How to troubleshoot VFast broadband performance problems

Before starting to troubleshoot the speed of your VFast broadband connection, we recommend that you perform a VFast Internet Speedtest to confirm your current connection speed.

You may also want to confirm the minimum download speed you are paying for from VFast.

You can find this information by checking your VFast broadband bill, your VFast contract or by contacting VFast.

Possible causes of VFast’s slow internet speed

Is it your VFast broadband that is slow or could it be your device (PC/laptop/phone)?

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

The speed problem may be due to over-utilization of your system resources e.g RAM/memory/CPU Processor and as opposed to a problem with VFast’s broadband connection.

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

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

Run the VFast Speedtest on your personal computer and your phone to see how the speedtest results compare between the two devices.

This should hopefully give you some info to help determine if the issue lies with your device or the VFast internet connection.

• What exactly does the VFast download and upload speed mean?
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• Simple DNS hack to improve internet browsing speed on VFast

Is the Wifi network the cause of the slowness?

The root cause of the performance issue could be your wireless and not the VFast broadband connection.

You can rule out the wireless network by simply connecting your computer directly into the VFast broadband router with an ethernet cable and run the VFast Speed test again.

If the performance improves when you’re connected using an ethernet cable, this shows that the problem may be with your Wifi.

Possible things to investigate:

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

Exactly who’s connected to my Wi-Fi network?

Have you checked that your Wi-Fi network password has not been hacked? Do you have an open Wi-Fi network? How complex is your wireless network password? It may be time to change it.

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

There are three apps that you can potentially use to scan your Wifi network to see who is connected:

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

The above apps analyse your Wi-Fi network and display a list of the connected devices.

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

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

If you find that you have wireless black holes at your property, a Wifi network extender also known as a wireless Booster is the best fix to increase your Wi-Fi signal to cover any coverage gaps.

• Best Wireless Signal Extenders

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

Place the Wifi network booster near where your Wifi signal from your VFast internet router is starting to become weaker.

Position it near where your Wi-Fi network signal is dropping down to two bars. Walk around your property with a tablet to try and establish where this location is.

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

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

The majority of VFast broadband routers allow you to carry out the software update by simply logging into the VFast broadband router and simply clicking a button to start the update.

If you can’t do this, contact VFast and they will do this for you or guide you through the process.

In addition to upgrading the software, if you have had the same router for a long period, it’s probably worth talking to VFast to request for a hardware upgrade.

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

This is probably the most likely reason for VFast broadband performance issues in your area and it’s more common with broadband connections that are delivered through phone lines.

If you are not sure if this is applicable to you, contact VFast who should be able to run the appropriate connection tests to check if there is a fault on the VFast internet connection.

Is the issue due to VFast broadband congestion?

If you’re finding that the VFast broadband connection speed in your area is slows down during certain periods e.g weekends or during the evening, then it may be due to congestion during peak hours.

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

You should contact VFast to find out your minimum speed.

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Re-testing your VFast internet connection

After the issue has been resolved either by yourself or VFast, retest the broadband connection using  at least two independent Speedtests to ensure the issue is resolved:

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