Broadband Speed

There are a number of factors that can impact your broadband speed, these aren't always the fault of the broadband package you are on or broadband provider you are with, but can be due to other factors such as your hardware.
The factors that impact your broadband speed are discussed in more detail below.

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	There are many factors that impact the speed of your broadband connection, some of which are not that obvious. Some of these need to be taken account of when choosing your broadband package and others will impact you regardless of what broadband package or which broadband provider you choose. Factors impacting your broadband speed include: Distance from exchange The distance from the nearest broadband exchange impacts the quickest broadband speed you can get, as the data transmission is further. This limiting factor will be the same regardless of broadband provider or package. Broadband hardware The type of broadband router or broadband modem can impact the speed of your connection, sometimes it can be incompatible with the broadband service or old and less effective than it once was. It may be worth checking with your ISP that your broadband hardware is appropriate and working as it should. Computer hardware The broadband speed that you are getting on your laptop or computer is sometimes not due to you're broadband service, but due to the age of your computer. Older computers processing power can be the factor that impacts the speed you are seeing when you are on the internet, as your broadband speed is impacted by the weakest link in the chain. Therefore if you have an old computer or laptop it could be time to upgrade to a newer model. ISP Outages Your service provider could be having issues with its infrastructure and this could be impacting end users like you. If you believe that you are getting lower than expected speeds then it is worth checking with your internet service provider to see if there are any issues. These issues may not be directly impacting your service, but if other users are having issues then the ensuing congestion could have some impact on your broadband speed. Broadband packages The broadband package you are on is likely to restrict your speed, packages are commonly up to 8Mbps, but there are also 2Mbps packages as well as up to 24Mbps packages. This will obviously have an impact on your speed and if you don't think your speed is sufficient on the broadband package your are on then switch to another which provides you with a higher broadband speed. You can compare broadband packages along with the speed of the services here. Broadband provider Some broadband providers implement traffic shaping techniques to slow down performance on particular user behaviour, such as Peer-to-Peer or downloads. If you participate in these activities then you will see your broadband speed suffer and you may want to switch broadband provider to one which will allow you to do what you want. Distance from wireless router The distance your computer is from the wireless router can effect the broadband speed you are getting, if you are too far from your router then it can be detrimental to your performance. All the above factors will impact your overall broadband speed or performance and it is vital that you don't get the reasons mixed up and for instance change provider because your speed is too slow, when the reason is the distance from the broadband exchange (which will be the same for all traditional broadband providers). Alternatively you could blame your hardware when it is you're internet service provider who is having problems or is providing you a poor service. Broadband packages available vary in speeds from as little as 500kbps up to 24Mbps, and these can be compared here Back to the top of the page