Troubleshooting Zen Internet broadband performance problems

Before you begin troubleshooting the performance of your Zen Internet broadband connection, we recommend that you perform a Zen Internet Internet Speedtest to measure your current internet speed.

Also confirm the minimum download speed you on your broadband package from Zen Internet.

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

Potential causes of Zen Internet’s slow broadband performance

Is it the Zen Internet internet connection that is slow or is it your device (PC/laptop/phone)?

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

The speed issue could be due to over-utilization of your device’s resources e.g Memory/CPU Processor and as opposed to an issue with Zen Internet’s internet connection.

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

On any other device, you could try restarting the device which hopefully should shut down all applications that may be using up your systems resources.

Run the Zen Internet Speed checker on your personal computer and your mobile to check how the results differ between the 2 devices.

Hopefully this should provide you with more info to work with in terms of whether the issue is with your device or the Zen Internet internet connection.

• What does the Zen Internet download and upload speed mean?
• Who is the best Internet Service Provider in the UK?
• Five ways to speed up your Zen Internet Internet performance
• Simple DNS tip to speed up internet browsing speed on Zen Internet

Is the wireless the cause of the performance issue?

The cause of the performance problem could be your wireless network and not the Zen Internet broadband internet connection.

You could rule out the Wi-Fi network by simply connecting your PC directly into the Zen Internet broadband router with an ethernet cable and run the Zen Internet Speed test again.

If the performance improves when you are connected via a network cable, this proves that the issue may be with the Wi-Fi network.

A few other things to investigate:

• Are the Wireless channels that you are using for your wireless network (SSID) overlapping with the neighbours?
• Is your Wi-Fi network signal from the wireless router obstructed?
• Does the performance get better when your are standing right infront of the Zen Internet internet router?

Who’s connected to my Wifi network?

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

Neighbors could be using your Wi-Fi network and eating up all the Zen Internet speed by downloading, uploading or even streaming music or video on your Zen Internet internet connection! Worse than that, they could be conducting illegal activities over your Zen Internet broadband connection.

There are three apps that you can use to scan your Wi-Fi network to check who’s connected:

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

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

• How to check who is on your Zen Internet Wifi network

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

If you find that there are wireless coverage gaps in your home, a Wifi extender also known as a Wifi Booster may be the best fix to strengthen your Wi-Fi signal to cover any coverage holes.

• Cheapest Wifi Signal Boosters

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

Place the wireless extender near the position where your Wifi network signal from your Zen Internet broadband router is becoming weaker.

Place it approximately where your Wi-Fi network signal is dropping down to less than 2 signal bars. Walk around your home with a mobile phone to determine where this is.

When did you last upgrade the Zen Internet broadband router?

The Zen Internet and broadband infrastructure, in general, are frequently upgraded to provide new features and improve reliability as technology evolves.  Always ensure that your Zen Internet internet router is running on the most up-to-date software.

Most Zen Internet internet routers will allow you to carry out the software update by logging on the Zen Internet broadband router and simply clicking on a button to start the upgrade.

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

In addition to updating the software, if you have had router for a long time, it’s worth speaking to Zen Internet to ask for a router upgrade.

Is the fault external to your home (at the exchange)?

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

If you are unsure if this is relevant in your case, contact Zen Internet who will be able to carry out the appropriate line checks to see if there is a issue on the Zen Internet internet connection.

Is it because of Zen Internet Internet congestion?

If you’re finding that the Zen Internet broadband connection speed in your area is slow during certain times e.g weekends or during the evening, it may be because of congestion during peak times.

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

You should contact Zen Internet to find out your guaranteed speed.

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Re-testing your Zen Internet broadband connection

After the problem has been resolved either by yourself or Zen Internet, retest your broadband connection using  at least two independent Speedtests to ensure the fault is fixed:

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