GetDotted Domains

Freeola Guides

 

Improving your broadband speeds

Last updated on by Freeola Support

There is the one phrase that sums up most people's expectation for Internet more than any other: 'The faster the better'. Everyone wants faster speeds, and no matter how fast, it's never enough. So what can you do? This guide will offer a list of the most common and effective strategies in making the most of your broadband connection.

Introduction to Broadband

The first step to improving your Internet speed is knowing a few small details about how it all works. Most UK providers, like Freeola, offer rate adaptive products stating average speeds of around 11Mbps on ADSL connections (no longer available to subscribe to) and 35Mbps or 63Mbps on VDSL packages. What this means in simple terms is that they will provide the fastest speed that your phone line can physically support, up to the theoretical maximum offered by the technology or your chosen tariff.

Freeola's FTTP tariffs differ in that the full tariff speed is provided to the ONT, due to the removal of copper cabling.

This is where a lot of confusing factors introduce themselves. All you really need to know, without getting too technical, is the actual broadband speed achievable on ADSL/VDSL services depends on factors such as the phone wiring in your home and the distance you live from your local telephone exchange - speeds will drop the further away you get.

This guide will not go into the more complex issues with improving your downstream synchronisation, but instead focus on improving your actual throughput speed. Actual throughput is the speed you will experience when you are using your Internet.

How to improve your Internet speed

Know your connection limits

The first piece of advice here is to ensure you know what your line is capable of from the start as, if nothing else, it is very interesting to know. You can use Freeola's free Broadband Availability Checker to check out your estimated speed. You can then visit the BT Speed Test website to find out information about your current connection.

The important thing to take from the results for use with this guide is the actual throughput achieved, as improving this is the primary focus. You should bear in mind this will be limited by your IP Profile, which is a form of 'cap' on the line relating to your downstream rate. The IP profile will normally be slightly lower than the downstream, limiting the throughput to this speed.

Do one thing at a time!

Often the most basic thing broadband users forget is there is a limit to how much our computers and connection can handle at once! It is always best to ensure you do not try and do everything at once, as this will put strain on your equipment to keep up the pace. If you are noticing the speed is dropping, try and quit a few programmes and stop printing or scanning whilst using your wireless connection. Whilst this may not technically reduce your connection speed, it will reduce how quickly the computer can perform the tasks you are asking it to.

Also try and avoid running multiple programmes that use the Internet at the same time. Even the quickest of connections can have trouble trying to upload files, stream the highest quality video, play online games and download content at the same time. The best advice is to just be aware of what is going on at a certain time, and try and run as few things as possible.

Get Full Control of your Bandwidth Overhead

With the amount of software available to Internet users, its not surprising that there are applications out there that will discretely use your connection. These applications will run in the background and use your connection to perform their tasks, which can obviously affect your speed.

Typical examples of this are services such as video streaming sites (iPlayer, Netflix, Disney+ etc.), online backup services and peer-to-peer/torrenting software. Such programmes are designed to be easy and user friendly, but not using them properly could result in them causing problems.

A particular issue that occurs with certain P2P applications and online backup services is that they upload files as well as download. If the client is using your connections full upstream bandwidth, the downstream will suffer accordingly, even if you are not downloading anything.

Always ensure you are aware of what applications you have installed and exactly what is running on your computer and network. Completely disable anything you are not using and check to make sure it is not still active. This is not only a good idea to increase your speed, but can help improve the general security of your computer.

Update Your Browser

Your web browser will play a huge part in exploring the Internet, playing a much more important role than some users realise. Every website has information to read and be displayed correctly by your browser, and as websites get more advanced, so must your browser!

A good example of this is older versions of Internet Explorer, which many people still use as it comes free with older Microsoft Operating Systems. Internet Explorer 6 has a default setting to download files on a website in a sequence. Pages with lots of media will take longer to view due to the inefficiency of this method.

If you update to the latest version of Internet Explorer (now called Microsoft Edge) or use a different browser, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, you reduce the amount of time it takes you to download the page.

There are many browsers out there giving users an extremely wide range of choice. Try and pick your favourite browser and stay with it, making sure you have the latest version and all updates from the developers website. Try and avoid 'developer' or 'beta' versions of software unless you are willing to take the associated risks with testing.

