With more people within each household are at home during the day, and trying to all get online at the same time can slow your connection. This can have an effect on your connection to University resources and being able to use Teams for meetings and video calling.

Here are some top tips from ICT to get the most from your broadband.

• • Don’t access internet based services via Cloud Desktop or VPN. Only use VPN and cloud desktop when you need to access a system that is only available via that option. If you use email, Office365, Teams and other services via Cloud Desktop or VPN they will be slower.
  • Create a household schedule. Other household members streaming music, video, etc will have an impact on your internet connection. Try setting up a schedule of when films, online gaming etc. can be accessed. Most streaming companies have now limited quality to standard definition, but this will still have an impact.
  • Move your router away from other devices. Cordless phones, baby monitors, halogen lamps, dimmer switches, stereos, speakers, TVs and monitors can all affect your signal if they’re too close to your router. What’s more, surprisingly microwave ovens can also reduce wifi signals.
  • Turn off wifi on devices you’re not using. The more devices connected to your wifi, the slower the speed you’ll get. So check the tablets and smartphones you’re not using, as these are often always on in the background.
  • Go for a wired connection if you can. For the best speed, wired connections are faster than connecting over wifi. So if you can, use an Ethernet cable.
  • Plug your router directly into your main phone socket. It’s also worth plugging ‘microfilters’ into every phone socket – these are the little white boxes that split the phone and broadband signals.
  • Know how to contact your internet service provider (ISP). If you have never had to reboot your home router find the instructions on how to do it and the ISP’s service desk contact details from your ISP’s website. If you wait until you have a problem you may not be able to access the internet to find the details.