CHRISTMAS can be taxing on your broadband speeds, thanks to the new consoles, video games, gadgets and distant relatives desperate to catch-up on their favourite Netflix shows.
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| Here are a few simple tricks to give your struggling broadband a helping hand |
It's Christmas – and the extended family have temporarily moved in and commandeered your wifi password.
From streaming your favourite Christmas cracker on Netflix or Amazon Prime, to downloading a operating system update for your new games console – Christmas can be taxing on your broadband.
The news comes after Virgin Media released the results of a festive survey which showed One in 10 UK adults would sacrifice alcohol in order to stay online this Christmas in what is being dubbed "going Dry-Fi".
According to the survey of over 2,000 adults celebrating the Christmas holiday, carried out by YouGov, two thirds (67per cent) of respondents will be online on Christmas Day.
One in five 25 to 34 year olds said that having wifi will be "essential" for a successful Christmas Day.
Luckily there are a few simple tricks to give your struggling broadband a helping hand.
#1 – Pick Your Position
Your router is the key to decent wifi speeds around the home – and its position in your house can have a dramatic effect on your speeds.
Housing your broadband router close to a wall or under the television can seriously restrict the signal.
Putting a router in the wrong place can slow your internet speeds down to a snail pace.
When it comes to finding a new home of your router – the central, the better.
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| If you have family members staying over for Christmas, it could cause your router to struggle |
Ideally, your wifi router will be within sight of wherever you sit or use your wireless Internet most frequently.
Mounting a router to a wall or setting it on a high shelf can be a great way to ensure you get a solid wireless connection on both floors of a two-storey home.
#2 – Reboot Your Router And Clean Up Your PC
Like a home computer or a modern smartphone, it's a good idea to switch off your router from time to time.
This should clear up any issues and help to speed things up.
Some experts advise rebooting your router as often as once a week although every month should probably be enough to do the trick.
It's also worth double-checking your PC or smartphone isn't running speed internet-hungry programmes behind your back, as this can have a big impact on your service.
#3 – Talk To Your Neighbour
If you're friendly with next door, find out where they put their router and – if they are particularly au-fait with router settings – the channel they broadcast on.
Routers can interfere with one another and as a result, both of your speeds will drop.
If possible, try to pick a part of the house well away from your neighbours and things should improve.
#4 – Ditch The Microwavable Dinners
If you've noticed your internet speeds slowing down whenever you are re-heating leftovers or quickly zapping a microwaveable meal for one – you're not imaging things.
Microwaves operate around the same frequency as wireless routers and the radiation that escapes the microwave oven can easily disrupt your signal.
If your kitchen is in-between the lounge and your router – this could be the simple answer to your broadband woes.
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| It's an annoying fact, but peak times mean slower speeds |
#5 – Pick Your Time
It's an annoying fact, but peak times mean slower speeds.
Research shows that users can see a drop in broadband performance of up to 35 per cent when traffic is at its heaviest.
As you might expect the worst time to surf is between 7pm and 9pm.
If you want the ultimate speeds you'll have to be prepared to stay up until 2am.
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