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Troubleshooting

• Speed and Performance - Trouble Shooting

  There are several factors which could affect the speed and performance of your broadband service. These are described in the table below:

  ISSUE	IMPACT	WHAT YOU CAN DO
  Slow Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Drop-Out	There may be areas in your home where you can’t receive a Wi-Fi signal no matter where your modem is placed, due to certain factors (e.g. the composition and location of walls)	Move your Wi-Fi gateway to a central point in your home.Re-start your modem.Position your Wi-Fi gateway off and well above the floor.Shift your gateway away from thick walls and other obstructions.Connect via an Ethernet cable.
  Device Issues (e.g. tablet, phone, P.C)	Slow speeds may be due to: Malware or viruses Older computers and devices which may not support the maximum speeds of your internet connection Faulty devices (e.g. your laptop’s Wi-Fi connection)	Protect your computers and devices from malicious attacks.Test the speeds on different devices on the same connection to see if this makes a difference.Check your PC storage.Check your security/anti-virus program.
  Multiple Devices Sharing Data	If you have multiple devices connected to your internet service at the same time, they’ll all be sharing the same bandwidth which could cause slower speeds.	You may want to disconnect any active devices you’re not using.
  Excessive Uploading/Downloading	When some devices connect to Wi-Fi networks, files can be automatically uploaded to platforms such as Facebook or Dropbox (e.g. photos from phones/tablets). This may consequently affect your download speeds.	Check your device settings.Check if you have exceeded your data allowance.
  Unknown Background Applications	Background applications such as automated updates, security updates/scans or cloud back-ups may impact your speed.	Check your device settings. You may want to disable non-essential automatic updates.
  Interference	Interference source can be internal or external. Such as baby monitors, faulty electrical device. Externally it can be from a number of sources that introduce either impulse noise or continuous noise from electrical machinery, solar inverters, LED lighting etc.	Check if any other radio receiver device is experiencing problems. This can be done using an AM radio (Reference below). If source is identified, remove or turn off.If you have a powerline telecommunications device ( PLT) - an in house plug in device for broadband reticulation using electricity wiring - remove it and see if the problem is gone. PLT can interfere with FTTN VDSL.Unplug each device to check if there is a difference in performance.Look for patterns – e.g. when a microwave or cordless phone is being used

  New broadband modems or Wi Fi Extenders & Adaptors could extend your broadband access around the home. Your ISP can provide more information on what is available to suit your needs.

• Why is there no speed improvement to my upgraded broadband plan?

  Check whether you have also changed access types as a result of changing ISPs. While you might be on a new plan, you may find you are still using the same network as your old plan. It pays to shop around. It is also important to note the maximum possible speed for ADSL and VDSL services is determined by the copper distance.

• Why is my speed not what I expected or what I am paying for?

  Download speed is the rate at which data is transferred from the Internet down to your computer and upload speed describes the rate data is transferred from your computer to the internet. Consumer broadband access technologies are designed to download data at faster speeds than uploading.Your internet download and upload speeds can be measured from an internet speed test site such as speedtest.net. It is also important to avoid simultaneous broadband activity as that can severely degrade your speed results.

  To get the most accurate performance of your service, it is also important to measure through an Ethernet cabled computer rather than Wi-Fi which may be much slower in some locations. Note that online speed tests are not guaranteed to be completely accurate – under certain circumstances it is possible for such a test to overstate or understate the actual speed of the services. Also, measured speed can vary widely in the busy hours (between 7.00 pm and 10.00 pm) and a low individual measurement does not mean your average speed is low.

• Why is my speed affected during peak hours?

  In the busy hours, generally between 7.00 -10.00 pm most evenings, some slowing may be experienced and more variability in speed is likely due to the unpredictable demands of many end users sharing the common shared network links. This is similar to driving on the freeway during peak periods. During the busiest hours, single download speed tests may vary from the expected maximum to quite low speeds. Demand for data is increasing by about 50% annually and so ISPs continue to monitor and upgrade their link capacities.

• What might interfere with my broadband service?

  Interference from a power source generating interference in the frequencies used by a DSL broadband service can affect the stability and performance of the service. It can come from items such as baby monitors, older cordless phones and gadgets, microwave ovens and even old TVs, LED lighting, solar panel inverters, and can even come from any of your neighbour’s locations up to a few hundred metres away. Your neighbour’s gateway could also cause interference on your DSL and other broadband service if you are both using the same Wi-Fi channel.  These items mainly affect DSL services. Additionally, in-building wiring can be the source of interference for some FTTN services.

  Common causes of possible interference with DSL systems
  Solar Power Inverter Power supply for Laptop or similar LCD monitor Power supply in Computer Mobile phone charger Charging devices Television set top boxes, including pay TV and Satellite Video Player Television Lighting, both fluorescent and LED Lighting dimmer switches Christmas or display lighting Fax Machine or Printer Masthead amplifier (TV signal booster) Powerline telecommunications devices
  Street lighting interference Street lighting interference will generally affect a large number of homes. The interference starts when the street lighting turns on or coincides with it turning on and off during the day or night.
  What to do Report to your electricity provider.

  Further reference on managing interference onDSL services is available here.