Tips for positioning your router

1. Place your router near your computer

The closer your router is to your laptop or PC, the stronger the wireless signal will be. This means that you should position your router either next your PC, or in the area where you are most likely to use your laptop. If you have several laptops or PCs sharing the connection, then you should place the router somewhere central.

2. Minimise obstructions between your router and computer

Obstructions such as walls, doors, heavy furniture and metal can impact the strength of your wireless signal. Try to use place your router in a place where there will be minimal obstructions between it and your laptop or PC. This may be easier if the router is positioned higher up, as opposed to at floor level.

3. Place your router near your master socket

Your BT master socket (or faceplate) is your main telephone socket in your home, and will be your broadband entry point. You should position your router or modem as close to this faceplate as you can, using as short a cable as possible to connect the router or modem to the socket.

4. Position your router away from other wireless appliances

Appliances which emit the same type of wireless signals as your router, such as telephones, microwaves, and baby monitors, can interfere with the signal from your router. Try to position your router away from these types of appliances.

Electrical interference

Electrical equipment can interfere with wireless signals, and could be slowing your connection significantly. Faulty fluorescent lighting can be a major cause for interference, as can Christmas tree lights, fridges, and anything with a motor pump. Experiment by turning off these devices one by one and checking to see if it makes a difference to your speed. If it does, you may need to reposition your router, or cease to use the offending equipment.

Strengthen your signal

If your are using wireless broadband, then upgrading your aerial could significantly improve your speed. Standard aerials have a length of 2dBi, but 9dBi aerials can be purchased for around £10, and can improve your speed by up to 30%. Another option is to purchase an external directional antenna, which will improve the range of your wireless signal by around 200 percent. Greater security measures must be taken to protect your wireless network if a directional antenna is used, as the wider signal range makes you more susceptible to piggybackers.

Another way to extend the range of your wireless network is to purchase a wireless repeater. These are a wire-free devices which work by ‘bouncing’ signals to remote wireless devices, such as your laptop. The device would be placed half-way between your router and wireless device, allowing signals to travel a greater distance between the two.

Protect yourself against piggybackers

If you have not taken sufficient security measures to protect your wireless network, then neighbours could be using your connection and slowing your speeds. To check whether your network is secure, right-click on the single computer icon on the right of your task-bar, and click ‘View Available Wireless Networks’. In the window that pops up, you should see your wireless network in the list of available networks. If it has a padlock icon next to it, then it is secured.

If your network is not secured, then you will need to set up a WEP or WPA password. Once this has been set up, then the network will only be accessible to those who know the password. To set up a WPA or WEP password, you will need to go into your router settings, go to wireless options, and then security options. You should only change your router settings if you are confident in what you are doing, so for further help contact your ISP.

Try a wired connection instead

If you have taken measures to improve your wireless signal and are still suffering from slow speeds, you might want to try using a wired connection. Connecting your PC or laptop to your router with an Ethernet cable will eliminate the problems of interference that can come with a wireless connection, but it will mean that you must be in close reach of your router. For optimum speeds, you should use the shortest cable that you can, as the further the data has to travel, the more likely it is to deteriorate.

The study by ISPreview.co.uk found that the majority of people (57.1 per cent) would like to receive faster broadband speeds, while 16 per cent want lower prices and 12.1 per cent want more support.

Users are generally pleased with their providers, with 41.3 per cent of web users saying they are satisfied with their service, while 35.4 per cent are very happy.

Broadband was also described as being “critically important” to almost 70 per cent of respondents..

The findings come just after Vodafone’s announcement that it is now offering mobile broadband speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps in areas of high demand.

The government has proposed to provide all UK homes with a minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps by 2012.

Research commissioned by the BBC and carried out by Samknows reveals that these ‘notspots’ exist not only in rural areas, but in suburbia and major towns as well.

“We had assumed that these notspots were in remote parts of the countryside,” said Alex Salter, co-founder of broadband website SamKnows.

“That may be where the most vocal campaigners are but there is a high incidence of them in commuter belts,”
“In some cases, people aren’t able to shop online, aren’t able to view certain websites or use social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter, and they can’t watch the BBC’s iPlayer. It also prevents flexible working. If the problem is fixed, it means a lot more people could work from home which offers a very real way to improve society.”

The drop is the first since December 2008, and comes just after communications watchdog Ofcom slammed service providers over advertised speed claims which it described as “misleading”

“The drop may be small at around 0.1Mbit/s, but it is still a concern for the majority of broadband users as the drop would have been even steeper if it wasn’t for the exceptional performance put in by Virgin Media,” said Edd Dawson, editor of Broadband.co.uk.

O2 and its associated Be internet service came in second with an average speed of 5.31Mbit/s, followed by Orange in third place at 3.41Mbit/s. The average for July across all providers monitored was 4.26Mbit/s.

“It was encouraging to see the results of the Ofcom survey mirroring the accuracy of Broadband.co.uk’s previously published reports showing the average speed increasing from 3.6Mbit/s in January to 4.1Mbit/s in April 2009,” added Dawson.

Despite the small drop, the figure remains more than double the speed set out in the Digital Britain Report, which aims to see every household in the UK able to access a connection of at least 2Mb by 2012.

The report released on Tuesday showed the average broadband speed to be 4.1Mbps, whereas Ofcom’s preliminary report in January had found the average speed to be 3.6 Mbps.

Broadband services were advertised by ISPs as being ‘up to’ 8Mbps, and although only 9 per cent of customers received speeds over 6Mbps, the report revealed that the majority of consumers are happy with the speeds they receive.

However, 26 percent of those surveyed complained they were not getting the speeds they had expected when they signed up to their ISP.

Ofcom researchers found that connections in urban areas received faster speeds than those in the countryside — on average 4.6Mbps as opposed to 3.3Mbps.

The ISP Association (ISPA) responded to Ofcom’s report on Tuesday, saying it “supports the intention of Ofcom to give consumers detailed, robust information about broadband speed performance”.

However, ISPA pointed out that the survey did not cover small UK ISPs, and said the research “does not reflect the breadth of the industry”.

New figures from Consumerchoices.co.uk show that 50 per cent of web have been on the same deal for over four years, despite average prices have fallen by nearly 40 per cent since 2005.

Not only have prices dropped significantly, but speeds have increased by about 700 per cent.

Michael Phillips, product director at Consumerchoices.co.uk, said: “These results are very disappointing as there is a fantastic selection of ISPs (internet service providers) and packages available to consumers.

“Major providers continue to battle it out for market share and in so doing drive through cost savings and service improvements.”

The survey of 774 homeowners, which was conducted by ispreview.co.uk, shows the majority (58.6 per cent) are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband internet connection.

Speed was so important for 55.2 per cent that they said they would be willing to pay more for a significantly faster service.

“[This] suggests that many existing services still fail to meet expectations despite the fact that many would be willing to pay more for something a lot faster.” the website concluded.

Of those respondents with broadband connections, more than half said they had a speed of around 8Mb, and a further 32 per cent reported speeds of 10Mb or more.

However, this left the remaining 15 per cent struggling with a broadband speed of less than 2Mb.

The news comes soon after the government pledged to provide a minimum broadband speed of 2Mb for all homeowners by 2012.

According to the site’s monthly speed test, British homes and businesses received an average speed of 4.137 Mbps in April.

This marks a significant rise on the speed for April 2008, where the average speed stood at just 3.2 Mbps.

Despite the good news in regards to speed, the website also reported a major increase in user complaints.

Broadband.co.uk’s Ed Dawson pointed out that “far more rich media is being consumed” over the internet compared to a few years ago.

“It seems that as fast as [internet service providers can] add capacity, they still don’t manage to keep up with their customers’ expectations,” he said.

“So although we should congratulate the industry for continuing to move forward we must not allow them to rest on their laurels.”

A survey by Broadband Genie, a broadband-comparison website, found that low or inconsistent speed was top of the list of customer complaints.

The poll of 100 customers revealed that dissatisfaction with customer service was the second biggest gripe that customers had with their ISPs.

A recent survey by Ofcom also found that speed was the biggest source of customer complaints for the majority of broadband subscribers, followed by unstable connections and cost.

Customer service however, did not feature in Ofcom’s top three complaints. |

Broadband Genie editor Chris Marling said he was surprised that customer service complaints didn’t feature higher up in Ofcom’s findings.

“Whether a customer is dissatisfied with an ISP’s connection speed, reliability or perceived value for money, a skilled customer service representative can calm the situation and often resolve – or at least adequately explain – a situation,” Marling said.

Marling predicted that customer service will become of key importance among ISPs looking to hold on to customers, as speeds increase and as the UK reaches fixed-line broadband saturation.

The report from Analysys Mason, entitled “Consumer Experience of Broadband Performance,” reveals that the average broadband speed is below the average maximum available across the UK, however only 9 percent of the total broadband customers are unhappy with the speed.

The report states:

“First, Ofcom indicates that the average broadband speed is below the average maximum available across the UK, and significantly below advertised headline speeds. Secondly, it highlights the low average broadband speed available in the UK compared with other developed economies, which for some is a source of national shame.”

Analysys Mason believe that most people are aware of the limitations to the broadband they are buying. They understand that the maximum speed available in their area is dependent on how close they are to an exchange, and/or how many people are online in their area at any time.

For most consumers, the most important factor is having an application which runs smoothly. This means that although at times there may be a drop in speeds, there should never be an interruption in service.

Related article: Ofcom tests broadband speeds