How to boost internet speed at home

It’s 2023, it shouldn’t be like this! So we’re here to give you some easy-to-implement tips for improving your internet connection when enough is enough. 

Check your internet speed 

First things first, if you have a sneaky suspicion that your internet is lagging, it’s time to check your broadband speed. But don’t worry, this is easy to do with our free speed checker. 

You should test your download and upload speeds to check that your internet connection is strong enough to do everything you need to on your devices. If you’re not sure what the difference is between download speed and upload speed, check out our blog which explains why they are both important. 

Move your router 

This is one of the most simple tricks you can do to improve your internet connection. Although Wi-Fi generally works throughout your home, you’ll probably notice that it’s slower in the rooms that are furthest from your router. This is because the signal struggles to travel through large objects or thick walls.

So, the best thing you can do is move your router to a space that is central and close to your connected devices. If yours is currently in the corner of your house hidden behind a cupboard door, try moving it to the room in the middle of your house and position it high up with no large objects surrounding it. 

Consider where you generally use your broadband – whether that’s in your home office, living room or kitchen – and try to keep the distance between your devices and your router to a minimum. 

Turn off WiFi on unused devices 

The more devices connected to your broadband, the slower your internet speed will be. That’s why it’s important to check how many devices your WiFi is connected to and decide whether it’s necessary to keep them all on. 

Perhaps you have a tablet or smartphone that you don’t use every day, turn off the WiFi when you’re not using it and see if it makes a difference to your home broadband speed. 

Another little tip is to keep other electrical devices away from your router. Things like monitors, speakers, radios and microwaves can also interfere with your signal. So try to avoid using these when you need strong internet speeds, or place them in other parts of your house to be safe. 

Clean up devices

Are you the type of person that has 30+ tabs open at one time, or maybe you’re not quite on it with your software or security updates? Well, this will have a bigger impact on your broadband than you think. 

If it’s taking longer than usual to go about your daily online life, then take a few minutes to run an update check to see whether you need to download the latest internet browser, or if your anti-virus is up-to-date. 

It’s also a good idea to close down some of the old or unused websites and check whether background apps are draining your bandwidth without you knowing. You can usually do this through ‘settings’ and by selecting ‘data usage’. Some devices will let you offload apps, which will keep the icon on your desktop or home screen, but this means they aren’t running in the background. 

Use a wireless booster

If you live in a large home, or you have lots of large objects which block the signal, it could be a good idea to purchase a Wi-Fi booster. This will allow your Wi-Fi to reach rooms and devices that your router cannot manage in its current position. 

Although, you should note that this will only extend the wireless signal, rather than improve speed. So if you’re still experiencing problems after trying this, you should consider upgrading your broadband to a package that allows for your internet usage. 

Revert to an Ethernet cable 

Although we live in a wireless world, sometimes it’s best to go back to good-old cables. By plugging an Ethernet cable directly into your device, you can guarantee a faster and more stable connection. 

However, this may limit where you can sit in your house and it’s less convenient than connecting to your Wi-Fi. But if you’ve got a big virtual meeting coming up or you don’t want to miss getting those golden tickets to a festival, then an Ethernet cable could be your best bet.

Upgrade your internet

If you’re tired of dealing with mediocre broadband, you should look for a new provider that can deliver, rather than feed you more false promises. 

At BeFibre, we have a full fibre package for your specific internet needs – read why full fibre is the future of broadband here. Whether you’re a gamer, a remote worker, a large family with lots of devices, or you simply want to surf the net without waiting, we will make sure you can get the most out of your connection. And our new partnership with hardware firm Linksys guarantees our customers great connectivity with their highly reviewed MX4200 Wi-Fi 6 router. 

Our Elite package offers speeds of up to 900Mbps which is around 13x faster than average UK broadband speeds*.Now, that’s the sort of upgrade you should be looking for. So enter your postcode to check if BeFibre is available in your area, here.

*All references to how many times faster our broadband service is, depends on you being able to access ‘superfast’ type broadband services of 70Mbps (or less) and selecting one of our packages at the advertised speed. Speeds shown may be affected based on the placement of the router in your property or the device you are using.