Having problems with your bandwidth and slow internet? As millions of people work from home and children stay off school your home broadband may start to feel the effects.
Check out our tips below:
- Anyone else using your home network? Video calls or streaming programmes on websites such as YouTube, iPlayer or Netflix reduce your available bandwidth. What time is it? You’ll probably get better broadband performance in the morning.
- Test your connection speed using speedtest.net. If your connection is lower than 5MB you may experience problems.
- Turn off your camera temporarily during a video call. This will reduce the amount of bandwidth you’re using and should improve your audio or video quality.
If you’re still having trouble, try these extra tips:
- Move closer to the router. If you connect to your broadband through Wi-Fi instead of a network cable you may need a stronger signal. Try moving closer to the router, especially if you are in a large property, one that has thick walls or there are a lot of electronic devices being used.
- Check your broadband or data package. You can only expect to receive the speed that you’re paying for. Some agreements reduce your maximum speed during congested times whereas others guarantee continuous bandwidth.
- Get familiar with your provider. Check out their support pages and how you can speak to them if you have a problem.
- Can you use 4G?If your signal is very weak connecting to your phone’s 4G may be better. Search for ‘tethering’ to find out how to do this, but be careful, as you can use a lot of data this way.
- Finding help. Always contact your broadband provider first as they are responsible for the speed of your connection.