What is the use of having a Fibre to the home connection to make connecting to the internet easier, if your connection is always slow or performs slower than the speed you paid for? A slow Fibre internet connection can be extremely frustrating, especially if you rely on your connection for work purposes like uploading or downloading files and data, storing your work on or accessing it on the cloud, streaming videos or attending conference calls. There are various reasons why your Fibre to the home connection can be slow, and most people don’t know about these influences. If you experience a slow Fibre internet connection and your internet service provider cannot help you with resolving the issue, there are a few things you can do to make your connection faster. Here are a few solutions:

Distance between your devices and your router

The closer your devices are located to your router, the stronger your Fibre to the home internet signal will be. You can usually see the strength of your signal by checking the wi-fi bars on your devices. This will indicate whether your signal is strong or weak, and you will notice that the closer you get to your router, the stronger your signal will be. If you need to work from home, make sure that you place your router close to your office.

Things that can block your router’s signal strength

There are quite a few things in your home that can directly affect the strength of your Fibre internet signal. The walls in your home, metal panels and certain electronic devices with a 2.4Ghz signal can weaker your Fibre connection signal. The more elements your signal has to travel through to reach your device, the weaker the signal will be. So you need to ensure that you place your router somewhere so that it has a clear path to all of your devices

Your ISP’s fair usage policy

Does your internet service provider have a fair usage policy? Your Fibre service provider may be slowing down your connection if you have not followed the policy. This is why it is extremely important to ensure you understand all terms and conditions and the small print of your deal with your internet service provider before you sign an agreement with them. Some internet service providers may throttle or shape Fibre internet lines. And this may result in a drop in connection.

Too many applications running at the same time

The more applications you run concurrently, the weaker your signal will be due to overloading. Check all of your devices and which applications are being used all at once, and ensure that all unnecessary applications are closed when they are not in use, especially when there are several people using the same Fibre internet connection. Make a habit of closing unused applications at all times, and educate all users on your internet line to do the same.

Run software updates regularly

Ensure that your router software is always up to date as outdated software can cause a drop in signal strength. If your router requires an update,  don’t put it off – update it as often as needed so that it can function optimally. And note that when you do run updates, your signal strength will be weaker due to used bandwidth until your updates are done downloading and installing.

Upgrade your router

Technology is always changing and becoming better and better by the day, so the chances that your router may be outdated is big. Updating your router to a newer version may be the solution to your weak Fibre to the home signal. There are various kinds of routers which are better suited to certain kinds of connections. Make sure that the router you have fits with your connection.

Your router’s location

As mentioned before, the further your router is located from your devices, the weaker your signal will be. And the more elements your signal will have to travel through before reaching your device, the weaker the signal will be. This is why it is important to find a central location where you can place your router so it can reach all of your devices. Placing it higher than other electronic devices will also increase your signal strength.

Clear your devices of viruses

When you use your Fibre to the home connection on a regular basis, it is difficult to know when a virus has snuck into your devices or even your router. Your router and connection can be even more susceptible to viruses when you have multiple users using the connection at the same time, so it is extremely important to check your devices and connection for viruses regularly.

Get the best out of your Fibre to the home connection by knowing what can affect your signal strength. Let us help you guide you into which Home Fibre line you should be using!

Check your home coverage here and let us help you guide you into which Home Fibre line you should be using!