The speed of your broadband connection is affected by many factors. A recent report on broadband speeds worldwide shows that UK households get an average speed of 3 Mbps while many ISPs nowadays offer 8 Mbps services and a few of them even offer 16 Mbps or 24 Mbps high speed packages.

You can have a look at our broadband comparison chart where you can find all essential details of broadband deals like speed, monthly cost, contract length etc. You can also sort the search results based on these indicators. There are many ISPs and lots and lots of broadband deals that often make the choosing of the suitable package a bit tricky. Read our expert broadband reviews on the cheap broadband deals available in the UK.

When ISPs advertise speeds, they often refer to the maximum speed that is likely to be achieved on certain conditions. Although the speeds they advertise are not guaranteed, still many ISPs advertise higher speeds, but in reality, majority of the users are not able to get speeds closer to the maximum speed.

As such, the factors that slow down the speed need to be looked into and, if possible, corrective measures should be taken to get better speeds.

Unfortunately, most of the problems that slow down the speed are based on your ISP or connection itself.

This is often determined by your ISP. In ADSL, usually copper wires are used and the signals degrade faster with the length of wires. You cannot do anything unless your ISP decides to switch to better network such as optic fibre. All you can do is to check whether your phone line is in bad condition as it can lead to weaker signals.

Right kind of modems and routers often help to better your connection speed. As a rule of thumb, high-end modems/routers which are properly configured ensure higher speeds. If you are using wireless setup, extra hardware like multiple Access Points, antennas can help a bit.

Always remember, the mess of wires can prove to be detrimental to speed. Short cables used to connect modem to PC or other components can do necessary tricks. Using shorter cable not only can make your table tidy, it can also help you a bit in boosting the speed.

This is the one of the major reasons for the degradation of speed in ADSL. After 1.5 kms, the connection speed tends to fall sharply and after 6 kms your connection is virtually cut off from the exchange.

However, if you are a cable user, you will not be affected by this factor.

Nowadays, ISPs mention contention ratio of their package which also affects broadband connection speeds to greater extent. It is often expressed as 50:1 or 20:1 to denote the traffic on a specific line. In a line with 50:1 contention ratio, there are 49 users are on line other than you at a specific time. Lower the ratio higher the speed so better service quality but you need to pay an extra those services.

Switching to packages with lower contention ratio (like 20:1) or choosing a package that is enabled with prioritized traffic can be helpful, if speed is of your major concern.

We suggest that you read our Broadband Provider switching guide before changing your provider or upgrading your package can be a hassle some times.

When a single broadband connection is shared by a host of users in home or office, it is likely that speeds slow down, especially, in case of basic level packages.

The right type of network, hardware and other networking tips can often help you to get the best speed out of your home networking. Read our networking guide which provides all essential information on networking and easy to follow guide on your home networking.

In the UK, the peak hours are between 4 pm and 11 pm when there are lots of people online indicating a natural decline in your speeds for a temporary period. You can do nothing about it, except changing your existing package to get lower contention ratio. (but you need to look into the cost factor when doing so)

Speeds tend to be lower when you keep open numerous web pages. Not only your connection, but even system speed may get down during sessions when you carry out multiple tasks.

Although this problem is not connected to your ISP, sometimes the speeds slow down when you try to specific site. This is due to the heavy traffic to that site or may be the server of that specific site is having some problems.

1. Use short cables to connect modem to PC or any device in the network.
2. Check the quality of your phone cable. If found defective or in poor condition, get it replaced.
3. Use high quality modems, routers, cables and other equipment. If you have been using an old, low-end modem/router, replace it with the suitable equipment. Make sure that all the hardware is properly configured.
4. Be informed on fair usage policy of your ISP, contention ratio of your line and traffic management policy. Avoid download large files during peak hours as it affects the speed of connections on your line. In specific cases, ISPs may throttle down your speeds when you breach the limit set by your ISP during peak hours.
5. If you are using entry-level / lower level package, avoid doing multiple tasks or browsing through many sites simultaneously.
6. When you plan to setup home networking or sharing a single broadband connection, make sure your package can sufficiently meet the bandwidth requirements on the line.