Slow internet explained
In this article we will look at one of the most reported issues with internet connectivity, slow speed. There can be many reasons why your broadband internet connection feels like it is working slowly and below we will cover the most common causes for slow internet speeds.
1) Reboot - First and foremost, try rebooting your internet broadband router and any additional routers that you may have connected. Sometimes a reboot is required to allow your broadband internet router to update settings and other times it may just need a reboot to clear out old connections and allow your devices to obtain fresh IP and DNS information.
2) How many people are using the internet connection? - If you have multiple users and devices all trying to use the internet connection at the same time, you will likely find that connectivity is slower than usual, as you will be sharing the available bandwidth amongst more than one user or device. With speeds offered by satellite broadband and 4G unlimited broadband internet connections, sharing the connection amongst multiple devices and users will not typically cause issue, but if more intensive applications such as video browsing, or streaming are being used then you will likely run into difficulties. Planning with other users or scheduling certain applications to run when you are not actively using the connection will all help to ensure that everyone can access the internet when they need to.
3) Local networking considerations – The devices that you have connected behind your 4G and satellite broadband internet router combine to form your local network and if there are any configuration issues or bottle necks this will translate to poor and sometimes intermittent internet connectivity. Most issues arise with local wireless (WiFi) networks with common problems including weak WiFi signal and local interference caused by other wireless devices or networks. Check out our article for optimal wireless router placement to ensure that you have your wireless router positioned to provide the best possible wireless signal to your devices. Wired local networks can also suffer from issues but will mainly relate to the quality of your ethernet networking cables and configuration; try to keep ethernet cables away from power cables and replace any cables that have breaks or bends in them.
4) Bandwidth intensive applications – Some applications are simply very bandwidth intensive and this must be considered when sharing the connection with other users and devices. Video conferencing would be a good example of a bandwidth intensive application, but some applications may allow you to turn down settings to reduce the bandwidth required to some extent.
5) Unknown traffic – This is a major contributor to poor connectivity reports from our customers and often after extensive discussions and auditing of devices and applications we discover that an application running in the background is simply using all the bandwidth. The most common applications fall under the category of cloud services being used for the backup of files such as Apple iCloud or Dropbox. Once you know what applications are using your bandwidth and potentially causing slowdowns in performance, you can decide if the traffic is necessary or if you can stop the traffic completely. If you need to keep using an application that uses an unfair share of internet resources, you can look at scheduling the application for a time when you are not using the connection.
6) Is the weather bad? - When using satellite broadband internet or 4G broadband internet you must take into consideration the weather, this is most important when using satellite broadband internet as weather will degrade the signal quality available to your satellite or 4G broadband internet modem. Both satellite and 4G technology will continue to provide service during poor weather conditions but performance will degrade and in the event of extreme weather events the connection may disconnect completely.
7) Upstream Network Issues – Occasionally your internet service provider may experience a network issue that can cause degradation to your service but thankfully such events are rare. If you have checked for all local causes of slow speed but find no problem, it is time to get in touch with your internet service provider to report an issue with details of the checks that you have already completed locally.
If you are not currently a customer of Bentley Walker Freedomsat and are suffering with poor connectivity and slow speeds, please get in touch with our sales team to find out how we can help connect you to our superfast satellite and 4G unlimited broadband internet services throughout the UK and Ireland. We have technologies and solutions that can provide superfast and unlimited data broadband internet to the most remote and rural locations with capacity for business, home, and government customers.