How to Improve Bandwidth and Optimise Speed

How to improve bandwidth: 9 swift methods

By Shashia Mitchell - 19 December 2024

How to improve bandwidth

From issues with your router to having many guests in your home (for instance, over the holidays) or even multiple members of your household working from home, there is no shortage of things that can take up your bandwidth. This can leave you with slow internet and frustratingly long load times. Luckily, there are several ways to fix most of these issues, so hopefully you only have to call your provider as a last resort.

If you want to improve your bandwidth and increase download speeds, here’s where you can start:

1. Reboot your router

In simple terms, your router is a device that connects your devices to the internet via your home network. It manages the data you receive and transmits a signal throughout your home to allow your devices to access the internet.

Sometimes this task can be strenuous, and sometimes your router needs a ‘break’ — or rather, to be turned off and on again. Some routers even allow you to schedule reboots for hours when you won’t be using the internet, like when you’re asleep. This can help to maximise your bandwidth and keep things running smoothly.

Note: if you find yourself constantly rebooting your router, this can indicate a more significant problem. Consider contacting your provider to troubleshoot and request a better-quality replacement.

2. Move your router

The ideal placement for your router is in an open space away from other electronic devices. Thick walls and doors can block your WiFi signal, while landlines and other electrical devices can also interfere.

The most convenient solution is often to move your router to a central room where you spend the most time on your devices. For many households, this is the living room. However, if moving your router is not possible, you can try moving your devices to be closer instead.

Avoid positioning your router near:

Thick walls or dense materials, such as brick, concrete or metal.
Near mirrors, as WiFi signals can be reflected away from where you need them.
Large furniture like sofas and bookshelves, as these can ‘muffle’ the signal somewhat.
Electronic devices like your microwave, baby monitors, fridge or washing machine.

3. Change or update your router

Just like your laptop, phone, or any other device, you’ll need to update your router from time-to-time — some routers even do this automatically. Slow loading speeds can often be the result of your router needing the latest software or firmware installed.

There are a few different things you can do to your router in addition to what we’ve already mentioned, for instance, switching to a dual-bandwidth router. This will allow you to switch between frequencies when one becomes jammed or stops working.

If your router is 3-5 years old, you should also consider if it’s time to upgrade with a physical replacement — as newer models usually offer better performance.

4. Update your browser

Whether you use Chrome, Bing, Explorer, or any other browser, it’s important to keep this updated regularly. New editions of your browser are designed to be more efficient, meaning faster loading times and a better overall experience.

Often updating your browser also means improved security, so you’ll be less likely to be impacted by viruses or malware that could also slow your online experiences.

5. Update your device

Computers need regular updates in order to keep running smoothly and eliminate background services that might slow their performance. In a similar vein, if updating your browser doesn’t work, you can also try:

Updating your antivirus software,
Trying a different browser,
Clearing your cache,
Restarting your device.

6. Shut down any background apps

If you’re only seeing the issue on a certain device, it could be worth opening Task Manager and turning off any background apps, as these can cause your devices to run more slowly. Task Manager usually shows you which apps are using the most capacity on your device, which makes it easy to identify and stop these applications.

7. Shut down any unnecessary devices running in the background

One of the biggest causes behind bandwidth issues is the network being overloaded with too many devices at once. Put simply, the more devices connected to your WiFi, the less bandwidth you receive. This is because the bandwidth is shared across all connected devices, rather than focused on one or two.

Smartphones, TVs, tablets, laptops and other electronics can all take up a lot of bandwidth if they’re all turned on and connected, even if they’re in sleep mode. Disconnecting devices that could be eating into your bandwidth capacity is a good way to quickly free up room for the devices you’re actively using.

8. Scan and fix any computer viruses

As we mentioned before, viruses can slow down your laptop or phone. If you can’t seem to fix your bandwidth speed, it might be an issue with the device at the core.

Download a reliable antivirus software and scan your devices regularly to stay on top of any potential viruses or security threats. Norton™ 360 Premium offers robust online protection for up to 10 devices alongside bank-grade encryption practices.

