Troubleshooting IDNet internet speed problems

Before you start troubleshooting the performance of your IDNet broadband connection, we suggest that you run a IDNet Internet Speedtest to measure your current connection speed.

It is a good idea to also confirm the guaranteed minimum download speed that you are paying for from IDNet.

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

Possible causes of IDNet’s slow broadband speed

Is it the IDNet broadband that is slow or could it be your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?

You may need to check the number of applications are running on your device.

The performance issue could be due to the over-utilization of your device’s resources i.e Memory/CPU Processor and as opposed to an issue with IDNet’s internet connection.

If you are on a laptop then you can use the task manager to see your CPU and RAM usage.

On any other device, you should try restarting the device which hopefully should terminate all apps that may have been using up your systems resources.

Re-run the IDNet Speed test on your PC and your phone to check how the results differ between the two devices.

Hopefully this should provide you with some information to help determine if the issue is with your device or the IDNet internet connection.

• What does the IDNet download and upload speed mean?
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• 5 methods to improve your IDNet broadband speed
• DNS hack to improve internet browsing speed on IDNet

Is the Wifi the problem?

The cause of the performance problem may be your wireless network as opposed to the IDNet internet connection.

You could rule out the Wifi network by connecting your computer directly into the IDNet broadband router with a network cable and then run the IDNet Speed checker again.

If the speed improves when you’re connected using a network cable, this suggests that the problem may be with your Wi-Fi network.

A number of things to investigate:

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

Who’s connected to my wireless network?

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

Neighbors could be on your wireless network and eating up all the IDNet speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or video on your IDNet broadband connection! Worse than that, they may be carrying out illegal activities on your IDNet internet connection.

Here are three applications that you can utlise to scan your Wifi network to check who is connected:

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

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

• How to check who is on your IDNet Wifi network

Should I get a wireless network booster for my IDNet broadband?

If you find that there are Wi-Fi black holes at your home, a wireless extender also known as a wireless Booster may be the best fix to boost your Wifi signal to cover any black spots.

• Cheapest Wi-Fi Signal Extenders

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

Position the Wifi network booster near the position where your Wi-Fi network signal from your IDNet broadband router is starting to become weaker.

Place it approximately where your Wifi signal is dropping down to 2 bars. Walk around your home with a tablet to find where this is.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=V0axJstY9RY

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

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

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

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

As well as upgrading the software, if you have had hardware for a long time, it’s worth talking to IDNet to request for a router upgrade.

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

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

If you’re not sure if this is applicable to you, you should contact IDNet who will be able to conduct the appropriate line checks to see if there is a fault on the IDNet broadband line.

Is it because of IDNet Internet congestion?

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

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

You should speak to IDNet to check your minimum speed.

Re-testing your IDNet internet connection

After the problem has been fixed either by yourself or IDNet, retest your broadband connection using  at least 2 separate Speedtests to ensure the problem is resolved:

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