Digital
8 Tips to improve your internet speed
December 23, 2020 by deborahamzil 1 Comment | Category Digital Scotland, Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband
Blog by Caitlin MacIver, communications officer in Digital Connectivity Division.
Introduction
Scottish Government’s Digital Connectivity Division within Digital Directorate is responsible for enhancing Scotland’s digital infrastructure while supporting connectivity-enabled innovation to maximise economic impacts.
We want to ensure that everyone gets access to superfast broadband and knows how to check if they’ve already got it, how to get it and how to make the most of it. Follow these tips to get the most of your internet speed.
How to get the most out of your internet speed
Slow internet? Tired of hearing ‘have you tried turning it on and off again?’ There are various steps you can take to make sure you’re making the most of your internet speed by following this quick and easy guide.
Step 1 – Carry out a free speed test
Speed varies throughout the day, because of peaks in the number of people using the network so you should carry out a speed test at different times of day. Ofcom recommend the following sites to help conduct a speed test Broadband.co.uk, broadbandchoices.co.uk and using Ofcom’s mobile and broadband checker.
If possible connect a cable directly to your hub to test or if you only have your Wi-Fi, conduct the test right next to your router.
Organisations like Ofcom can also help you find the best solutions to get the most of your internet speed. Visit boostyourbroadband.com
Step 2 – Check if I can get superfast broadband
You can find out whether superfast broadband has reached your area yet at the www.scotlandsuperfast.com address checker. The checker also tells you whether your address will be covered through commercial deployment, the R100 intervention contracts, and its eligibility for a voucher to help you get faster speeds.
If you’d like a faster connection, superfast broadband could be readily available from your current internet service provider so you can check with them and compare what’s on offer from other providers in your area.
Step 3– Check your cables
Make sure your cables are not tangled as this will reduce network speed. Ensure your telephone extension lead is high quality and is the most up-to-date with the shortest length possible, shorter leads will allow for faster connections. If you have a cable, plug it into your connected device directly from your router.
Step 4 – Other devices
Keep your router as far away from other electrical devices. This includes halogen lamps, dimmer switches, fairy lights, speakers, TVs, monitors and power cables from other devices.
Step 5 – Reconsider your router location
Keep your router off the floor, move it onto a table or a shelf. Cut down on the barriers between your router and computer to get improved speed.
Step 6 – Be security conscious
Ensure your router is password protected to avoid anyone nearby logging on. Password protected routers will help your overall security by avoiding any data breaches.
Step 7 – Accelerator or filtered device
An accelerator is a device that filters out any electrical interference from your home phone wiring. Accelerator or filtered devices can help improve speed and make your broadband line more reliable. This is an inexpensive, effective way that can improve your speed.
Step 8 – Can your provider help?
Finally contact your provider if these steps have not been successful in improving your speed. Occasionally there can be issues with your hardware or within the terms of your broadband package. Commonly, low cost packages offer reduced speeds. Older routers can have issues and may need upgraded to the newest model or an upgrade to the most recent software.
These steps are quick and easy to follow and will hopefully improve your internet speed if your current speeds are holding you back. So, why not give those speed tests a try, get your router on top of a hard surface or get an accelerator or filtered device to boost your internet speed?
Feel free to share what tips have helped improve your internet speed. Let us know on Twitter – @ScotSuperfast and Facebook – facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast.
Thanks to the DSSB programme, more than 95% of homes and businesses across Scotland can now connect to fibre broadband and enjoy faster broadband speeds, and the Reaching 100% (R100) Programme will connect every address in Scotland to speeds of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps) – this is our R100 commitment.
Find out more about how to get superfast broadband in your local area by visiting https://www.scotlandsuperfast.com
Where can I go for more information?
What speed do I need?
What happens now?
Still got questions? Here are some handy Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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We had the same problem. We tried to get an alternative provider but it seems with more people working from the network is at it’d busiest when it comes to residential providing.
I have over 3 staff members trying to use it alone so can imagine with hundreds of thousands, as we are a essential provider when it comes to the delivery of Forklift Training we have to ensure during tests connections don’t drop off.
Great read up
Bhavesh Makwana
Direct Training
https://www.directtraining.co.uk/