Optimise your broadband speed for when everyone’s at home

A full house might be good in poker, but more people using your internet means less bandwidth to go around. Here are some tips on how to optimise your broadband speed when everyone at home is streaming, shopping and – of course – working! 

Have a family schedule

Depending on your family dynamic, this tip is either the most practical or least practical – but it’s effective. If multiple people are using the internet, everyone will receive a more limited internet connection, so making sure that everyone has their own time, especially for work, is probably the most important thing. The activities that slow down internet speeds the most are: downloading big files, online gaming, and streaming. For example, it’s best to do file downloading at night when usage is low. 

Can a new router improve internet speed?

Routers have come a long way since the dawn of the internet, so what you’re really looking for is router capability. With single-band routers, the only frequency you can access is 2.4GHz, whereas a dual-band router gives you the option of 2.4GHz or 5GHz to improve your internet speed.  

Some models also include Automatic Band Steering and Channel optimisation, for the best speeds and lower chance of channel interference. 

The difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz

A common question is ‘does switching from 2.4GHz to 5GHz help with my signal?’ The answer is ‘yes, it can!’, as 5GHz provides a faster internet speed – but only over a shorter distance, so you might need to reposition your router in order to optimise broadband speed. 

2.4GHz is best for reaching a wider range, which is usually the most common to use – especially in a full household. So, to put it simply, if you want range, connect to 2.4GHz, and if you want speed, connect to 5GHz.

Internet provider issues?  

When it comes to your household, you can control the usage inside your home – but when the issue is the network itself, it’s a bit trickier. The best thing to do in this situation is to call your internet provider, explain the issue, and they’ll find a way to boost your signal for you. 

Avoid signal interference

Your Wi-Fi signal can be easily interfered with by common household objects, so you need to be smart about the placement of your router.  

Make sure your router is in a visible, open space, as central to your home as possible. It should be a few feet from electrical devices, metallic objects, and mirrors as all these things could dampen your router signal and affect your internet speed. 

Discover the best place in your home for your router. 

Test your internet speed

If you want to make sure your router isn’t the problem, then you can test your internet speed using an online broadband checker. For best results, always wire up with an ethernet cable and test your broadband over several days, varying the time of day. 

To make this easy, we have our own internet speed checker here! 

Get epic reliability instead

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With top average speeds 11x faster  than the UK’s average broadband speed, you’ll want to view our packages.