Another reason that your broadband speed maybe slow is because you have too many devices trying to share the same capacity. For instance, if you connect laptops and phones to your router and then try to upload, download, or stream, then the speeds might well be affected. So, what’s the answer?
Someone else is tapping into my broadband: In the first instance find out which of your items are on the network and then look at all of the applications that they’re running. Some of them will be sucking up more connectivity than others so, if you don’t need them, get rid of them. Also, if you are near any big companies, you may find that your connectivity drops off when they begin work in the morning and start their computers up.
Do I have enough bandwidth: Since more people are working from home, having video calls and meetings and streaming more films, music and games, perhaps you need an upgrade to meet your online demands and it may be a simple fix if you’re experiencing low speeds.
Network interference: Did you know that your microwave can potentially interfere with your connectivity and speeds as can a neighbouring WiFi hotspot? Sometimes it’s a simple as that.
So, how many devices can you connect without compromising your connectivity and speeds? The easy answer is that every device that you connect will reduce the available bandwidth because they’ll all be sharing the same wireless network and the same internet connection supplied by your broadband provider. So fewer devices = less overall traffic = better speeds. Less is more.
For businesses, you can maximise the potential of your network by fixing a second access point or a router on a network that can help you to distribute the load of your network. Or alternatively, if you have one or more routers capable of supporting a lot of devices, you could increase the bandwidth by increasing the subscription with your ISP.
