By: Les Roberts, Content Manager at Bionic

Most of us use the internet at some stage, whether as an essential tool for running our business, for online shopping, or simply scrolling social media. Whatever the reason, we all know how annoying slow internet speed can be.

And even though internet speeds are getting faster and faster, online searches for things like ‘internet down’ or ‘broadband down’ have increased by 400% since 2015. This is probably because we’re all using more online services than ever before, but that’s no consolation if you find yourself suffering with buffering or unable to get online at all.

To help make your internet as reliable as possible and cut the chance of an internet outage, the business comparison experts at Bionic have pulled together the most common causes of slow connection speeds along with some ways to put things right.

What is slowing down your internet speed?

There are loads of things that can slow down your internet speeds, but here are some of the most common causes:

•       Your router is old and running out of date software
•       Your router isn’t in the right place
•       There are too many devices connected to your router at once
•       Your broadband package isn’t providing the speeds you need

What can you do to speed up your internet?

If you don’t think your broadband is quite up to speed, run a speed test using a site like speedtest.net, which is one of the easiest and quickest ways to test the speed and performance of your connection.

Although what makes a slow internet speed will depend upon how you use the internet, if your download speeds are less than 25Mbps, it’s probably running too slow for business broadband.

• If it’s too slow, there are a few simple steps you can take to help put things right:
• Move your router to a more central position so equal signal can reach as many devices as possible
• Make sure nothing is blocking your router (say it’s stuck behind a cabinet) and, if possible, keep it away from external walls
• Make sure your broadband deal offers sufficient bandwidth for the way you use the internet and the number of devices you connect at once
• If you have an old router, get in touch with your internet provider to get a more up to date one (it’s worth doing this even if your speeds are fine, as an out-of-date router can be a security risk)

To see other reasons why your speeds could be slow, along with more ways to put things right, check out this Bionic blog –Why is my internet so slow? How to speed up your businesses internet connection.

How can I choose the right broadband package?

It’s always worth spending time researching different providers and what they offer for your money before you decide to switch.

Different internet providers offer different deals, and you should think about a few things when researching, these are:

1.     The type of internet user you are (do you mostly use for work or personal?)
2.     Your area and what is available there
3.     How long you ideally want a contract for
4.     If you want any add-ons (like TV or phone line etc)
5.     How important broadband speed is
6.     How much date you usually use
7.     How you usually connect to the internet

How do I switch my broadband provider?

Researching deals and comparing broadband providers can be a pain – not only do you need to sift through dozens of results, you’ll need to cut through all the jargon, including bandwidth, download, speeds, upload speeds, and all the other tech talk.

That’s why it makes sense to let the tech-enabled experts at Bionic compare business broadband to find the right deal from a panel of quality broadband providers. They’ll cut through the jargon to make sure you get the speeds you need and help you save time by handling the switch for you.