The quality and speed of the Internet are affected by many factors. To get access to the global network, users use the services of various providers that provide Internet services to subscribers. It will be useful for each subscriber to find out what determines the speed of the Internet in an apartment, country house, or office. If you have noticed problems with the Internet connection and are looking for the best speed test in the UK, this article will allow you to understand what speed depends on and in what cases it should be measured.
Factors That Affect The Speed of a Wireless Wi-Fi Internet Connection
The speed of a wireless Wi-Fi Internet connection is affected by several factors. The speed can be affected by user actions, as well as certain problems on the provider’s side.
Wireless Internet speed depends on:
- Technology. The working wireless network standard that is used by the network equipment and adapter can significantly reduce the speed of the connection. Outdated equipment models using old communication standards will provide the user with no more than 20 Mbps of speed.
- Operating frequency. A universal dual-band router allows you to organise a wireless Internet space both at a frequency of 2.4 GHz and in the 5 GHz band. In the latter case, the owner will get a significant improvement in Internet speed.
- Action zone. In a large area of an apartment or a private house, thick walls can degrade the speed of the Internet signal. In this case, the user needs to think about purchasing equipment with increased power or connecting a signal amplifier.
- Accommodation. Mounting the device in a shield, a metal cabinet greatly dampens the power of the signal transmitted via Wi-Fi.
- Third-party interference. Noise and interference coming from the surrounding network equipment at the same operating frequency affect the quality, stability, and speed of the Internet signal.
Internet Connection Via Cable
With a cable connection, the speed of the Internet depends on the quality and stability of the connection, as well as the equipment of the client and the service provider. When using a fibre optic line, the performance will be significantly higher than the same figure for twisted pair cables.
This is due to the maximum bandwidth of the cable:
- a twisted pair cable with 4 cores provides the user with an Internet connection speed of up to 100 Mbps;
- fibre optic cable provides access to the global network at speeds up to 1000 megabits per second. Moreover, the length of the wire can reach 100 metres.
To use high-speed Internet, you must have a gigabit port on the equipment of the provider and the subscriber. To use optical Internet, you need to buy a special router model equipped with a suitable fibre optic connector.
Such an Internet should be treated with great care, due to such shortcomings:
- optical fibre cable is subject to mechanical damage, which is then difficult to eliminate;
- failure of the signal receiver at one subscriber in the entrance will block the Internet signal for all users connected to this receiver;
- subscribers using one fibre optic cable can easily access information contained on another subscriber’s personal computer.
In addition, the service provider allows the use of branded network equipment with a standard set of options.
Mobile Internet Speed 3G, 4G
The speed of mobile Internet is constantly changing its value, which can be seen when testing using popular online services. Various external factors, third-party interference, as well as obstacles, affect this indicator. There are many tools for testing internet speed in the UK.
However, professionals identify a number of factors that can significantly reduce the quality of the connection:
- Distance. Distance from the station directly affects the speed. The subscriber’s mobile device, including a tablet or laptop, may show a connection to the 4th generation network, but in fact, the data transfer rate is much lower than expected.
- Physical barriers. Residents of large cities face them daily. A large number of houses and metal structures create barriers to the Internet signal, increasing its loss.
- Load. This parameter may affect the quality of the Internet connection if the allowed number of connected users to the tower is exceeded. This parameter should be considered especially in the evening.
- Device characteristics. The speed of data exchange on the network can also be affected by the parameters of the user’s devices, including smartphones, laptops, etc.
The creation of new technologies and their implementation by various telecommunications companies contributes to the development of new network equipment with improved technical characteristics. This allows you to increase the stability of the Internet connection, and increase bandwidth.
What Determines The Speed of Downloading From The Internet
Every day, users download thousands of gigabytes of content. However, this process does not always go smoothly. The following factors affect the download speed of files:
- provider restrictions;
- the speed limit on the part of the Internet resource used;
- incorrect browser settings;
- high PC system load.
To remove restrictions from the mobile operator, the user needs to activate an additional service or select a different tariff. Using the maximum download speed on sites will allow you to purchase a premium account. Correcting your Internet browser settings will speed up loading by increasing the return rate, and disabling applications running in the background will help to cope with increased system load.
Final Thoughts
If you have a weak mobile signal or a complete loss of signal inside your building or home, installing a mobile phone booster can help improve indoor signal reception and transmission. It is important to note that a Wi-Fi booster can help improve Wi-Fi coverage and signal, but it cannot increase the internet speed provided by your ISP. If you have limited internet speed from your ISP, a Wi-Fi booster will only help spread that speed over a larger area. If you are looking for the best speed test in the UK to understand your mobile connection parameters and improve them, we recommend that you contact UCtel. The company provides services to improve the mobile communication signal with the help of amplifiers for customers of various operators, including O2, Tesco, Virgin, and others.