Satisfaction with Fixed Wireless Broadband drops to 48% during lockdown

Kiwis who are using fixed-wireless broadband have become significantly less satisfied with the technology since Covid-19 began impacting broadband demand in March, according to the latest figures from Chorus.

Chorus said research it commissioned from Colmar Brunton suggested satisfaction with fixed-wireless services had fallen from about 62 per cent to 48 per cent over four months.

Why are users less satisfied with Wireless Broadband?

According to Chorus’ poll satisfaction with ultrafast broadband (UFB) was relatively steady through the period at about 70 per cent. Satisfaction with copper services dipped by a few percentage points to 45 per cent and 34 per cent over the same period, depending on the type of copper broadband technology customers could access.

Looking at the numbers, it seems likely the drop in satisfaction for Wireless broadband and copper broadband was overlapped with the “demand challenge” caused by Covid-19. As more people worked from home, connected with family online and streamed content, the more we asked of broadband connections with limited bandwidth.

Vodafone spokeswoman Nicky Preston said Chorus’ survey data still showed fixed-wireless coming out ahead of the fastest copper broadband technology, VDSL.

Can I get an improved broadband connection?

If you have been frustrated with the performance of your home wireless broadband we suggest trying some of the simple steps below to improve your home network performance and comparing wireless providers operating in your area. 

If you haven’t checked in a while, it’s worth checking regularly whether you can upgrade to fibre. Although it might feel like a long wait, new fibre connections are constantly being rolled out across the country.  The Government recently announced funding for 367 more Northland homes and businesses to be able to hook up to fibre broadband.  Northpower Fibre will also invest more than $900,000 to expand its ultra-fast broadband fibre network to more homes and businesses around Whangārei, Mangawhai and Dargaville. It’s worth checking your address regularly to see what’s available.

Can I get fibre?

Simple steps to improve your Fixed Wireless Broadband speed

 If Wireless is the only option for you, there are steps you can take to improve your Fixed Wireless Broadband speed. Your internet speed can be significantly slowed by factors inside your home. Most of these can be easily updated or remedied. If wireless broadband is your only option, but you’re still looking for faster internet – try these tips to improve your home internet performance.

1. Compare Wireless Broadband Plans to check that you’re getting the best deal possible. Compare Wireless Broadband
    
2. Test your internet speed. Start by testing your internet speed, to check that you are receiving the sorts of speeds you expect from your plan.  You may find that the actual speed you receive is lower during peak hours when more people are connected to the network.
    
3. Place your modem in a good position. Ideally this should be in a central position, high up in the room. Avoid placing your modem near obstructions like thick walls or large appliances. Moving your modem to a better spot could give your internet speed an immediate boost.
    
4. Check who else in the house is using the broadband connection. The Wireless speed you receive in your home is shared between every person and device in your household. It’s worth checking that no-one else in your home is downloading large amounts of data or streaming. For example, if someone in the house is streaming Netflix, the internet will be slower for everyone else using your connection at the same time. You may need to make a plan with family members to take a break from streaming at certain times of day.
    
5. Try turning everything off an on again. Although this can sound like an IT cop-out, giving everything a reboot can help boost performance of technical appliances. Start with your modem, computer, and any devices that connect to your home network.
    
6. Make sure your PC is healthy. Check for viruses, malware or spyware. These types of malicious programmes can be easily downloaded and installed without your knowledge. In addition to serious damage to your computer or private info, they can lurk in the background significantly slowing down your computer and online activities.
    
7. Clean up your computers and devices: make sure everything is up-to-date by running updates, deleting old or unused apps and programmes, and free up memory by deleting old files.
    
8. Try using a different browser. Download and install the latest version of a new browser. If you we using Firefox, try changing to Internet Explorer or Chrome.

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