Networking & Communications

Broadband Ethernet

How to boost your fibre optic broadband speed

Broadband speed is one of those subjects that can really leave you scratching your head. Broadband providers use the catch-all phrase "up to" when talking about broadband speed because there are many things that may affect broadband performance. Some of these things you can't control. For example, some websites simply can't cope with high speeds or if lots of people are downloading from a site all at once then the site can slow down. However, the brilliant news is that there's lots of things you can control. So read on and learn how you can improve your connection in the Top tips for boosting your fibre optic broadband speed below..

First a quick note about speed tester websites

Web-based speed testers have their place - they can be a quick way to check your broadband is running in tip-top condition, however there are reasons that may make their results inaccurate.

Most speed test sites are hosted on servers that are on different parts of the internet and it's difficult to tell ‘how far' that test has to travel to reach you. Virgin Media have no control over the quality of other provider's networks, so tests that travel onto other parts of the internet don't always give accurate results on how your connection is performing. This means the test is merely measuring how fast data is able to travel from one part of the internet to another, not how fast the connection to your home actually is. 

The accuracy of a speed test site will also be affected by the time of day you run the test and how busy the speed test server is. Connecting via wireless can also make a difference to the results.  Please be aware of these limitations if you are relying on a speed test site to measure your speed.

Top tips for boosting your fibre optic broadband speed

1. Check out our Speed up your fibre optic broadband step by step guide.

2. Download and run the free Digital Home Support Hub

3. Reboot your computer and broadband equipment

4. Check your wireless setup

5. Check what and when you are downloading

6. Use Ethernet rather than USB

7. Call the Digital Home Support number (0800 014 7398) and speak to one of our technical experts

8. If you're still not getting the speed you think you should be, check out our Help & Support forums

1. Download and run the free Digital Home Support Hub and get instant access to a free PC toolkit, including PC new Healthcheck and tune-up software to keep your computer purring.

PC Heathcheck covers the following areas:

• Protection against viruses
• Personal data protection
• Protection against internet nasties
• Protect your wireless
• Keeps clutter off your PC
• Faster browsing and surfing
• Faster broadband connection
• Speed up your PC
• Keeping up to date

2. Reboot. Electronic equipment and software can sometimes run into problems, like "freezing" and "hanging" - rebooting allows your equipment to perform diagnostic checks and forces it to reset and restart, often fixing the problem.

Restart the Hub and your computer section.

3. Check your wireless setup. There are loads of benefits of using a wireless internet connection, including being able to access the internet with lots of different devices, from anywhere in your home. Because of the way wireless and broadband technology work together, the downside can be a slight reduction in your speed when you go wireless (compared with connecting directly to your modem/router via an Ethernet cable). There are several things you can do to minimise this:

• First, try connecting your PC directly to your modem or Virgin Media Hub to see if it is in fact your wireless setup that is causing an issue with your speed.  Find out how to do this for a modem here, or how to do this for a Virgin Media Hub here.
• If you're still having problems, you can check these other things that might be impacting your speed:
   
  • The position of your router within your home
  • Check the total number of users using your connection - if you're in a multi-user household, check that no-one in the house is using lots of your bandwidth.
  • If you are on the XXL (50Mbps) broadband package, make sure you have a Wireless "N" router and USB adapter. These are capable of much faster speeds than a Wireless "G" version.

 

• If you are using a wireless adapter, you should make sure that the drivers are up to date (have a look on the adapter manufacturer's website or the internet for details of how to do this).

4. Watch what and when you're downloading.  Like all popular things, the internet has peaks and troughs and is in high demand at different times during the day. If you have a particularly large file to download, why not schedule it to download late at night when there are fewer users online?

• Also, remember that some downloads run in the background, even when you are not aware of them. They can consume considerable amounts of your connection speed. These include file sharing programmes (also known as Peer to Peer software or P2P), like Kazaa, BitTorrent, iMesh, eMule, Vuze, Limewire, Ares and eDonkey. It's a good idea to remove P2P software given the impact it can have on speed and the security and legal issues it generates.

Even if you are not using these, someone else in your household may be, so it is worth checking to make sure they are scheduling downloads for times when other users in the house are not online.

To disable or remove Peer to Peer software or bittorrents, why not have a look on the internet for instructions on how to do this for the software you're using.

Read more information about programmes running in the background 

• Your internet browser quite often installs mini toolbars. These are great if you need them but do have an impact on speed. If you are not using a particular toolbar, it may help your speed if you disable them:

 

• In Internet Explorer (IE), go to "View" then "Toolbars". Untick the item you want to disable.

