Is your broadband slower than your neighbours? Jonathan Parkyn reveals how to keep up with the Jones's internet speeds - without paying extra
Have you ever had the sneaking suspicion that your friends and neighbours all have faster broadband than you? You may even worry that other people on your street are slowing down your broadband by leeching (stealing) your Wi-Fi.
If so, you’ll be pleased to hear there are quick and easy ways to find out how your internet speeds compare with your neighbours’, and how to get an extra speed boost if you're stuck in the slow lane - without spending any extra cash.
Check your actual internet speed
While there are many free online broadband speed checkers, the bad news is they don’t all deliver accurate results. Only last month, ВТ had its knuckles rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority for the accuracy of its online postcode checker (www.snipca.com/16394).
You'll get more reliable results from a free independent tool like the USwiteh Broadband Speed Test (www.uswitch.com/broadband/speediest), or the more detailed Think Broadband Broadband Speed Test (www.snipca.com/16304). The Think Broadband test is actually two tests a standard web protocol (HTTP) measure and a TBB protocol test that pinpoints certain variations in performance. Run the tool at different times of the day for a couple of weeks and keep a record of the results. If the speeds regularly fall short of what your internet service provider (ISP) promised, use them as evidence when pursuing your complaint.
Discover your neighbour’s internet speed
USwitch's free Broadband StreetStats tool (www.snipca.com/16305) is a searchable UK map that displays the results of other people’s broadband speed tests, using the Uswitch Broadband Speed Test. Enter your postcode to view your area.
Property site Rightmove also offers a free speed tool (www.snipca.com/16306) that reveals the sort of speeds people in your area are getting. The site pools data from a number of ISPs and calculates an average that takes into account factors including type of connection available, distance to the exchange and contention ratio (the number of people in the area using the same connection). We found that its superfast broadband checker wasn’t very accurate, but click the ‘see standard speed' link and you should get a rough idea of what ADSL speeds you could reach.
Check if someone's leeching your Wi-Fi
If a neighbour, or even a passerby, is secretly using your Wi-Fi, your broadband speed will suffer. You can check whether this is happening by logging into your router's configuration utility (this usually involves typing an IP address into your browser; check your router’s manual), then logging in with a username and password. Next, look for a Status (or similar) section, then look for a list of connected devices. This may be called 'DHCP device list’ or similar, and it's a list (or map) of the IP addresses of all the devices attached to your network.
Now turn off all the other internet connected devices in your home. That includes your mobile phone, tablet, laptop, games console and all PCs except the one you’re using. Refresh the device list. Now how many IP addresses do you see? If you see more than one. you may have a leech.
To banish leeches, ramp up your network security. Go to the wireless or WLAN section of your router’s configuration utility and look for the security settings. Switch these on if necessary and select WPA2 as the encryption type, then enter a new password. You may also want to change the SSID (network name). Most routers have the option of hiding the SSID. Once that's done, save your changes and restart your router, then reconnect your devices using your new SSID and password.
Find out if you're being throttled
Some ISPs are guilty of limiting broadband speeds for certain types of internet activity mainly file sharing, but sometimes for things as basic as streaming video or even downloading emails.
To establish whether this is happening to you. go to M-Lab’s internet measurement tools (www.snipca.com/16307). Click Transparency to go straight to the best tests for detecting throttling. The Glasnost tool is particularly useful and tests for program-specific speed limits (you’ll need Java installed on your PC to run it). It’s worth running the tests at different times of day for a more representative measure.
Switch to a faster DNS server
DNS servers are like big online databases that connect your PC to web pages when you click a link or type a web address. Some DNS servers are much slower than others, so switching to a faster one is a quick way to speed up your browsing. A great tool for identifying and switching to a faster DNS server is ‘Dns Juniper’ (www.snipca.com/16308). Download it, then extract the ZIP file and double-click the DNSJumper.exe file to run the portable program. Click Fastest DNS to check which server works best for you (this will be highlighted in the list that appears). To switch to it, click Apply Fastest DNS.
Get the best out of your router
Turning your router off and on again really can help solve numerous Wi-Fi problems, including slow broadband, so that should be the first thing you try.
Upgrading your router's firmware can often provide faster speeds. Log into its configuration utility and look for the firmware options, usually found in the Maintenance (or similar) section. Read your instructions carefully upgrading firmware can damage your device if it’s not carried out correctly. Check that ADSL microfilters (the little dongles that sit between the router and phone socket) are connected properly, as these can cause problems. Also visit your service status page (usually on the ISP’s support site) to see if there are any current disruptions that be might affecting speed.
If broadband slowdowns only seem to happen on wireless devices such as tablets, then you could have a problem with Wi-Fi coverage or congestion, rather than with broadband itself. Is your router getting a little long in the tooth? If so, it might be time to upgrade. Newer devices support faster broadband protocols (such as ADSL2+) and wireless standards (such as 802.11ac). Before shelling out money, however, check with your ISP. It may be willing to supply you with a new' router for free, especially ifyou’re having problems and you’ve lodged a complaint.