One of the indirect impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the work from home situation is people noticing how slow their home broadband is. Although various factors decide the broadband speed, certain customer habits affect it too. And importantly, not many of us are aware of these habits and practices affecting our broadband speed.
Recently a UK broadband comparison site listed inevitable common customer mistakes that slow down broadband. According to this list, from the router’s position to not checking your broadband plan, various habits make a difference in your broadband speed.
1. Keeping the router near electrical devices
Your broadband speed has a lot to do with the condition and location of your router. It is common knowledge that walls, surfaces, and objects affect the performance of your broadband router. These obstacles can lead to slowing down broadband. However, not many customers are aware that even electrical devices affect router performance. Electronic devices, especially those that emit electrical fields like TVs, cordless phones, stereos, and dimmer switches, negatively affect the router. Hence you should avoid keeping your router near such gadgets and devices.
To get the best speed performance from your router, keep it on a table or shelf away from other devices and somewhere off the ground. This change in the router location will ensure the router performance is not hindered, and you get the best speed for your broadband. Compare your broadband speed at usave broadband.
2. Too many downloads simultaneously
This is the age of multi-tasking. We are always battling time and looking to do more things in less time. This behavior is right with our internet usage as well. Most of us have multiple downloads simultaneously. However, if we are browsing the internet and downloading multiple files simultaneously, the broadband speed is bound to get affected. To prevent this, you can play smart and schedule your downloads during times when you don’t use the internet.
Also, check that you don’t have anything downloading in the background by accident. Often, we are not aware of hidden downloads, updates, and automatic installs that are happening in the background. Hence it is advisable to monitor the device and look out for any automatic app downloads or installation.
Another factor affecting the broadband speed is multiple people connected to your local street cabinet. And it gets worse when these people use the internet at the same time and download files or stream video content. These multiple usages slow your broadband drastically, and this is why you experience a dip in broadband speed at peak time. Of course, you cannot do anything to limit other people’s internet usage or habits. However, you can check if you can avoid accessing the internet during peak hours and schedule your internet browsing during non-peak hours.
3. Not having a password for your broadband
We all are aware of the importance of security and hence keep our broadband password protected. However, sometimes a change in settings or other admin settings can leave the broadband unprotected. This common mistake makes our broadband vulnerable and can result in catastrophes. Not having a password to protect your broadband allows other people to access it and hampers your broadband speed. Also, it can leave your online security in danger.
So it’s pertinent always to ensure you keep your broadband protected with a password. A simple way to see whether your broadband is password protected or not is to see if your network has a padlock next to it when searching for it. If the padlock isn’t there, then you have to password-protect it.
Password-protected broadband prevents any unauthorized usage of your broadband and also ensures you get the optimum speed.
4. Not looking up for viruses
Talking about protection and security, you should also always look up for viruses as they affect your broadband speed and security.
Viruses and malware don’t directly affect your home network, but they hinder the device’s performance from which you access the internet. Viruses and malware can alter the working of your device and make browsing slow. Viruses can add specific programs to your device without your knowledge that can run on their own. Hence, ensure that your anti-virus software is always updated. These constant anti-virus updates will protect your device from any viruses that would hamper the way you access the internet.
5. Renewing your broadband automatically
Some of us use the same broadband package for a long time and renew it every time without scrutinizing it. This mistake can cost us dearly as we may be depriving ourselves of better broadband speed and even better broadband rates.
Broadband service providers change broadband plans frequently. Hence it is wise to check with your broadband service provider about the various plans available and any new offers. You can even visit a broadband comparison site to know more about the current plans to compare your existing plan with other service providers’ offerings. A broadband comparison site such as usave.co.uk provides a host of information about cheap broadband plans and can help you find the best broadband plan customized according to your usage.
6. Putting the router in the wrong place
A common mistake people make is to take the location of the router for granted. The location of the router affects the strength of a wifi signal. And these wifi signals ultimately determine the speed of your broadband.
The wifi signal’s strength is affected by the distance it has to travel and the obstructions in the path. If the distance is more and the signals have to travel through surfaces, the wifi signal becomes weak.
To ensure you get the best broadband speed, keep your router at the central position in your home. Ideally, it should be equidistant from areas where you will be using the internet. Changing your router’s location and keeping it as close to your internet usage device as possible makes a big difference in your broadband speed.
This list of common customer mistakes that affect broadband speed is an eye-opener for all broadband users. Following the solutions mentioned in this list will certainly help you enjoy the best broadband speed and make your pandemic woes a little less troublesome.
Kim Marks 
Nicola Holder