 

• A second option in IE is to go to the "Tools" menu and click "Manage Add-ons".

 

In the "Manage Add-ons" windows that displays (as shown below), select the add-on (toolbar) you want to disable, and then under "Settings" click "Disable".

 

• You can also uninstall toolbars by going to the Control Panel on your computer:

 

Select "Control Panel" and from the window that displays as shown below choose "Add or Remove Programs". Remove toolbar components as required.

 

• If you're using Firefox, you can remove mini-toolbars by going to the Firefox "View" menu as shown in the diagram below, selecting the "Toolbars" option and unchecking the unwanted toolbars.

You can also disable toolbars that are installed as Firefox extensions via the Firefox Add-ons manager.

 

• If you're using any other browser, see the browser's help section for instructions on removing mini-toolbars.
• If you think you might be a heavy user, you will need to be aware that we have a Traffic Management policy that kicks in at peak times and is there to ensure we can provide the best possible overall experience for all our customers by making sure everyone gets a fair share of the bandwidth available. 

 

5. Ditch USB for Ethernet. To give yourself the best chance of reaching top speeds, make sure you connect via Ethernet. There are many reasons to do this - Ethernet is technically more reliable than USB for networking, Ethernet doesn't require you to install device driver software and it supports higher performance networking. To find out more about Ethernet and USB, take a look at our Ethernet vs USB page.

6. Call the Digital Home Support number (0800 014 7398) to speak to a Tech Expert

 

Digital Home Support is 24-hour technical care for you, your computer and all your digital gadgets. If you have a question or a crisis, morning, noon or night, our Tech Experts are on hand to help.

If you are stuck on any of the steps discussed above, or are after some further help, why not use the Live Online Help tool in the Digital Home Support Hub or call 0800 014 7398 to speak to one of our Tech Experts who can help.

The Tech Experts can answer your questions and if necessary, with your permission, take-over control of your computer to fix things for you.

Please note that remote fixes are a chargeable part of the Digital Home Support service, but don't worry, initial diagnosis is free and we wont proceed unless we agree the fix and associated charges upfront.

7. Check out our Help & Support forums. You can get help from other customers, share your experiences and add your own answers on our customer forums.

For those customers who have not downloaded and run the Digital Home Support Hub, here are a few additional steps that you can try….

1. Tune up your PC's settings. To make the most of your fibre optic broadband speed, PC optimisation is probably the most important thing you can do!  We've designed an application to make this really easy for you and it can make a big difference.

 

And if you are have XXL (50Mb) package follow these additional steps.

• If you are a Vista/Windows 7 or Mac OSX user you don't need to do anything – your operating system is already designed to automatically optimise your settings.
• If you're using any other operating system, check the system's help section or browse the internet for details on optimising your system.

2. Make sure you check how secure your wireless connection is. Make sure no-one else is sharing your connection and slowing you down.

3. Make sure you have an up to date security package on your PC. Unfortunately, computer viruses and other nasties are everywhere. It is really important to install a security software package which will constantly update and protect your computer. A good package will also contain a firewall, which is a security system that will protect your PC or your network from intruders, hackers and malicious code – all of which can have an impact on your speed. The security package will also protect you against anti-spyware software (malicious software that can be downloaded when visiting some websites - it will slow down your connection).

If you don't have an up to date security package installed, you might like to take a look at our security pages. Here we have information on the benefits of a good security package, including PC Security - our internet security package that helps keep you safe and secure online. Read more about Virgin Media Security and the benefits of a good security package here.

4. Make sure your computer's hardware and software are up to date. The more recent they are, the more likely you'll be able to experience faster broadband. You should be sure you have the latest versions of your favourite browser and operating system.

Windows users should check for any Windows updates on a regular basis here.

Windows users should also ensure that Windows Update is enabled. This will ensure they are patched with the latest security and performance patches from Microsoft. (Windows Update Is enabled by default after Win XP SP2).

 

About the Author

my computer has no ethernet port. Will a wireless usb dongle still find a broadband source?

Hi
I have an old computer that I want to connect upto my broadband. My computer is in a different room so I want to connect it wirelessly.
My computer doesnt have any ethernet ports if I did want to connect it up with wires.Will a wireless usb dongle work even though I dont have an ethernet port?

its strange that your computer doesn't have an ethernet port as most do

if you don't have an ethernet port and want to connect using wires you could use the modem jack but that would be a sacrifice of speed

your safer bet is wireless using a USB dongle

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