Is your internet slower than snail pace?
There are many reasons why your internet may not be trundling along as fast as you are expecting, from poor broadband supply to malware and viruses.
The service provider is not the only variable here, the quality of internet service you receive will depend a lot on your physical location, and the type of connection you can get. Live in an area with fibre and you’ll get a better service than an all copper connection. In some rural areas it might be that 4G will be a better way to go than traditional broadband. But it’s not all bad news for rural areas, in an Ofcom report on broadband speeds, several of the top 10 fastest areas were in small towns.
The actual type of service you receive is often out of the providers hands (although not technically, as providers can install their own equipment in the BT cabinets, this is an expensive option that many providers don’t do) but you’ll get a faster connection from a FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) than you will with a traditional copper connection telephone line, so check what physical delivery options are available in your area.
Be aware that the speeds advertised by your provider are likely to be listed as ‘up to‘, the speeds listed only need to be achieved by 10% of the customers in the area for them to be ‘valid’ speeds.
It’s highly likely that you are on a contended broadband service, that means that your advertised ‘up to’ speed could be shared among other users. Most domestic connections are on a 50:1 or 20:1 contended connection, meaning that your 8 Mbps internet connection could be shared out amongst 7 other users in your area. (don’t worry, it’s not a security issue, it’s all about how the maximum speeds are achieved)
So, if the other people who share your connection are all at work, you’re likely to get a better service. When they all get home and start streaming internet TV while their kids play on the X-Box… well you’re going to notice that contention kicking in.
If you’re using WiFi to connect to your internet at home, that could also be a bit of a bottle neck. With multiple devices connecting to a single WiFi router, and thick brick walls, steel beams and other interference, not to mention an already crowded frequency range, your WiFi connection may be struggling to deliver the internet to your devices.
Depending on what type of device you’re using, and which browser your using, and how well protected your device is, there could be all sorts of things slowing down your internet at the very last step of the way.
You should know how your device is configured and make sure it is (/you are) taking sensible precautions against malicious activity, without strangling your connection or the devices CPU to the point of unreliability.
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