 BT internet Speed test
Simply click on the “Go” button on the Ookla Speed Test to see the broadband speed of your BT internet connection.
Details on how to fix problems with your BT internet connection are in the sections below the Ookla Speed checker widget.
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Troubleshooting BT internet performance issues
Before starting to troubleshoot the performance of your BT broadband connection, we suggest that you perform a BT Internet Speed Test to measure your current internet speed.
Also confirm the guaranteed minimum download speed you on your broadband package from BT.
You can get this information by checking your BT broadband bill, your BT contract or by contacting BT.
Common causes of BT’s slow broadband performance
Is it your BT internet connection that is slow or is it your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?
You need to check how many applications are running on your device.
The speed issue could be due to over-utilisation of your system resources i.e RAM/CPU and not an issue with BT’s internet connection.
If you are on a laptop then you can use the task manager to check your Processor and RAM utilisation.
On other device, you could try rebooting the device which hopefully should shut down all programs that may be hogging your systems resources.
Run the BT Speed checker on your personal computer and your mobile phone to see how the speedtest results differ between the 2 devices.
This should hopefully give you more information to help determine if the problem is with your PC/Smartphone or the BT broadband connection.
- What exactly does the BT download and upload speed mean?
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- Five tips to speed up your BT Internet performance
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Is your wireless network the problem?
The root cause of the performance problem could be your internal Wifi network and not the BT broadband connection.
You could rule out the wireless by simply connecting your computer directly to the BT broadband router with an ethernet cable and run the BT Speed test again.
If the speed test result improves when you are connected by a network cable, this shows that the issue could be with your wireless network.
A few other things to investigate:
- Are the WiFi channels that you’re using for your Wifi network (SSID) overlapping with your neighbours?
- Is your Wifi signal from the wireless router obstructed?
- Does your performance get better when your are standing directly infront of the BT broadband router?
Who’s connected to my wireless network?
Have you checked that your Wifi network password has not been hacked? Do you have an un-secured Wi-Fi network? How strong is your Wi-Fi network password? It could be time to change it.
Others could be using your Wi-Fi network and using up all the BT speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or videos over your BT broadband connection! Worse still, they could be carrying out illegal activities using your BT internet connection.
There are 3 apps to use to analyze your wireless network to see who’s connected:
- Windows users can use Wireless network watcher
- MAC users can use whoFi (who is on my Wifi)
- WiFi troubleshooting tool WiFi Analyzer
The above applications scan your wireless network and display a list of the everything on your wifi.
Should I get a Wi-Fi network booster for my BT broadband?
You may find that you have wireless black spots at your house, a wireless network extender also known as a Wi-Fi Booster may be the best fix to strengthen your wireless signal to cover any black spots.
The wireless extender picks up your existing wireless network signal as it is becoming weaker and re-transmits the Wi-Fi network signal to increase it’s coverage.
Position the Wifi network booster/extender near the position where your Wifi network signal from the BT broadband router is starting to become weaker.
Position it approximately where your wireless network signal is dropping down to two signal bars. Walk around your home with a mobile phone to determine where this location is.
When was the last time you upgraded the BT internet router?
The BT and broadband infrastructure, in general, are frequently updated to support new features and improve reliability as technology evolves. Always ensure that the BT broadband internet router is running the most up to date software.
Most BT broadband routers will allow you to perform the software update by simply logging into the BT broadband router and simply clicking on a button to start the upgrade.
If you can’t do this, get in touch with BT and they will be able to perform the upgrade for you or alternatively, guide you through performing the upgrade yourself.
As well as upgrading the software, if you have had hardware for a long period, it’s worth speaking to BT to ask for a router upgrade.
Is the cause of the problem external to your home (at the exchange)?
This is probably the most common cause for BT broadband performance problems in your area and is more common with broadband connections that are delivered through phone lines.
If you are unsure if this is relevant in your case, contact BT who will be able to run the appropriate line tests to see if there is a problem on the BT internet connection.
Is the performance issue due to BT broadband congestion?
If you’re finding that the BT internet connection speed in your area is slow during certain periods e.g over weekends or evenings, it may be because of congestion during peak times.
You should speak to BT to check your minimum speed.
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Test your BT internet connection
After the issue has been resolved either by yourself or BT, re-test the broadband connection using at least 2 separate Speedtests to ensure the problem is resolved: