A lot turns on the strength of your
broadband speed.

If you’re a business, the strength of your
broadband determines how quickly you’re able to download and transfer files,
how long it takes to process data, and the quality of your communication with
your clients.

Faster connections will allow your team to
carry out tasks efficiently, and guarantee smoother customer engagement on your
contact channels. Slower connections could affect the pace of work and dampen
the quality of your interaction with customers.

Unless you remedy the issues arising from
slow broadband, your clients could seek better service elsewhere. This could in
turn reduce your sales and shrink your revenues.

If you are struggling with less than
optimal broadband speeds, you should find this article useful. Here we’ll note
some of the possible causes of your slow internet speed, and present practical
steps you can take to fix this problem.

First, let’s answer a few questions about broadband
internet, so we get a sense of where we’re headed.

What
is Broadband Speed?

Broadband speed refers to how quickly you
can upload or download data with your internet connection. It’s measured in
megabits per second (Mbps) and kilobits per second (Kbps). These days, we also
hear talk of speeds reaching several gigabits per second (Gbps).

A kilobit is a thousand bits; a megabit is
a million bits. One gigabit refers to a billion bits.

A bit is the smallest unit of data on your
computer.

If your broadband speed is 20 Mbps, this
means you’re able to transfer up to 20,000,000 bits of data per second over
your internet connection. This is faster than a broadband speed of, say, 20
Kbps, or 20,000 bits per second.

How
Fast Should Your Internet Be?

The answer to this question depends on what
you’re using your internet for. If you routinely transfer heavy files between
computers, you will need much faster broadband than someone who only uses their
internet for simple text emails.

Some video streaming services require
speeds of at least 5 Mbps. If you’re working with a speed of 50 Mbps, you could
download a 2 GB file in about five minutes.

Things
that May Be Slowing Down Your Broadband

Many people tend to blame their Internet
Service providers (ISPs) for their slow broadband. But it’s not always the
ISP’s fault; a lot of other factors could contribute to slower internet
connection. Some of them are explained below.

•Quality of Your Hardware: If your cables
and router are old, they may cause your broadband to slow down. It’s advisable
that you check your connection hardware and replace it with new equipment if
they have aged.

•Distance from Network Centralizer: The farther
you are from your service provider’s broadband centralizer or access points,
the slower your internet is likely to get.

•Obstructions: Network signals could
weaken if there are walls or other things standing in its path.

•Spyware and Viruses: Spyware may affect
your broadband speeds by interfering with your browser. Computer viruses may
also multiply to weigh down computing power, and impede normal functioning.

•Router Location: Routers need to be
placed in a central, elevated location, or at least at a point that lets
signals travel unimpeded to your computers. When it’s not positioned this way,
broadband speeds will be lower.

•Several
Devices and Users: Access speeds may drop if there are several users and
multiple devices using a single network.

•Heavy
or Outdated Applications: Applications that have not been updated can
affect internet speeds. They may also slow things down if they use a lot of
bandwidth.   

•Peak
Time: Think about internet traffic as a stream of vehicles on a road.
There’s usually more traffic during peak periods, so movement—or internet
speeds –could be slower at those times. Peak period for internet connections is
usually somewhere between morning and evening. Off peak periods may last
between 2 AM and 7 AM, when there are fewer people using the internet.

How to
Check Your Broadband Speed

You can find out what how fast or slowly your
broadband is working by conducting a broadband speed test. It’s simple and
takes just a few steps:

1. Link your computer to your router with an
Ethernet cable

2. Go to your browser

3. Search for a speed testing platform
(examples include speedtest.net, fast.com, and speedcheck.org).

4. Follow the instructions on the site you
choose.

Note that the broadband speed displayed may be
slightly lower or higher than what your ISP says it provides. This isn’t
necessarily a problem. You only have cause to be concerned if the speed test
consistently shows results that are much lower than what your ISP claims to be
supplying you.

How to
Speed Up Your Broadband

You could take these steps to make your
broadband faster:

1. Protect
Your Connection

It might be that your internet connection has
no password protection, and other users are linking up to it without your
knowledge. As we noted earlier, having multiple users on your connection at
once may affect your internet speed. By restricting access with a password, you
could reduce the possibility of this happening.

2. Change
Your Router’s Location

Place your router in a more central location
so that it achieves broad coverage. Or just make sure that the paths between it
and your computers are not impeded by walls or other obstructions. Ideally, you
should put it in an elevated place, like a shelf or high up a wall. 

3. Close
or Remove Bandwidth-Consuming Applications  

Some applications could start and run without
your knowledge, consuming bandwidth and stifling access speeds. Make sure to
shut down these applications, or remove them if they aren’t important to you.
You should also delete old files and wipe your browsing history clean to free
up space and allow quicker computing.

4. Scan
Your System with an Antivirus

Combat bandwidth-shrinking malware with
up-to-date antivirus. You can set your antivirus to scan your systems for
spyware or viruses on a regular basis.

5. Change
Your Service Provider   

If other measures don’t help, the problem may
well be from your service provider. In this case you will have to try some
other ISP and see if they can offer you a faster connection.     

Get Fast, Reliable
Broadband for Your Business

If you’re looking to solve your issues with
broadband speed, you can speak to the experts at Layer3. They will assess your
needs and recommend changes besides the few mentioned here.

Layer3 also provides secure, stable and fast broadband
service. Its broadband package guarantees low latency
to the internet, routable IP addresses, and multiple connections to the
internet backbone via submarine cables. It’s exactly what your business needs
to maintain a high standard for its operations.

Find
out how these features can benefit your organization. Get in touch
with the Layer3 team and request a demo today.