Slow broadband at home: what to check first

Find where the slowdown starts before spending money.

The answer in 2 lines. Check whether the problem affects one device or everything at home. Restart the affected device and, following its instructions, your router. Compare Wi-Fi performance near the router with a computer connected directly by Ethernet. Pause downloads and other heavy activity while testing. Keep the results and compare them with the personalised speeds in your contract. Slow performance over a cable needs investigation; it does not, by itself, prove the outside line is faulty.

The first checks

Try another device and another website. A single slow device or service does not establish a broadband fault.
Restart the affected device and follow your router's restart instructions. Avoid repeatedly switching the router off.
Connect a suitable computer directly to the router with an Ethernet cable and pause other internet activity.
Record the result, time and connection method, then compare them with your contract's expected and minimum guaranteed speeds.

Stop: danger

Damaged electrical equipment: stop using a router or power adaptor with exposed wiring, scorching or a burning smell. Disconnect it only if safe and ask for a replacement; do not open it.

Make the comparison useful

Test the same task on different devices: opening a page, watching a video or making a call. Then compare the affected device near the router and in its usual room. If Ethernet works well but Wi-Fi does not, investigate reception before changing your broadband package.

Use Ofcom's broadband speed guidance to understand wired testing and minimum guarantees. Ask your provider which diagnostic test it accepts, run it as instructed and save the results. A coverage prediction is not a measurement of your current service.

Check the simple things at home

Background activity: pause large downloads, cloud backups and streaming on other devices while comparing performance.
Router position: put it in the open, off the floor and away from thick walls, radiators and other electrical equipment.
Connections: check accessible plugs are seated properly. Follow the equipment instructions; do not open wall sockets or dismantle a fibre connection.
Updates: keep the device, browser and router software supported and up to date.

The Ofcom practical checklist explains these checks; work through the points that match your connection type.

What not to do

Buying a Wi-Fi extender before checking whether the wired connection is also slow.
Treating one wireless test as proof that your provider has broken its speed promise.
Factory-resetting the router without knowing how to restore the connection and your settings.

What to ask your provider

Explain which devices are affected, whether Ethernet is also slow and when the problem happens. Ask for remote diagnostics, your personalised minimum guaranteed download speed and a written fault reference. Ask whether the router, cable or test device could limit the result before accepting a conclusion about the line.

Under the voluntary scheme described in Ofcom's speed code guidance, participating providers must offer a penalty-free exit where a qualifying network speed problem cannot be fixed within 30 days. Check participation and the applicable conditions; poor Wi-Fi in a distant room does not automatically qualify.

If the fault remains unresolved

Make a formal complaint and keep its reference, your test records and the remedy requested. Under the rules current in 2026, you can normally take an unresolved complaint to free alternative dispute resolution after six weeks, or earlier with a deadlock letter.

Use Ofcom's dispute resolution page to identify your provider's scheme and follow its submission link. Attach the correspondence and evidence. This telecoms route applies in England and across the UK, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Good to know

A fast package cannot remove every limit caused by walls, devices or Wi-Fi reception.
Write down whether each result came from Ethernet or Wi-Fi; the distinction matters when reporting a fault.
Keep your contract information and complaint correspondence together so another adviser can follow the problem.

Illustrative example: in Leeds, Aisha's video calls freeze in the spare room. The same laptop works well beside the router and over Ethernet. She moves the router out from behind a cabinet and tests again before buying equipment or changing her contract.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 5 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for Ofcom's testing advice, conditional speed-code protection and current complaint route; medium for identifying a particular fault without equipment diagnostics. No national speed average is used as a promise for an individual home.