Slow internet connection on Wi-Fi
Slow internet connection on Wi-Fi
You're in the UK and just began using BT Home Essentials 2 with the smart hub 2. They installed fiber to the box, which is a high-speed cable, but you're on a different version of fiber—specifically, fiber to the house. This setup limits your internet speed to around 74 Mbps max. The main issue is with Wi-Fi performance upstairs. Your kids' computer, laptop, and phone are all connected via Wi-Fi, yet speeds drop significantly even when signals appear strong. Your speed test showed much lower downloads—around 57 Mbps instead of the advertised 71 Mbps. This suggests interference or congestion in the network. It seems the signal strength is good but not effectively reaching your devices upstairs. You might want to check for interference, consider a different router placement, or explore upgrading your internet plan if the slowdown persists.
I know UK ISPs often mention an average speed in their broadband plans to inform customers that achieving 100% isn't guaranteed. This isn't very comforting if you're paying for a 100Mbps connection but only receiving 75% or less. Still, they aren't concealing details as other Western providers do. If you're regularly seeing 74Mbps while connected directly to BT Hub via Ethernet, that's the speed you can realistically expect. Try testing during different times of day and on both peak and off-peak periods using various speed check sites (such as speedtest.net, fast.com, dslreports.com) to understand how speeds change. Review your BT contract; if the actual speed drops below the advertised average, that's something you need to address with BT. Also consider the WiFi aspect. First, ISP gateway or combo devices may not always deliver optimal performance. Second, homes with thick walls made of brick, concrete, or steel can weaken wireless signals. 2.4GHz networks generally cover farther and penetrate obstacles better than 5GHz, though they offer lower speeds. Third, most routers and access points use omnidirectional antennas, limiting their upward signal reach. Lastly, in areas with many users broadcasting their own networks, interference can interfere with your connection, making communication slow even if you have a strong signal.
Additionally, WiFi tends to be slower than Ethernet due to larger packet headers compared to wired links. Similar to interference issues, using a tool like Acrylic WiFi at 2.4GHz can help identify less crowded channels for better performance. Be careful, as regulations vary by country—there are 13 channels in total, with 11 non-overlapping ones (1, 6, and 11). Updated April 2, 2022 by Nuh_ Incorrect details included.
Indeed, its actually gotten even more confusing as Zen for example sell their CityFibre service as asymmetrical due to those rules, but its actually symmetrical. Apparently they don't use data from their-end to monitor it, they rely on customers running speed test boxes and as its a new service there is not enough (or possibly any) customers on the service to provide enough data for an average to be calculated. Actually its the opposite, partial overlapping is WORSE than full overlapping, as if you fully overlap it can see another network is active and not transmit at the same time vs partial overlapping where its only seen as unknown interference and will try to transmit over it, which can cause all networks on those channels to have corrupted data and have to re-transmit again. In some scenarios partial overlapping may perform better for you, but it can completely ruin your neighbours WiFi (if your WiFi signal is stronger than theirs) so is extremely inconsiderate and should not be done.