9. Try a full fibre broadband connection

If your connection is part-copper, you may experience lower broadband speeds than you might expect, with worse bandwidth fluctuations. As part-copper connections are gradually being phased out due to new government goals, it’s time to consider switching to full fibre.

Community Fibre’s full fibre broadband packages allow data to travel at the speed of light, with an average download/upload speed of 350Mbps or higher depending on the package you select.

What is low bandwidth?

Low bandwidth is characterised by broadband connection with limited performance capacity, which usually translates to slow internet speeds, trouble with larger requests (like video calls) and a lot of buffering. Anything under 25 Mbps is considered low bandwidth, but in practice, it takes around 200-300 Mbps to support most tasks in a household of 3-5 people.

Your provider should guarantee a minimum broadband speed, however, this may not always be consistent, as the more devices connected to your network, this creates more traffic which can slow your connection.

Why is my bandwidth slow?

Slow bandwidth can be caused by too many people connected to the same network, an out-of-date router, or software issues on your device. Other factors can lower your bandwidth too, such as:

Bandwidth throttling — This occurs when your broadband provider lowers your bandwidth on purpose in order to regulate traffic. It can feel like a punishment for using ‘too much’ data, however in reality it can come as the result of the provider experiencing high traffic and congestion on the network. Using a VPN can help you to sidestep the inconvenience of throttling if you feel this is happening frequently.
Outdated hardware — Updating your software is a good way to keep your devices up to date, but it isn’t always a fix-all for low bandwidth. Sometimes you’ll need a new laptop or phone and there’s no way around it.
Mixed-connection signals — Ideally, your network should be made up of 100% full fibre. This means you’re connected to your provider via a network of fibre-optic cables that send data at the speed of light. This is much more efficient than a part-copper network, which often transitions from fibre-optic cables to copper cables and back again, slowing down your signal.

How to test your bandwidth

If you can’t tell if your bandwidth or device is the problem, there are a few things you can do:

Use an online speed test — Most are free, and your results are available in seconds. This can help to identify speed-related issues which might affect your bandwidth.
Install bandwidth monitoring software — This is ideal if you’re curious about the bandwidth of your home network and want to monitor high-traffic periods, and not just perform a one-off check.
Contact your provider — If you’re experiencing consistent issues with your connection, there may be a larger issue at play. If you try the above and nothing improves, contact your provider to see if they can perform diagnostics remotely.

Increase your bandwidth with Community Fibre

Community Fibre packages start with an average download/upload speed of 350 Mbps, all the way up to 3,000 Mbps depending on the plan that’s right for you. Our full fibre network is suitable for all households, and is up and running over 99.9% of the time, allowing you to enjoy browsing social media, live streaming, and gaming with no interruptions.

FAQs

What speed do you need?

A download speed of around 200-300 Mbps is suitable for households that use a lot of data, watch live TV, or enjoy online gaming. It is also suitable for larger households with 3-5 people or multiple devices connected at the same time. For larger households, 3 Gbps is ideal to keep things running smoothly.

Do you have poor bandwidth?

If you find that videos constantly buffer, live streams freeze, or if you experience slowdowns when multiple devices are connected at the same time, you probably need to run some diagnostics to improve your bandwidth. Once you’ve identified the issues and tried some of our tips to improve, you should experience faster speeds.

How does network congestion affect bandwidth?

Much like traffic on the roads, congestion slows down your bandwidth too. Even if your broadband provider has implied a certain speed alongside your package, high-traffic periods can slow things down in a process known as data packet loss.

When should I consider switching providers?

If you experience any of these issues, you might want to consider switching to a new provider:

Reliability — Your broadband speed is consistently slow, drops out regularly, or is otherwise unreliable and not up to the standards of your plan.
Poor customer service — if you aren’t receiving an acceptable level of care when there is an issue, you should think about switching to a well-reviewed service provider.
Cost — If you find a better deal with an alternative provider, it can be worth switching to a new plan altogether.

Article tags

#bandwidth

#broadband

#full-fibre