Troubleshooting Cymru1 internet performance issues

Before you start troubleshooting the speed of your Cymru1 broadband connection, we suggest that you run a Cymru1 Broadband Speedtest to benchmark your current internet speed.

It is a good idea to also find out the minimum download speed you are paying for from Cymru1.

You can get this information by checking a Cymru1 broadband bill, your Cymru1 contract or by contacting Cymru1.

Likely causes of Cymru1’s slow internet speed

Is it your Cymru1 internet connection that is running slow or could it be your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?

You need to check the number of apps are currently running on your device.

The speed problem could be due to over-utilisation of your system resources e.g RAM/CPU Processor and as opposed to a problem with Cymru1’s broadband connection.

If you are on a laptop then you may use the task manager to check your Processor and Memory utilisation.

On any other device, you could try rebooting the device which should hopefully terminate all applications that may be hogging system resources.

Run the Cymru1 Speed checker on your computer and your mobile phone to see how the results differ between the two devices.

This should hopefully provide you with more information to help determine whether the issue lies with your device or the Cymru1 broadband connection.

• What does the Cymru1 download and upload speed mean?
• Who is the best Internet Service Provider in the UK?
• 5 tips to improve your Cymru1 Internet speed
• DNS tip to improve internet browsing speed on Cymru1

Is the Wifi the reason for the issues?

The cause of the performance problem may be your Wifi as opposed to the Cymru1 broadband internet connection.

You can rule out the Wi-Fi network by simply connecting your computer directly to the Cymru1 broadband router with a network cable and then run the Cymru1 Speedtest again.

If the performance improves when you are connected using an ethernet cable, this shows that the issue may be with the Wi-Fi network.

A number of things to look further into:

• Are the Wireless channels that you’re using for your Wifi network network (SSID) overlapping with your neighbors?
• Is your Wifi network signal from the wireless router obstructed?
• Does the speed improve when you’re stood directly in-front of the Cymru1 broadband router?

Exactly who’s connected to my wireless network?

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

Neighbours could be on your wireless network and using up all the Cymru1 speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or videos on your Cymru1 broadband connection! Worse still, they could be carrying out illegal activities on your Cymru1 internet connection.

Here are 3 apps to utlise to scan your Wifi network to see who’s connected:

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

The above apps scan your wireless network and show you a list of the everything on your wifi.

• How to see who is on your Cymru1 wireless network

Do I need a Wi-Fi network booster for my Cymru1 broadband?

If you discover that you have Wi-Fi black holes at your property, a Wifi extender also known as a wireless Booster may be the best fix to strengthen your wireless signal to cover any black spots.

• Cheapest Wifi Signal Boosters

The wireless network extender picks up your existing Wi-Fi network signal just as it is starting to become weaker and re-transmits the wireless network signal to increase it’s reach.

Place the Wifi network extender near where your Wifi signal from the Cymru1 internet router is starting to become weaker.

Position it approximately where your Wi-Fi network signal is dropping down to two bars. Walk around your house with a tablet to try and establish where this is.

When was the last time you upgraded the Cymru1 broadband router?

The Cymru1 and broadband infrastructure, in general, are constantly upgraded to support new features and improve reliability as technology evolves.  Always ensure that the Cymru1 internet router is running on the latest software.

The majority of Cymru1 broadband routers allow you to carry out the software update by logging into the Cymru1 broadband router and simply clicking a button to perform the upgrade.

If you can’t do this, contact Cymru1 and they will be able to do this for you or alternatively, guide you through the process.

In addition to upgrading the software, if you have had the same router for a long period, it may be worth speaking to Cymru1 to request for a hardware upgrade.

Is the fault external to your home (at the exchange)?

This is probably the most likely reason for Cymru1 broadband performance issues in your area and is more common with broadband connections that are delivered through copper phone lines.

If you are unsure if this is applicable to you, you should contact Cymru1 who will be able to conduct the appropriate connection tests to see if there is a problem on the Cymru1 broadband connection.

Is the issue because of Cymru1 Internet congestion?

If you are finding that the Cymru1 internet connection speed in your area is slows down during certain times i.e. weekends or during the evening, it may be because of congestion during peak hours.

• What’s Broadband Contention Ratio and does Cymru1 have contention?

You should speak to Cymru1 to check your guaranteed speed.

Test your Cymru1 internet connection

After the issue has been fixed either by yourself or Cymru1, re-test your broadband connection using  at least two independent Speedtests to ensure the problem is resolved:

• • Use the ookla internet broadband speed checker to test your Cymru1 connection
  • Check your Cymru1 internet speed using Ookla Offical Speed Test
  • Test your Cymru1 broadbandspeed using fast.com speed test
  • Check My Broadband Speed Checker Cymru1 broadband speed checker
  • • 0845UK Broadband Speed Checker and troubleshooting