Troubleshooting UKFSN broadband speed problems

Before you start troubleshooting the speed of your UKFSN broadband connection, we recommend that you run a UKFSN Broadband Speed Test to confirm your current connection speed.

It is a good idea to also confirm the guaranteed minimum download speed you have subscribed to from UKFSN.

You can find this info by checking your UKFSN broadband bill, your UKFSN contract or by contacting UKFSN.

Possible causes of UKFSN’s slow broadband performance

Is it the UKFSN 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 speed issue may be due to the over-utilisation of your device’s resources i.e Memory/CPU Processor and not a problem with UKFSN’s broadband connection.

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

On other device, you could try rebooting the device which hopefully will terminate all programs that may be using up system resources.

Run the UKFSN Speed test on your computer and your mobile to see how the speed test results differ between the two devices.

This should hopefully provide you with more information to work with in terms of if the issue lies with your device or the UKFSN internet connection.

• What does the UKFSN download and upload speed mean?
• Who’s the best Broadband Service Provider in the UK?
• 5 tips to speed up your UKFSN broadband speed
• DNS hack to speed up internet browsing speed on UKFSN

Is your Wi-Fi network the cause of the performance issue?

The cause of the performance problem may be your Wifi network and not the UKFSN broadband connection.

You can rule out the Wi-Fi network by connecting your PC directly into the UKFSN broadband router using an ethernet cable and run the UKFSN Speed test again.

If the result is better when you’re connected via an ethernet cable, this proves that the problem may be with the Wifi.

A number of things to look further into:

• Are the Wireless channels that you’re using for your wireless network (SSID) overlapping with your neighbours?
• Is your Wifi signal from the internet router obstructed?
• Does the performance improve when you’re stood right in-front of the UKFSN internet router?

Who is 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 secure is your wireless network password? It could be time to update it.

Neighbors could be using your Wifi network and using up all your UKFSN speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or videos over your UKFSN broadband connection! Worse still, they could be conducting illegal activities using your UKFSN broadband connection.

Here are 3 applications to use to analyse your wireless network to see who’s connected:

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

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

• How to check who’s on your UKFSN Wifi network

Should I get a Wi-Fi network booster for my UKFSN broadband?

If you find that you have Wifi black holes in your home, a wireless extender aka a Wifi Booster is the best fix to boost your Wi-Fi signal to cover any coverage gaps.

• Best Wireless Signal Boosters

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

Place the Wifi booster near the position where your Wifi network signal from the UKFSN broadband router is becoming weaker.

Position it near where your Wi-Fi network signal is dropping down to less than 2 bars. Walk around your house with a tablet to determine where this is.

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

The UKFSN and broadband infrastructure, in general, are frequently updated to support new features and improve reliability as technology evolves.  Always ensure that your UKFSN broadband router is running the most up-to-date software.

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

If you cannot do this, contact UKFSN and they will be able to perform the upgrade for you or guide you through the process.

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

Is the root cause of the issue outside your property (at the exchange)?

This is probably the most common reason for UKFSN broadband performance issues in your property and is more common with internet broadband connections that are delivered through phone lines.

If you are not sure if this is relevant in your case, you should contact UKFSN who will be able to run the relevant line tests to check if there is a issue on the UKFSN internet line.

Is the issue because of UKFSN Internet congestion?

If you’re finding that the UKFSN broadband connection speed in your area is slow during certain periods i.e. over weekends or evenings, then it may be because of congestion during peak times.

• What’s Broadband Contention Ratio and does UKFSN have contention?

You should contact UKFSN to check your guaranteed speed.

Find Best Alternatives to UKFSN Broadband

 

Re-testing your UKFSN broadband connection

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

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