wi-Fi performance. So, if you can’t move your modem, try setting up your computer as close to it as possible or plugging your computer directly into the router with an ethernet cable.

3. Update your devices

Older devices, or having outdated software on your devices can impact on fibre broadband performance. Try optimising your electronic devices by running your updates and removing any unnecessary apps or software. If you still have performance issues you may need to consider investing in upgrading to a new device.

4. Choose the 5GHz channel where available

Most broadband routers broadcast Wi-Fi around your house using two frequencies: 2.4 Gigahertz and 5GHz. You can find this by looking at your Wi-Fi network list. If your home network is listed twice, usually one is 2.4 GHz and one is 5GHz.  The 5GHz connection offers faster connection speeds at shorter distances, whilst the 2.4GHz offers wider coverage further from the router, usually at slower speeds. So, choose the 5GHz connection if you’re sitting close to your Wi-fi router, or the 2.4GHz connection if you’re further away.

5. Make sure you’re on the fastest plan available at your address

Hopefully some of these changes will give your broadband connection a boost. If you’re still looking for a faster broadband plan, it’s worth comparing the options and thinking about upgrading your plan. If you want to know more about upgrading to a faster broadband plan our customer support team are ready to take your call and chat about the options.

Call today on 0508 2COMPARE (0508 226672)

Compare broadband plans

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