WiFi Speed

[ronk]

I’ve got slow Wi Fi speed at home and was considering buying a speed booster gizmo - but there’s a voice in my head don’t be so stupid, they can’t / don’t work.

The phrase “if it seems too good to be true etc. “ comes to mind at this point!

Has anyone used them and are they a con?

 

[Anonymous]

You cannot inprove the speed that comes into your house. There are however various ways of improving the stability around your home.

What speeds do you get when you run a test as www.speedtest.net ?

 

[ronk]

I’m getting 16mbps and that is a stable speed throughout the house. The speed Is measured over a wireless connection on all devices.

The provider says the min speed should be 17 and after the installation of the new connections box in the lounge and a new router I was getting 23mbps but after the System lay dormant while on holiday the speed dropped.

I suspect dirty deeds a the BT green box!

 

[Anonymous]

Try a wired connection straight into the router and you may find it hits 17mb.

That said, if you've just done the test just now it'll likely be lower than other times as this will be a busy service period.

If BT say you're on a 17mb connection and you're getting 16mb over wi-fi then I'd say you're doing pretty well

 

[ronk]

Im with Plusnet - I think although they are a wholesale branch of BT, Their retail side will keep faster lines tö themselves ( just a hunch)

I suppose I can live with 16mbps as it’s a stable connection most of the time.

 

[srhutch]

Don’t confuse WiFi speed with broadband speed.

I have a guy at work keeps moraine about his WiFi speed at home. He lives in a bed sit so one room. I keep having to remind him he lives in the sticks and his bb speed is 2mb, and that is his issue.

 

[Anonymous]

Im with Plusnet - I think although they are a wholesale branch of BT, Their retail side will keep faster lines tö themselves ( just a hunch)

They'll throttle your connection dependant on the package you pay for.

 

[ronk]

Yes WiFi is the connection to Broadband

 

[ronk]

Im with Plusnet - I think although they are a wholesale branch of BT, Their retail side will keep faster lines tö themselves ( just a hunch)

They'll throttle your connection dependant on the package you pay for.

Sounds like time for a phone call and a bellyache session again!

 

[Vonlipvig]

It all depends on the speed to the cab. Most providers will go through openreach, with a few exceptions like virgin and others smaller providers, and the same max speed is available regardless of who you are with as they are using the same infrastructure. Think different rail companies using the same lines.

The package you pay for can have a limit on speed, but the max speed is dependent on the physical limitations of the line. Openreach have a specific site which will tell you the max speed on your line and who can provide them

 

[enuff_zed]

Is there not some kind of conspiracy theory that your provider sells you a package then slowly and sneakily 'throttles' it until you get so fed up you call to complain and they sell you the 'upgraded' version?

 

[ronk]

Is there not some kind of conspiracy theory that your provider sells you a package then slowly and sneakily 'throttles' it until you get so fed up you call to complain and they sell you the 'upgraded' version?

As I said when I got the new kit mine was 23 at any time - now it’s 17 so your argument has some Creedence.

 

[dr_john]

I’m suspicious of these ‘speed boosters’, seems to defy the laws of physics.

My BT quoted minimum speed is 32Mbps, if it drops below this I get on to BT and have a moan, it always goes back up again to around 35Mbps.

 

[Ewazix]

I’m suspicious of these ‘speed boosters’, seems to defy the laws of physics.

My BT quoted minimum speed is 32Mbps, if it drops below this I get on to BT and have a moan, it always goes back up again to around 35Mbps.

You might be right. Sky's speed test shows me getting 72Mbps, the independent Ofcom test done back to back shows 53.
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker

 

[MrPT]

Lines are managed dynamically, which means the sync speed is dropped/raised based on how stable they are perceived to be.

I've heard of the "return from holiday - Internet is slow" issue a few times. I'm sure there isn't one single cause, but it could be that the connection going idle and/or devices restarting themselves (e.g. due to firmware updates) causes the line to get dropped down a few bands. Usually a few days of constant use will make the line return to its optimal speed. In rare cases it will get stuck in a lower band and can be reset by an engineer (this is what may be happened when you hear "BT did something and it fixed it").

Make sure you check your line sync speed (via the router) as well as your actual measured download/upload speed.

If BT say you're on a 17mb connection and you're getting 16mb over wi-fi then I'd say you're doing pretty well

Yeah! I'm quoted 35 and get 7...

 

[Jembo]

... and, don’t forget the servers you’re accessing.

You can have the fastest mbs access on the planet, yet if the site you’re accessing is in high demand / not a high performer, forget all the hype about micro services scaling & load balancing... it’ll still be slow.

I downgraded from Vodafone’s 72 to 36mbs & the difference in speed is marginal on Friday’s & weekends, during the week is just fine

 

[Tinker15]

In the U.K. I’m on Virgin’s M100 cable service which if connected by Ethernet cable to the router gives me just over 100mbps. Here in France I live in the country and use WiMAX which uses a box on the house to connect to a base station in the nearest town about 11km away. At best I get about 8mbps. For normal surfing on my iPad it makes little difference. Downloading large files is another matter!

 

[Crazy Harry]

Mine tested at 6mbps in rural Norfolk in the early evening - pants compared to the larger urban conurbations but still better than some of the villages around here who still only have 'dial up'.

 

[Tinker15]

Mine tested at 6mbps in rural Norfolk in the early evening - pants compared to the larger urban conurbations but still better than some of the villages around here who still only have 'dial up'.

It’s a similar problem here in the Correze. The surface area is 5,857 km2 but the population is only 249,684. We are all supposed to be getting high speed Internet by 2020 but it ‘ain’t going to happen.

 

[ihadablackdog]

Funny timing....my wifi coverage has been really flaky recently and I think my router might be on its way out (less than a year old but I can't find any emails or anything saying where I got it from! Tried all my usual accounts like Amazon etc)...however, I keep it in a small cupboard in the hall so last night took it out and put it on top and will monitor. Speed is about 28 down and 6 up (FTTC). When we first had it, it was about 33 down and 9 up, but that was when they were still rolling it out and I was in the first batch in my green cab.

When we were on ADSL I just about managed to get 2 down!!!!