Great! You have your new fibre connection!

But have you done everything you can to make sure it will deliver the maximum speeds in your premises?

Here are our 5 Top Tips to help you:

Tip 1.  Check what speed you should get

Check with your Internet Service Provider during the sign up process what maximum speed you are likely to get. This will be in ‘megabits per second, often shortened to ‘meg’ and written as Mb. The more megabits per second, the faster the broadband will be.

Tip 2.  Check what speed you do get

Line speeds can take up to a fortnight to stabilise, as the equipment at each end ‘tunes’ itself to deliver the best sustainable speed, so bear this in mind. If you are using a speed tester, remember results can vary between different testers and speeds can be reduced at the busy times of day with some service providers. If you think your internet has slowed down, use a speed tester with a computer plugged directly into the router, to eliminate any bottlenecks caused by your internal wireless or wired network. This should show a speed similar to the prediction you were given when you ordered.

Try www.speedtest.btwholesale.com This is a good way to test the speed for your connection all the way to the Internet Service Provider.

Tip 3: Check your hardware

Your internal wiring, a slow WiFi network, an old computer, an old router – all these things can slow you down. Check each of these.

Most ADSL routers are not suitable for fibre broadband, so if your fibre broadband package does not include a new one, you will need to upgrade.

Check your router settings and re-configure them for fibre broadband. Upgrade all network components to Gigabit speeds.

Avoid radio interference in your home by being sure your router is not close to a TV, mains cables or anything with a motor in it.

Tip 4.  Check your wireless network

Compare speeds you get over your wireless network with speed tests while plugged directly into the router, to see if this is the problem.

Consider splitting the wireless router from the main router/ firewall.

Your wireless network should use an up to date WiFi protocol, - currently ‘802.11n’ although an even faster ‘802.11ac’ is now becoming available.

As you get further away from your wireless router, the signal will weaken. You can extend your network by installing wireless repeaters or wiring additional access points back to your hub or switch.

Tip 5. Check out further guidance online

You can find more detailed information at sites such as these. (www.thinkbroadband.com & www.simplifydigital.co.uk)