Troubleshooting Hebrides.net internet performance problems

Before you begin troubleshooting the performance of your Hebrides.net broadband connection, we suggest that you perform a Hebrides.net Broadband Speedtest to measure your current broadband speed.

Also confirm the guaranteed minimum download speed you are paying for from Hebrides.net.

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

Possible causes of Hebrides.net’s slow internet speed

Is it your Hebrides.net broadband that is running slow or could it be your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?

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

The performance problem could be due to over-utilization of your device’s resources e.g RAM/memory/CPU and not a problem with Hebrides.net’s internet connection.

If you are on a computer then you can use the task manager to see your Processor and Memory utilisation.

On any other device, you could try rebooting the device which hopefully should kill all applications that may have been hogging your device resources.

Re-run the Hebrides.net Speedtest on your PC and your mobile phone to check how the speedtest results differ between the 2 devices.

Hopefully this should give you some information to help determine whether the problem lies with your PC/Smartphone or the Hebrides.net internet connection.

• What does the Hebrides.net download and upload speed mean?
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• 5 methods to improve your Hebrides.net broadband performance
• Simple DNS hack to improve internet browsing speed on Hebrides.net

Is the wireless the reason for the issues?

The root cause of the performance issue could be your wireless network and not the Hebrides.net broadband internet connection.

You can rule out the wireless by connecting your PC directly to the Hebrides.net broadband router using a network cable and then run the Hebrides.net Speed test again.

If the result improves when you’re connected using an ethernet cable, this shows that the problem could be with your Wi-Fi network.

A number of things to look further into:

• Are the Wireless channels that you’re using for your Wifi network (SSID) overlapping with the neighbours?
• Is your Wi-Fi network signal from the internet router obstructed?
• Does your performance get better when you’re standing right infront of the Hebrides.net wireless router?

Exactly who’s connected to my wireless network?

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

Neighbors could be on your wireless network and eating up all your Hebrides.net bandwidth by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or videos on your Hebrides.net broadband connection! Worse still, they may be conducting illegal activities over your Hebrides.net broadband connection.

There are three apps to utlise to analyze your wireless network to see who’s connected:

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

The above software scan your Wifi network and display a list of the everything on your wifi.

• How to check who’s on your Hebrides.net wireless network

Do I need a Wifi booster for my Hebrides.net broadband?

If you discover that you have Wifi black spots in your house, a Wifi network extender also known as a Wi-Fi Booster is the best fix to strengthen your Wifi signal to cover any coverage holes.

• Cheapest Wi-Fi Signal Boosters

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

Position the Wi-Fi network booster where your wireless signal from the Hebrides.net broadband router is becoming weaker.

Place it near where your Wifi network signal is dropping down to two bars. Walk around your home with a tablet to find where this is.

When was the last time you upgraded the Hebrides.net broadband router?

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

Most Hebrides.net internet routers allow you to carry out the software upgrade by simply logging into the Hebrides.net broadband router and simply clicking on a button to start the upgrade.

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

In addition to updating the software, if you have had the same router for a long time, it is worth speaking to Hebrides.net to request for a hardware upgrade.

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

This is probably the most common reason for Hebrides.net 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 not sure if this is applicable to you, you should contact Hebrides.net who will be able to carry out the relevant connection tests to check if there is a fault on the Hebrides.net broadband line.

Is it due to Hebrides.net Internet congestion?

If you are finding that the Hebrides.net internet connection speed in your area is slow during certain times e.g weekends or during the evening, it may be due to congestion during peak times.

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

You should contact Hebrides.net to find out your minimum speed.

Re-testing your Hebrides.net internet connection

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

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