So you think you have a decent broadband plan but your internet is really slow?
A common issue and the good news here is that most slower-than-usual internet speeds can often be quickly fixed and there are some common solutions to try and boost your internet speed. So before you do anything drastic, follow these simple first steps to see if there’s an easy solution.
Click here and see what your current download and upload speeds are. Now you’ve got an idea of exactly how fast your internet is right now.
Restart your router. Yup. It’s the age-old IT motto: turn it off and on again. Some routers or modems have a reset button somewhere on the back, while others need to be switched off and on with the power button. As a general rule, we just flick the power switch on the wall, completely kill all the power, wait a good 10 seconds and then turn it back on again. Once it’s back up and running, give it a minute or two to connect to the internet before running the speed test again and seeing what it is like now.
You should check your speed on one or two other devices. Quickly grab another computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone and connect it to the same wi-fi connection and run the speed test on that device. Make sure you are in and around the same location to ensure the minimum number of variables change and see what the results from that are.
…Any quicker?
Yes? So the problem seems to be your device. Might be time for an upgrade I’m afraid.
No, pretty much the same? Ok... So next step...
You should go get an Ethernet cable and connect it to your device. Internet connections are always faster when they’re wired, so grab an ethernet cable and a device with an ethernet port - like a laptop or a PC - and connect it directly to your router. Now do another speed test.
Do you see much improvement in speed when you plug in?
Yes? Then the problem is with your wifi… so click here for some tips to overcome problems with your wi-fi.
No? Then the problem is either coming from your router or your broadband plan itself is not suitable for your needs.
Just contact a member of our team of experts by calling 0508 2COMPARE (0508 226672), use our online chat (you can open it by clicking on the little button on the right-hand side), or drop us an email at hello@broadbandcompare.co.nz and we'll get right back to you!
If every one of the above steps failed to solve your broadband speed problem, then most likely, the issue is with your broadband plan then here is some more information on how to get faster broadband coming into your property.
When it comes to your home broadband connection, for the majority of households in New Zealand there are a number of different broadband options available. If broadband is important to you and speed's what you need, if you have the opportunity available, then we would always say that fibre optic broadband is the way to go - but a regular ADSL or VDSL connection is often more than enough. Here's what you need to know about the different broadband connection types:
Comes entirely through the copper broadband/telephone network, which isn't hugely efficient. Advertised speeds in New Zealand generally hover between 'up to 24Mbps', but you'll likely see an average of about 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speed. This is plenty for emailing, surfing the web and checking social media. But remember, the copper network was designed for carrying our voices back and forth, not for you to stream the latest episode of Game of Thrones.
Heaps faster than ADSL! Depending on your line quality, you could get download speeds of up to 70Mbps and upload speeds up to 10Mbps. There are a number of factors involved such as the condition of the copper cables and the distance from the nearest cabinet. The closer you are to the cabinet – the better.
Ultrafast Fibre speeds are generally listed by Upload/Download speeds, for example, 100/30. This lists the download speed and then the upload speed. An example, Ultrafast Fibre Broadband 30/10, the service has the ability to deliver Fibre speeds up to 30mbps downstream and usually 10mbps upstream. Ultrafast Fibre 100/20 has the ability to deliver Fibre speeds up to 100mbps downstream and 20mbps upstream. Fibre 200/20 can provide 200Mbps downstream and 20Mbps upstream. Gigabit Fibre Broadband 1000/500 can provide an amazing 1000Mbps downstream and 500Mbps upstream.
Actual speeds will be affected by various factors including NZ and overseas networks, the website that you are viewing, your modem/router and computer technology, internal home wiring and other environmental factors. These factors affect ADSL and VDSL connections (older copper connections) much more than fibre.
If you’ve tried our tips for finding why things are slow and you do need to switch then go ahead and compare broadband types and broadband providers here on Broadband Compare.
There are now a large number of ISP’s in New Zealand offering Gigabit speed connections and advertising download speeds of 1Gbps – that’s 1000 Mbps… i.e. pretty bloody fast! It's certainly not the cheap broadband option, but if it's pure speed you want, it's most certainly the one for you – perfect for large households streaming on different devices or gamers, it really is the future of connectivity!
Some of our preferred and recommended Gigabit Fibre Broadband providers in NZ include – Orcon, MyRepublic and Stuff Fibre. You can check out all the NZ Gigabit broadband plans here.
Basically, if you want really fast download and upload speeds you now have more choice than ever before. That's presuming, of course, you can get fibre broadband – you can check that here - not everyone can get fibre but VDSL is a great alternative and there are some VDSL plans that deliver up to 70 Mbps like the MyRepublic Boost VDSL plan. Fibre is still a relatively new technology and is being rolled out over the coming years until 2019 - use our address checker to see if fibre broadband is available at your property and in our opinion if you can get it… you should.
