One of the most confusing aspects of many types of broadband connection is that the download and upload speeds can be affected by a variety of factors.
Here are a few of the main ones:
ADSL Broadband
- Distance from the telephone exchange (or in the case of some fibre optic deals distance from the street cabinet). The ability of copper-based telephone lines to hold a reliable speed is reduced the further you live from your telephone exchange. This is why speeds in rural areas are usually much lower than those in urban areas where houses tend to be located closer to the telephone exchange.
- Internal electrical interference, such as poor internal telephone wiring and faulty or poorly shielded electrical equipment can have a negative impact on broadband speeds. A common cause of such interference at Christmas time are cheap flashing light decorations.
- Viruses and Malware. An infected machine can overload your broadband connection as it connects to the outside world trying to propagate itself making your broadband connection seem much slower than usual.
Mobile Broadband
- Local mast capabilities. Depending on the capabilities of your nearest mobile phone mast you may find lower speeds, as not all are enabled for faster types of connection types such as 3G, so in an area with no 3G signal your connection will degrade to a slower type.
- Local usage. If many people in the same area are connecting to the same local mast and using the internet at the same time, then the amount available to each user will decrease and therefore result in lower speeds.
- Signal strength. If you are in a well-shielded location, such as in a house with very thick walls, then you will find that the signal strength is much weaker and your connection speed will be much lower.
Satellite Broadband
- Satellite broadband speeds have a much greater ping (ping is also known as lag, this is the time it takes to get a response from a connection after making a request) due to the signal having to travel to the satellite and back to earth, which is a much greater distance than other broadband types. Once connections are made speeds can be very fast, but this initial ping makes some types of activity seem rather slow, such as online gaming.
- Adverse weather, such as heavy rain or snow can affect the satellite signal, as anyone who has tried to watch satellite TV in a heavy blizzard can understand.
What can you do about it?
If you are struggling with poor upload or download speeds check out our range of Ethernet products that can provide guaranteed service levels, or speak to a member of our team to find out what services are available in your area.
