How are broadband connection problems defined?
Broadband connection problems affect most of us at some point, but how are they defined and what causes them?
Such is our reliance on the internet that any service interruption, however minor, becomes hugely significant.
Consider the impact of the Amazon Web Services outage a few weeks ago.
Banks were unable to process transactions, key Government resources went offline, smart devices stopped working and social media users finally had an excuse to put down their phones.
Of course, smaller domestic service interruptions happen up and down the country every day, without affecting anyone other than the households in question.
Yet unless there’s a major network outage, many consumers don’t even realise they’re experiencing broadband connection problems.
This is our guide to identifying issues and resolving them before they become problematic.
Defining broadband connection problems…
You might assume broadband connection problems invariably involve internet outages.
Connection issues may involve an inability to get (or stay) online due to network or router problems, but they could also entail slow speeds or momentary dropouts.
A survey earlier this year by Which? found 85 per cent of people have experienced at least one connection issue during the last year.
One in seven had lost internet connectivity for more than an hour, and one in twelve were offline for a whole day – or more.
By contrast, a slow connection may not stop you going online, or being productive, especially when surfing the web or sending emails.
It becomes a greater issue when you’re joining video calls, playing online games, streaming HD or 4K video content, or sharing a stuttering connection with other web-enabled devices.
…and finding solutions
Many people are unfamiliar with their broadband routers, but you don’t need any technical knowledge to try the following steps.
Firstly, take a look at your main router, which should be centrally positioned within the house. In newer homes, it may have been wall-mounted in a cupboard.
The router will display a series of lights, typically in amber or green. If any lights are flashing, it generally indicates a problem.
If you can’t find the ISP-supplied instruction booklet, check for a model number and run an internet search on a 4G or 5G smartphone to see what these light/s indicate.
(While you’ve got your phone handy, check the Down Detector website for reports of issues in your region.)
A remarkably effective solution is to power the router down, wait thirty seconds and reboot it.
Do the same with any satellite or mesh extender units elsewhere in your home, giving them a few minutes to power up, at which point any flashing lights should either remain lit or go out.
Next, power down the device you were having connectivity issues on. A laptop or smart TV being offline may relate to a problem on the device itself, not the home WiFi.
Indeed, WiFi could be the culprit. Hardwire a device into the router via an Ethernet cable (or use a Powerline adaptor) to check if any connectivity is getting through.
Once everything has rebooted, conduct a line speed check using a platform like Ookla.
Compare the download and upload speeds to the ones stipulated in your broadband account. If they’re far below the promised averages, there might be a problem on the line.
(As an example, if download speeds are 10Mbps across a 500Mbps fibre broadband line, something’s wrong. On the other hand, 10Mbps along an ADSL line is fine.)
If you’re still having connectivity issues, it’s time to phone your ISP (web chat probably won’t be of much value at this point) to report the issue and seek expert support.
