How to troubleshoot Sure Broadband broadband speed issues

Before starting to troubleshoot the performance of your Sure Broadband broadband connection, we recommend that you perform a Sure Broadband Internet Speedtest to benchmark your current internet speed.

Also find out the guaranteed minimum download speed that you are paying for from Sure Broadband.

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

Likely causes of Sure Broadband’s slow internet speed

Is it your Sure Broadband broadband that is running slow or is it your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?

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

The speed problem could be due to the over-utilization of your system resources e.g Memory/CPU Processor and as opposed to an issue with Sure Broadband’s broadband connection.

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

On other device, you should try rebooting the device which should hopefully shutdown all programs that may have been using up your systems resources.

Re-run the Sure Broadband Speed checker on your computer and your phone to check how the speedtest results compare between the 2 devices.

Hopefully this should provide you with some info to help determine if the problem is with your device or the Sure Broadband internet connection.

• What exactly does the Sure Broadband download and upload speed mean?
• Who’s the best Internet Service Provider in the UK?
• 5 tips to improve your Sure Broadband Internet speed
• Simple DNS hack to improve internet browsing speed on Sure Broadband

Is the Wi-Fi network the cause of the slowness?

The cause of the performance issue may be your internal Wifi network as opposed to the Sure Broadband broadband internet connection.

You can rule out the wireless by simply connecting your computer directly into the Sure Broadband broadband router using a network cable and then run the Sure Broadband Speedtest again.

If the speed test result is better when you are connected by an ethernet cable, this shows that the issue may be with the Wifi network.

Possible things to check:

• 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 your speed improve when you’re stood right infront of the Sure Broadband wireless router?

Who’s connected to my Wifi network?

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

Others could be using your Wifi network and using up all your Sure Broadband speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or video over your Sure Broadband broadband connection! Worse still, they may be carrying out illegal activities over your Sure Broadband broadband connection.

Here are 3 applications that you can potentially use to scan your wireless network to see who is connected:

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

The above applications scan your Wi-Fi network and show you a list of the connected devices.

• How to check who’s on your Sure Broadband Wi-Fi network

Should I get a wireless network booster for my Sure Broadband broadband?

You may discover that there are Wifi coverage gaps in your home, a Wi-Fi network extender also known as a Wi-Fi Booster is the best solution to boost your Wifi signal to cover any coverage holes.

• Cheapest Wifi Signal Extenders

The wireless booster picks up the existing wireless network signal as it is starting to become weaker and re-transmits the wireless signal to increase it’s coverage.

Position the wireless booster/extender near where your wireless signal from your Sure Broadband internet router is becoming weaker.

Position it near where your Wifi network signal drops down to two bars. Walk around your property with a tablet to find where this location is.

When did you last upgrade the Sure Broadband broadband router?

The Sure Broadband and broadband infrastructure, in general, are frequently upgraded to provide new features and improve performance as technology evolves.  Always ensure that the Sure Broadband internet router is running the most up to date software.

Most Sure Broadband internet routers will allow you to perform the software update by logging on the Sure Broadband broadband router and simply clicking a button to do the update.

If you can’t do this, get in touch with Sure Broadband and they will be able to do this for you or guide you through the process.

As well as updating the software, if you have had hardware for a long period, it may be worth talking to Sure Broadband to request for a hardware upgrade.

Is the root cause of the issue external to your home (at the exchange)?

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

If you’re unsure if this is applicable to you, contact Sure Broadband who should be able to conduct the relevant line tests to see if there is a problem on the Sure Broadband broadband line.

Is the issue because of Sure Broadband Internet congestion?

If you’re finding that the Sure Broadband broadband connection speed in your area is slows down during certain periods e.g weekends and evenings, it may be because of congestion during peak times.

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

You should contact Sure Broadband to find out your guaranteed speed.

Re-testing your Sure Broadband broadband connection

After the problem has been resolved either by yourself or Sure Broadband, retest the broadband connection using  at least 2 independent Speedtests to ensure the problem is resolved:

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