How to troubleshoot Gigaclear broadband speed issues

Before you start troubleshooting the speed of your Gigaclear internet connection, we suggest that you run a Gigaclear Broadband Speed Test to confirm your current internet speed.

Also find out the minimum download speed you on your broadband package from Gigaclear.

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

Potential causes of Gigaclear’s slow broadband speed

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

You need to consider how many applications are running on your device.

The speed problem could be due to over-utilization of your device’s resources e.g RAM/CPU Processor and as opposed to a problem with Gigaclear’s internet connection.

If you’re on a PC then you may use the task manager to check your Processor and Memory utilization.

On any other device, you should try restarting the device which hopefully will shut down all apps that may be using up system resources.

Re-run the Gigaclear Speed test on your computer and your mobile phone to check how the speed test results differ between the 2 devices.

Hopefully this should provide you with more information to work with in terms of whether the problem lies with your device or the Gigaclear internet connection.

• What does the Gigaclear download and upload speed mean?
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• 5 tips to speed up your Gigaclear broadband performance
• Simple DNS tip to speed up internet browsing speed on Gigaclear

Is your wireless the cause of the performance issue?

The root cause of the performance issue may be your wireless as opposed to the Gigaclear internet connection.

You could rule out the Wifi by connecting your PC directly into the Gigaclear broadband router with an ethernet cable and run the Gigaclear Speed checker again.

If the performance improves when you’re connected using an ethernet cable, this suggests that the issue could be with your Wifi network.

Possible things to check:

• Are the Wireless channels that you’re using for your Wifi network network (SSID) overlapping with your neighbors?
• Is the Wi-Fi network signal from the internet router obstructed?
• Does the speed improve when you’re standing right infront of the Gigaclear internet router?

Who’s connected to my Wifi network?

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

Others could be on your Wifi network and eating up all the Gigaclear speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or video on your Gigaclear internet connection! Worse still, they could be conducting illegal activities on your Gigaclear broadband connection.

There are three applications that you can potentially utlise to analyse your wireless network to check who is connected:

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

The above applications scan your wireless network and display a list of the connected devices.

• How to see who’s on your Gigaclear Wifi network

Do I need a wireless booster for my Gigaclear broadband?

You may find that you have wireless coverage gaps in your property, a Wifi network extender also known as a wireless Booster is the best solution to boost your Wi-Fi signal to cover any black holes.

• Best Wi-Fi Signal Extenders

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

Position the wireless booster/extender where your Wifi signal from the Gigaclear broadband router is becoming weaker.

Position it near where your Wifi network signal is dropping down to two bars. Walk around your house with a tablet to try and establish where this location is.

When was the last time you upgraded the Gigaclear internet router?

The Gigaclear and broadband infrastructure, in general, are constantly upgraded to support new features and improve reliability as technology evolves.  Ensure that the Gigaclear internet router is running the most up-to-date software.

The majority of Gigaclear internet routers allow you to perform the software upgrade by simply logging on the Gigaclear broadband router and simply clicking on a button to do the upgrade.

If you cannot do this, get in touch with Gigaclear and they will do this for you or guide you through performing the upgrade yourself.

As well as updating the software, if you have had router for a long period, it is worth speaking to Gigaclear to request for a hardware upgrade.

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

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

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

Is the performance issue because of Gigaclear Internet congestion?

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

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

You should speak to Gigaclear to find out your minimum speed.

Test your Gigaclear internet connection

After the problem has been resolved either by yourself or Gigaclear, 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 Gigaclear broadband
  • Check your Gigaclear broadband speed using Ookla Offical Speed Test
  • Test your Gigaclear internet connectionspeed using fast.com speed test
  • Check My Broadband Speed Checker Gigaclear broadband speed checker
  • • 0845UK Internet Speed Checker and troubleshooting