ADSL broadband is often considered more reliable than old dial up by many. However, the 'always on', high speed internet connection, at times, may become painfully slow or even grind to halt.
Here is an easy-to-understand, step by step guide to find out what went wrong with your connection and to restore connection back.
Check your phone line
If you find that your phone is not working, there is nothing you can do but call some technical person from BT. Before calling, it is better to check whether the wires are okay. There may be loose connection or some wire is physically damaged. If so, get it replaced.
Check the micro-filter
If you find the line noise is the source of trouble and is not caused by modem or router, the problem may lie in micro filter and replace it with a new micro-filter. Remember, good quality micro filters help to remove line noise and help in boosting the performance. Also check, whether microfilter is properly placed.
Remove the faceplate from BT master socket
Sometimes this simple trick can do wonder. All you have to do is to unscrew the faceplate (bottom half) of the box (provided by BT) where you connect your phone connect into BT line. Then connect the phone cord directly into BT line using test socket. This will clear much of the line noise and ensures better ADSL performance.
Also connect your micro-filter into your main socket or into the test socket and check out for any difference in the performance.
Keep modem/router away from interferences
Sometimes ADSL signals can be interfered by electrical appliances like micro-wave oven etc. Make sure that these electrical devices are kept away from your PC and modem.
Use compatible modems/routers
Check whether your modem is compatible with the service that your ISP provides. For instance, if you use ADSL+2 modem on an ADSL line, it will not work.
Use better modem/router
If you find the modem or router provided by your ISP is not able to handle line noise, interference etc, it is better to replace it with better modem/router. There are many high end modems and routers that are available with advanced features. It is not a bad idea to try one of them.
If your connection is painfully slow, try the following things:
Check the distance from exchange
Many factors including the distance from the exchange can affect the download speeds. Find out how far you are from the exchange. Remember, nearer you are, better your connection speed.
Make the cable shorter
Within your home, avoid lengthy cables to connect between PC and modem. If you have to carry long cable to wire around your house, use one long cable instead of two or more cables connected together as this may cause data loss.
If you have slow connection speed, wait
Sometimes, speeds may become slow temporarily and will get restored after a few minutes. You may reconnect many times expecting the normal speed will be restored. On the contrary, this method often reduces the speed further.
Certain firewalls may slow down your speed
Some firewalls, if they are not properly configured, will slow down the downloading of web pages. If you are not good at configuring the settings, you can disable the firewall for a shorter time though.
Switch off your router for a few minutes
This may sometimes make your connection a bit faster.
Update the driver files of your modem/router
It is important that you install the latest updates of drivers needed by modem or router.
Check the settings in your internet explorer or OS
Sometimes, you need to make sure that the settings in IE or your OS do not cause slow down of your connection. If so, change those settings.
