How to troubleshoot Ethnet broadband speed issues

Before starting to troubleshoot the speed of your Ethnet internet connection, we suggest that you run a Ethnet Internet Speedtest to confirm your current broadband speed.

Also confirm the guaranteed minimum download speed that you have subscribed to from Ethnet.

You can get this info by checking your Ethnet broadband bill, your Ethnet contract or by contacting Ethnet.

Common causes of Ethnet’s slow internet performance

Is it the Ethnet internet connection that is running slow or could it be your device (PC/laptop/phone)?

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

The performance issue could be due to the over-utilization of your system resources e.g RAM/CPU and not a problem with Ethnet’s broadband connection.

If you’re on a computer then you may use the task manager to check your CPU and RAM utilisation.

On other device, you could try rebooting the device which hopefully should shut down all apps that may have been using up your device resources.

Run the Ethnet Speed checker on your personal computer and your mobile to see how the speedtest results compare between the two devices.

This should hopefully give you more info to help determine whether the issue lies with your device or the Ethnet internet connection.

• What does the Ethnet download and upload speed mean?
• Who’s the best Internet Service Provider in the UK?
• Five methods to improve your Ethnet Internet performance
• DNS hack to speed up internet browsing speed on Ethnet

Is the Wi-Fi network the issue?

The root cause of the performance issue may be your Wifi network and not the Ethnet broadband internet connection.

You could rule out the Wi-Fi network by simply connecting your computer directly to the Ethnet broadband router using a network cable and then run the Ethnet Speed checker again.

If the speed improves when you’re connected via an ethernet cable, this indicates that the problem may be with your Wifi network.

A few other things to look further into:

• Are the WiFi channels that you’re using for your Wifi network network (SSID) overlapping with the neighbours?
• Is your wireless signal from the internet router obstructed?
• Does the performance get better when you’re standing right in-front of the Ethnet broadband router?

Exactly who’s connected to my wireless network?

Have you checked that your Wi-Fi network password has not been shared? Do you have an open Wi-Fi network? How secure is your Wifi network password? It could be time to update it.

Others could be using your wireless network and eating up all the Ethnet bandwidth by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or video over your Ethnet broadband connection! Worse still, they could be conducting illegal activities using your Ethnet broadband connection.

There are 3 applications to utlise to scan your Wifi network to check who’s connected:

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

The above apps analyse your Wifi network and produce a list of the everything on your wifi.

• How to check who is on your Ethnet Wifi network

Do I need a Wifi booster for my Ethnet broadband?

You may discover that there are wireless black holes in your property, a Wifi network extender aka a Wi-Fi Booster may be the best fix to increase your wireless signal to cover any black holes.

• Best Wifi Signal Extenders

The Wifi network extender simply picks up your existing wireless signal as it is becoming weaker and re-transmits the Wifi network signal to extend it’s coverage.

Position the Wifi extender near the position where your wireless signal from the Ethnet broadband router is starting to become weaker.

Place it approximately where your wireless signal is dropping down to 2 signal bars. Walk around your home with a tablet to try and establish where this is.

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

The Ethnet and broadband infrastructure, in general, are constantly upgraded to support new features and improve performance as technology evolves.  Ensure that your Ethnet internet router is running the latest software.

Most Ethnet internet routers will allow you to carry out the software upgrade by logging into the Ethnet broadband router and simply clicking on a button to do the update.

If you cannot do this, get in touch with Ethnet and they will do this for you or alternatively, guide you through the process.

In addition to updating the software, if you have had router for a long period, it’s worth talking to Ethnet to ask for a router upgrade.

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

This is probably the most common cause for Ethnet broadband performance issues in your home and it’s more common with internet broadband connections that are delivered via copper phone lines.

If you are unsure if this is relevant in your case, contact Ethnet who should be able to carry out the appropriate line tests to check if there is a problem on the Ethnet internet line.

Is it because of Ethnet Internet congestion?

If you are finding that the Ethnet internet connection speed in your area is slow during certain times i.e. over weekends and evenings, then it may be due to congestion during peak hours.

• What is Broadband Contention Ratio and does Ethnet have contention?

You should contact Ethnet to check your guaranteed speed.

Test your Ethnet broadband connection

After the problem has been resolved either by yourself or Ethnet, retest your internet connection using  at least two independent Speedtests to ensure the fault is fixed:

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