Internet Speed and the factors that affect it

You could be paying for a particular speed but do remember that it is the speed that you would get on a good day – and the maximum speed that you will usually get. At times, though, there is a drop in speed and this could be due to a whole lot of factors. Let’s take a quick run-through at the factors that are usually beyond your control which contribute to this problem,

Rush hour

Tough when there are a whole lot of people who are online from the same area all at once. This could happen at certain hours at night – when even the working population switch on their laptops or computers at home to surf or it could happen on holidays when everyone who doesn’t have to take their kids to the park or the beach to amuse them will sit down and switch on their computer. You’ll find that the speeds are very slow sometimes, especially at a time when there is a lot of heavy downloading going on in the vicinity. If it really bothers you, ask around and look for another Internet provider who does not have such a large number of users to clog up the cyber-roads. To offer better service, many providers are capping the number of users per exchange.

Far out

Yes, distance from your exchange does matter so if that’s the case you might want to look at a connection with an exchange that is closer. The further out you are, the slower the speed – never mind what the provider might promise you. So if you have a 4 Mbps connection, you will get those speeds on a good day only of you are close to the exchange. Now this only applies to those having a phone line broadband connection – not wireless, satellite or broadband.

Pay more, get more

Many providers do a priority list so if you are on the higher packages – the ones with higher speeds, your speeds will be better and you will be put on the fast track. Fair enough – you’re paying for it.

Many on one

If there are many of you sharing one Internet connection through a router in your home or small business, there is bound to be a slowing down of the speed. If there are many sharing one connection, make sure the cables, modem and router are all in the best of condition and are right for your usage.

Bad connection

Now this could be because your phone connection is bad, your power supply isn’t at its best or that the weather is bad. Whatever the reason, they could all be contributing factors to slowing down the speeds.  This could also be a result of spyware, adware or viruses clogging up and damaging your system. So clean up your computer or laptop and resynchronize it with the provider to get it working fine again.

If you are not happy with your Internet speeds, the first thing to do is to get in touch with your provider and ask why this is happening. There might be a genuine reason why at that particular point of time. They will also tell you what you can do to boost up the speed. If you are still not satisfied after you have followed his advice, you might want to look at another provider. Ask around and go with a provider that someone you know in the vicinity has had a good experience with. If you have a high end package and you do not get the desired speeds, downgrade to a slower package – why should you pay the higher rates and not get what you want or have paid for?

There are also a few things that you can do at home to make your speeds better.

Is your Internet a lot slower than advertised? We want to hear from you – we’re undertaking a poll of average UK broadband speeds and we need you! Leave a comment and tell us your ISP, advertised (or paid-for) speed and your actual results.