Keep Your Computer Safe

By now, most Internet users will realise the danger involved in online activity, and be naturally wary of anything suspicious. The problem has been moderately controlled by the use of anti-virus and firewall software, which has allowed a lot more protection from such malicious activity.

However there is always the possibility that viruses and malicious content will manage to get past these protection methods and cause issues to occur that will seriously affect the performance of our connections. One major and surprisingly common occurrence is that of programmes being installed on our machines via viruses, which use the Internet connection to perform tasks such as sending unsolicited or spam mail.

So what can you do to stop this threat? Unfortunately there is unlikely to ever be a 100% secure method of stopping such activity as designers of such content produce more advanced software to counter the protection methods currently used. Due to this, it is a very good idea to use a trusted software developer, and ensure you keep your software up-to-date. This will give you the best chance of defending your connection.

To see Freeola's recommendation and trusted provider of Anti-Virus and Firewall software please visit our Antivirus package information page.

Protect Your Network From Bandwidth Thieves!

With wireless technology becoming more advanced, and therefore more popular, a large proportion of us are now making use of the wire free phenomenon. But this wireless technology is not without its problems, which you should know about if you are using it.

Due to the nature of wireless broadband, it is entirely possible that other people nearby you could be using your connection. This could not only cause slower speeds as your bandwidth is being used elsewhere, but also cause other problems around the security of your connection. The technology itself is not picky when it comes to users, and will rely on the owner of the connection to tell it who to allow online. And in the age of technology this comes in the handy and easy form of using a password!

So what do we mean? Most wireless routers allow the setup of a pre-shared key (a Password) that will allow you, and those devices that you trust, to access your network. Please refer to the router manual for further information on how to enable or change the Wireless Security options.

Make Your Wireless More Effective

Staying on the same subject, some people wonder if there is any difference in using either a wired or wireless connection. The only real difference is that there are so many factors that can affect a wireless signal, it often becomes more of a hindrance to use. For most users this is not the case, and using wireless is really the only suitable answer to their connection needs. In general it is advisable to use a wired connection wherever possible, as it is just less likely to experience issues.

If you do have to use wireless, follow these quick pointers:

  • Make sure the router is kept in a cool place, away from heat generating equipment such as radiators or gas fires.

  • Ensure your computer itself, or more specifically the wireless adapter, is not too close to other electrical equipment.

  • Ensure the wireless channel your router is using is not being used by anyone else nearby. You can change your channel by logging into the router configuration and viewing the wireless settings.

  • If there is a radio transmitter or microwave device between your wireless router and receiving device, consider moving either to help reduce the chance of interference.

Check your router manual for more information on how to do this.

Avoid Extension Cables

Whereas it is generally advised to use an Ethernet or other form of wired connection where possible, this is not necessarily a good idea when the cable is going to have to be fairly long to connect the equipment.

Try to be aware that the further your equipment is away from the socket, the weaker the connection, as the standard wiring used is usually of quite a low quality. Try using as little cabling as you can, attempting to avoid using extension cables when possible, and only high quality ones when you have to.

We would recommend all cables used for your equipment, both between your device and the router, and the router and the wall, are kept below 1 metre, with a maximum length of 3 metres.

Keep Equipment Up To Date

Most providers will offer free hardware with your connection. If you are using one of these routers you may find that you can benefit from upgrading your equipment to something of a higher quality. This is not always likely to help, but has certainly done so in a number of cases.

All technology improves over time, and internet routing equipment is no exception. In most cases it is recommended to replace your modem/router every 2 to 3 years.

Your ISP May Be Able To Help

If you are unhappy with the speeds you are receiving still, you may want to try talking to your ISP. There could be options available to you that you had not realised or considered, and your ISP will be able to talk you through or help you action any changes that can be made. Minimal adjustments made in your account can make all the difference.

It is always worth bearing in mind that, because of the nature of how broadband is provided, there are some users that may receive seemingly slow speeds that BT will deem acceptable. It is not always the case that these speeds can be improved regardless of changes made.


Did you find this article helpful?


Freeola & GetDotted are rated Five stars

Check out some of our customer reviews below:

View More Freeola Reviews

Need some help? Give us a call on 01376 55 60 60

Go to Support Centre
Feedback Close Feedback

It appears you are using an old browser, as such, some parts of the Freeola and Getdotted site will not work as intended. Using the latest version of your browser, or another browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Edge, or Opera will provide a better, safer browsing experience for you.