WiFi coverage, fibre: how to improve your Internet speed

Have you been experiencing slow Internet connections lately? Would you like to have a bit more speed to enjoy your Netflix series in 4K, or to play online?

To boost your Internet connection, you should first analyse the problems you are experiencing. Then we will suggest some solutions that can improve your speed.

1. The most common Internet speed problems

Most of the time, when you suffer from slowness on your home Internet network, you are faced with these problems:

1. Wifi doesn't go fast enough
2. Internet fibre via Ethernet cable is too slow

There are generally three types of problems that can affect the quality of your Internet connection...

A problem with the Internet

In their commercial offers, Internet providers advertise a maximum theoretical upload and download speed. Unfortunately, these theoretical speeds are rarely achieved in practice. If you look closely at the terms and conditions, you will see that some providers commit to providing speeds of 50%, 70% or 90% of the theoretical maximum speed depending on the time of day.

• Off-peak hours (in the morning and in the afternoon), your speed is normal. For example, it can reach 800 Mbit/sec if you are on fibre with a wired connection.
• During peak hours (early morning and evening), the throughput may be reduced, due to the large number of simultaneous connections on the network. In this case, your fibre speed may drop to 500 Mbit/s or even 300 Mbit/s. However, this is normalThe speeds are still more than sufficient for normal consumption (watching Netflix series, making video calls or playing video games).

Slowdowns in the Internet are therefore perfectly normal: they simply depend on the number of people using the network at the same time.

In the event of a complete Internet blackout Sometimes some providers or parts of the network may experience localised outages. In this case, wait a few minutes to an hour. Check the network status on a site like DownDetector. If the problem is still not solved, do not hesitate to call your supplier's customer service to find out what the problem is.

A problem with your equipment

Are you experiencing slow Internet speeds on your computer or mobile? Then the problem could be with your equipment. First check :

1. Your type of connection: are you connected by Ethernet cable or by Wifi?
   1. If you are connected by cable and the Internet is very slow : check whether other devices in your home are using too much bandwidth (e.g. downloading large files). If this is not the case, it may be a simple network slowdown that should be resolved shortly. If the connection is completely interrupted, check your connections, and call your provider's customer service once you have tried everything: it could be a problem with the fibre cabinet in your building.
   2. If you are on Wifi: there may be interference. Your neighbours' Wi-Fi networks can cause interference to your own home Internet network. Some devices transmitting in the same frequency bands can also aggravate this interference.
2. Your hardware: did you take a normal or high-end modem? In Luxembourg, suppliers offer different types of modems (notably the Fritzbox brand). The more expensive the rental, the better your modem will be, especially in Wifi.

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A problem with the layout of your home (for WiFi connections)

Wifi is made up of electromagnetic waves that carry information between the modem and your computer or telephone. The further away you are from the modem, the lower your throughput will be. But this is not the only factor: any additional obstacle will reduce the strength of your Wifi signal.

Your Wifi connection could be slowed down by :

• Walls and partitions: especially large load-bearing walls, which considerably reduce the signal strength!
• Doors: sometimes a difference can be seen when a door is open or closed
• Other devices emitting a Wifi signal: Neighbours' networks could alter the power of your network, especially if you are transmitting on the same frequency band

So pay close attention to the layout of your home: the room you use to surf the Internet matters! If you are at the other end of your flat, it is normal that you have a low speed.

2. How to boost your Internet connection

To improve the Wifi Internet speed

Here are some tips on how to improve the strength of your Wi-Fi signal:

1. Check that there is not too much competition in your frequency band. Modems emit WiFi waves on specific frequency bands. There are about a dozen of them. If too many neighbours use the same frequency band, there can be conflicts and major slowdowns. To solve this problem :
   1. Download an app on your mobile toanalyse the Wifi frequency bands around you. Locate frequencies that are free or infrequently used.
   2. Go to the settings interface of your modem (from your computer) to change the frequency bands. The URL for the modem's administration site is normally found in the original brochure. You should also be aware that some modems automatically set the frequency bands according to the number of competing networks.
   3. If you don't know how to do it, contact your Internet provider He will be able to tell you what to do. Once you are sure that the problem is not with the frequency bands, you can move on...
2. Make sure your home is fully covered: make a flow test in different parts of your flat, and then locate the rooms where the Internet is particularly slow. This will give you an idea of the Wi-Fi coverage in your home.
3. Increase the range of the Wi-Fi signal: to increase the strength of your signal, there is nothing like a Wifi repeater installed in a strategic location. This will increase the coverage of the Wi-Fi signal and therefore the speed of your Internet connection. However, there are many repeaters available, and you need to know how to position them correctly. To help you, the French consumer protection organisation has drawn up a list of repeaters. a comparison of the available options.
4. Change your equipment: If you have determined that the slow connection is partly due to your model, contact your provider to explain the problem. If there are no technical problems, check out the higher-end modems available for rent. This will give you a more powerful Wi-Fi connection.
5. Change your Internet provider if your slowness or connection problems persist despite your requests to customer service.

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To improve your PC Internet connection

If your computer is connected via an Ethernet cable to your modem and you still experience slowness, here are some tips:

1. Make a flow test to see the problem. If the values are abnormal in relation to the conditions of your Internet subscription, proceed to the next step. However, bear in mind that the speeds advertised on your commercial offer are only theoretical: in practice, download and upload speeds are lower.
2. Make sure there are no problems with your Ethernet cable Try replacing it with another one and then testing your connection speed again.
3. If the problem persists, try restarting your modem. If it still doesn't work, try unplugging it, letting it sit for a few minutes, then plugging it back in.
4. If the problem still persists, contact your supplier: the customer service department will surely be able to help you.
5. If, despite all your efforts, the problem continues, consider changing your Internet provider. You can probably find a better offer on this comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)