Troubleshooting Clara.net broadband speed problems

Before you start troubleshooting the performance of your Clara.net broadband connection, we suggest that you perform a Clara.net Broadband Speed Test to measure your current broadband speed.

It is also a good idea confirm the minimum download speed you have subscribed to from Clara.net.

You can find this info by checking your Clara.net broadband bill, your Clara.net contract or by contacting Clara.net.

Potential causes of Clara.net’s slow broadband performance

Is it the Clara.net internet connection that is slow or could it be your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?

You may need to check how many apps are currently running on your device.

The performance problem could be due to over-utilisation of your system resources e.g RAM/CPU Processor and as opposed to an issue with Clara.net’s internet connection.

If you’re on a PC then you may use the task manager to see your CPU and Memory utilisation.

On other device, you should try rebooting the device which should hopefully terminate all programs that may be using up your systems resources.

Run the Clara.net Speedtest on your PC and your mobile to check how the results differ between the two devices.

This should hopefully give you more info to help determine whether the issue lies with your PC/Smartphone or the Clara.net internet connection.

• What does the Clara.net download and upload speed mean?
• Who is the best Internet Service Provider in the UK?
• 5 methods to speed up your Clara.net broadband speed
• DNS hack to speed up internet browsing speed on Clara.net

Is the wireless the reason for the issues?

The root cause of the performance issue could be your wireless network as opposed to the Clara.net internet connection.

You could rule out the wireless network by simply connecting your computer directly into the Clara.net broadband router using a network cable and then run the Clara.net Speed test again.

If the speed improves when you’re connected via an ethernet cable, this shows that the issue may be with your wireless.

Possible things to check:

• Are the WiFi channels that you’re using for your Wifi network network (SSID) overlapping with the neighbors?
• Is your wireless signal from the broadband router obstructed?
• Does the performance get better when your are standing right infront of the Clara.net wireless router?

Exactly who’s connected to my Wi-Fi network?

Have you checked that your Wifi network password has not been shared? Do you have an un-secured Wi-Fi network? How complex is your wireless network password? It could be time to change it.

Neighbors could be using your wireless network and using up all the Clara.net speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or video on your Clara.net internet connection! Worse still, they may be conducting illegal activities over your Clara.net internet connection.

There are three apps that you can potentially use to analyze your Wi-Fi network to see who’s connected:

• Windows users can use Wireless network watcher
• Apple users can use whoFi (who is on my Wifi)
• Wireless troubleshooting tool WiFi Analyzer

The above software scan your wireless network and produce a list of the devices connected.

• How to see who’s on your Clara.net wireless network

Should I get a wireless network booster for my Clara.net broadband?

You may discover that there are Wifi black spots in your house, a Wi-Fi network extender also known as a wireless Booster is the best solution to increase your Wi-Fi signal to cover any black holes.

• Cheapest Wi-Fi Signal Boosters

The wireless network booster simply picks up the existing wireless signal just as it is starting to become weaker and re-transmits the Wifi signal to extend it’s coverage.

Place the Wi-Fi network booster where your Wifi signal from your Clara.net internet router is becoming weaker.

Position it near where your wireless network signal is dropping down to 2 bars. Walk around your property with a tablet to try and establish where this is.

When did you last upgrade the Clara.net broadband router?

The Clara.net and broadband infrastructure, in general, are constantly upgraded to provide new features and improve reliability as technology evolves.  Always ensure that your Clara.net broadband internet router is running the latest software.

The majority of Clara.net broadband routers will allow you to perform the software update by simply logging into the Clara.net broadband router and simply clicking a button to perform the update.

If you cannot do this, contact Clara.net and they will perform the upgrade for you or talk you through the process.

As well as updating the software, if you have had the same router for a long time, it’s probably worth talking to Clara.net to request for a hardware upgrade.

Is the issue outside your property (at the exchange)?

This is probably the most likely cause for Clara.net broadband performance issues in your property and it’s more common with broadband connections that are delivered using copper phone lines.

If you’re unsure if this is applicable to you, you should contact Clara.net who will be able to run the relevant line checks to check if there is a problem on the Clara.net broadband line.

Is it because of Clara.net Internet congestion?

If you are finding that the Clara.net broadband connection speed in your area is slows down during certain periods e.g weekends or during the evening, then it may be because of congestion during peak times.

• What’s Broadband Contention Ratio and does Clara.net have contention?

You should speak to Clara.net to check your guaranteed speed.

Re-testing your Clara.net internet connection

After the problem has been resolved either by yourself or Clara.net, retest the internet connection using  at least 2 separate Speedtests to ensure the fault is fixed:

• • How to the ookla internet broadband speed test to test your Clara.net connection
  • Check your Clara.net broadband speed using Ookla Offical Speed Test
  • Test your Clara.net internet connectionspeed using fast.com speed test
  • Check My Broadband Speed Checker Clara.net internet speed checker
  • • 0845UK Broadband Speed Checker and troubleshooting