broadband speed

[steve15b]

i've had my office located in my garage, just outside the kitchen door for about two years and the  wifi access has never been an issue until recently

router location has not changed

now download speeds are varying wildly. i've used a speed checker and it varies between 1 & 40+mbps but the changes seem random

i can be using the computer and all seems okay and then suddenly it goes slow and when i check the speed its down to 1-2mbps.

try again a few minutes later and its back to normal

only thing to have changed is that i have a new laptop but down see how this can affect wifi speeds

any suggestions welcome 

[Les-Gibson]

The words Wi-Fi and Kitchen may give a clue, microwave ovens in particular can interfere with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi as that's the frequency they operate on. Try turning kitchen appliances and smart plugs off to see if that's the cause 

[steve15b]

hi les & thanks for reply

i'll try your suggestion but what i don't understand is why its  only just started happening

nothing has changed re appliances, locations etc

[Carlusha]

@steve15b  It may be obvious, but have you tried the new laptop/portable located by the router just to check the kitchen appliances are not the cause of your problem?

[Les-Gibson]

Please don't get hung up on the thought that it is a kitchen appliance, that was just my first thought and it's quite possible that the problem lays elsewhere.

Do you know which Wi-Fi band you're connecting on (2.4GHz or 5GHz)

[steve15b]

i assume 2.4 but how would i find out

[Les-Gibson]

Assuming you're running Windows.

• Right Click the Wi-Fi Symbol in the task tray (normally bottom right but is customisable)
• Left Click on "Open Network & Internet Settings
• Left Click on "WiFi" to the left of your screen
• Left Click on your network name (or SSID)
• scroll down the page to "Network Band"

[gg30340]

Are the variable speeds happening across all your devices or is it on one particular device?

If you have a BT Homehub rather than a BT Smarthub, make sure you turn off "Smart Setup" on the Homehub.

It should not be available by default on the BT Smarthubs.

See link how to do that.

https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/what-is-smart-setup-on-the-bt-hub--how-can-i-turn-it-on-and-off-

Have you tried a factory reset of your BT hub by pressing a pin into the recess button on the rear for about 20 seconds. If you do a factory reset, if you have a Homehub remember to turn off "Smart Set up"

Have you checked that the laptop has the most up to date wireless drivers installed. Use the wireless card manufacturer's or the laptop manufacturer's website rather than Windows update., assuming it is a Windows operating system.