Uswitch Broadband Expert Nick Baker has revealed why the Internet has slowed down, particularly while many more people are working from home, stream movies and play online games.
There are many reasons why the Internet has become slower, and these are drawn out in ‘The Bandwidth Britain Report‘, which comes from Uswitch. The headline figure reveals that 35 percent of broadband users in the UK are dealing with slower speeds during lockdown.
Nick Baker identifies one key reason for the general slowdown of the Internet: “Google Stadia, Disney Plus and Netflix are some of the top congestion-causing apps, with Google Stadia using 4.5GB bandwidth data per hour.”
Top 10 Bandwidth-Busting Apps
1. Google Stadia – 4.50GB per hour
2. FuboTV – 3GB per hour
3. Nvidia GeForce Now – 2GB per hour
4. Soundcloud – 1.65GB per hour
5. iHeartRadio – 1.65GB per hour
6. Disney Plus – 1.50GB per hour
7. Tidal – 1.27GB per hour
8. Apple Music – 1GB per hour
9. Netflix – 1GB per hour
10. Amazon Prime Video – 0.8GB per hour
To address this, Baker offers: “My top tip for speeding up a sluggish connection is to try disconnecting any devices from the Wi-Fi when you’re not using them. Other wireless appliances in your home may be affecting your Wi-Fi connection, for example, baby monitors, cordless phones, fluorescent lights or even your microwave oven.”
In addition Baker suggests:
Have you tried using a cable?
Routers usually have an Ethernet cable socket in the back of the device so you can connect directly to them. Try using this and running the speed test again to see if you get faster results. Again, keep a note of these speeds.
Have you checked for interference on your phone line?
Purchase some microfilters or get them from your provider. Plug them into every phone socket in your house as they split the broadband and phone signals so they don’t interfere with one another.
Carry out a broadband speed test
This is so you can see just what speeds you’re getting. Try doing this at different times during the day and take a screenshot or a note of the result.
Check and see if your browser software is up to date.
Having the latest version of your browser can really help speed up the way web pages load.
