Troubleshooting Telefonica UK broadband speed issues

Before starting to troubleshoot the performance of your Telefonica UK broadband connection, we recommend that you run a Telefonica UK Internet Speedtest to confirm your current broadband speed.

Also confirm the minimum download speed you have subscribed to from Telefonica UK.

You can get this information by checking a Telefonica UK broadband bill, your Telefonica UK contract or by contacting Telefonica UK.

Probable causes of Telefonica UK’s slow internet speed

Is it your Telefonica UK internet connection that is slow or is it your device (laptop/smartphone/PC)?

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

The performance problem may be due to over-utilisation of your system resources i.e RAM/CPU Processor and as opposed to a problem with Telefonica UK’s internet connection.

If you are on a laptop then you can use the task manager to check your CPU and Memory utilisation.

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

Run the Telefonica UK Speedtest on your personal computer and your mobile phone to see how the speed test results compare between the two devices.

This should hopefully provide you with some information to work with in terms of if the problem is with your device or the Telefonica UK internet connection.

• What exactly does the Telefonica UK download and upload speed mean?
• Who’s the best Broadband Service Provider in the UK?
• Five methods to improve your Telefonica UK broadband performance
• Simple DNS tip to improve internet browsing speed on Telefonica UK

Is the wireless network the issue?

The root cause of the performance problem could be your internal Wifi network as opposed to the Telefonica UK broadband internet connection.

You can rule out the Wi-Fi network by simply connecting your computer directly into the Telefonica UK broadband router with a network cable and then run the Telefonica UK Speed test again.

If the speed checker result improves when you are connected using an ethernet cable, this suggests that the problem could be with your internal wireless network.

Possible things to look further into:

• Are the Wireless channels that you’re using for your Wifi network (SSID) overlapping with your neighbors?
• Is the wireless signal from the broadband router obstructed?
• Does your speed get better when your are standing right in-front of the Telefonica UK broadband router?

Who is connected to my Wi-Fi network?

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

Neighbours could be on your Wi-Fi network and using up all your Telefonica UK speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or videos over your Telefonica UK internet connection! Worse than that, they could be carrying out illegal activities using your Telefonica UK internet connection.

Here are three apps that you can use to analyze your Wi-Fi network to see who is connected:

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

The above software will scan your Wifi network and show you a list of the connected devices.

• How to see who is on your Telefonica UK Wi-Fi network

Should I get a wireless booster for my Telefonica UK broadband?

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

• Best Wifi Signal Boosters

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

Position the Wifi booster/extender near where your Wi-Fi network signal from your Telefonica UK internet router is starting to become weaker.

Position it approximately where your wireless network signal drops down to less than 2 bars. Walk around your house with a tablet to determine where this location is.

When was the last time you upgraded the Telefonica UK broadband router?

The Telefonica UK and broadband infrastructure, in general, are constantly upgraded to support new features and improve performance as technology evolves.  Ensure that your Telefonica UK broadband router is running on the most up to date software.

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

If you can’t do this, get in touch with Telefonica UK and they will be able to perform the upgrade for you or alternatively, guide you through performing the upgrade yourself.

In addition to upgrading the software, if you have had hardware for a long period, it may be worth talking to Telefonica UK to request for a router upgrade.

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

This is probably the most common cause for Telefonica UK broadband performance issues in your home and it’s more common for internet broadband connections that are delivered through phone lines.

If you’re not sure if this is relevant in your case, you should contact Telefonica UK who will be able to conduct the relevant line tests to see if there is a fault on the Telefonica UK internet connection.

Is the issue because of Telefonica UK broadband congestion?

If you’re finding that the Telefonica UK broadband connection speed in your area is slows down during certain times i.e. over weekends or evenings, it may be because of congestion during peak hours.

• What is Broadband Contention Ratio and does Telefonica UK have contention?

You should contact Telefonica UK to check your guaranteed speed.

Re-testing your Telefonica UK broadband connection

After the problem has been resolved either by yourself or Telefonica UK, re-test the internet connection using  at least two independent Speedtests to ensure the fault is resolved:

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