It's always worth checking to see what broadband deals are on offer from other providers, especially if you're out of contract and could stand to make significant savings. If you're not happy with your ISP's response, follow our guide on how to complain about your broadband speed. 1.You wouldn’t expect a budget computer to play the latest video games or run professional applications, and you shouldn’t expect a budget router to deliver. If your speed drops below this, your provider must improve it within a month – if it can't, it must allow you to exit your contract penalty-free. If your broadband contract started after March 2019 and you're with one of the providers that has signed Ofcom’s voluntary code of practice (BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Zen Internet), your provider must give you a minimum guaranteed speed when you take out a new contract. Start by providing evidence of your internet speeds – it's a good idea to keep a diary of interruptions and to regularly use the speed checker tool to build up a true picture of your service. We suggest calling your internet service provider (ISP) as a first step to see what it can do. However, if you've done everything you can to speed up your connection and you're still getting a lower speed than you were promised, your broadband provider may be in breach of contract. If your speeds are significantly less than you expected, there are steps you can take to improve things – get started by checking our advice on Speed up slow broadband. Tech tips you can trust – get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you What you can do if your broadband speeds are slow The results also only show the speeds you're getting on the device you're using for the test – the speed your provider is delivering to your home may be higher, especially if you're performing the test wirelessly at some distance from your router. To build an accurate picture, we would suggest you run several tests during a single week, in peak use time (between 8pm and 10pm) and during off-peak times. However, if you use your broadband connection for video calls or online gaming, keep an eye on the upload rate, too, as it's essential for both. The upload speed shows the rate that data is transferred from your device to the internet – how quick it is to upload a photo or document to an email, for example.ĭownload speeds are usually of more interest, as most tasks require you to download information, for example searching online for information.The download speed shows the rate at which data is transferred from the internet to your device – how quick it is to access a newspaper article online or stream music, for example.This is needed for applications where timing is everything, such as interactive video games. More responsive connections are those with a low number of ms (meaning they take less time to respond). Response time is measured in milliseconds (ms) and shows how quickly you get a response after you've sent out a request.The tool measures the response time – also known as latency – of your broadband connection, as well as your download and upload speeds. What do the broadband speed test results show? You should also make sure nothing else is using your internet connection or running on your computer when you do the test. If you need to test wirelessly, get as close to your router as possible. How to use our broadband speed checkerįor the most accurate results, use an ethernet cable to connect your computer to your router before running the test. Roots may be growing into the cable buried in your yard.We explain how to use the speed checker below – and if your broadband isn't as fast as it should be, we give you some simple steps you can take to speed up your connection. Speed may be slow because you’re using the internet at peak times, or your router may be outdated. You may even see disclaimers like “wireless speeds may vary” because Wi-Fi speeds are always inconsistent no matter what provider you choose-it’s just how Wi-Fi works.įor example, there may be issues with the provider’s service area, like faulty connections somewhere within the neighborhood. Internet providers will state “up to” when advertising maximum speeds because many variables can prevent you from hitting that top speed. What you see on the speed test is simply where your internet speeds are currently. Most of the time, your internet speeds will fluctuate within a small range of that max speed. The speeds promised by your internet plan are the max speeds you can expect. You likely won’t ever see the maximum speed advertised by your provider in the speed test, but your speed test results should come close. Why doesn’t my internet speed match my plan?
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