Broadband being slowed down?

randers

A while ago I read that broadband could be slowed down deliberately (bandwidth being constrained) so that with so many working from home everyone would get a more equal slice of the pie. And even if it wasn't done deliberately, the high volume of use would have that result anyway. Fro the performance of mine it's certainly slower than it was.
First have others noticed this too?  And secondly if that's the case then many of us will be getting a poorer service than we contracted to, and are paying for.

Now I recognise that this is just how it is and am not wanting to demand 'give me my download speeds' at the cost of other, possibly much more important, calls on the services but, if it's slower whether deliberately or not, then ISPs should be adjusting peoples' bills downward accordingly. Everyone shouldn't have to individually question them and go through a load of checks then raise complaints if the ISPs are already fully aware that services are not as advertised. And as charged for.
But first things first - is it general, this slowing down of b/band?

poppy12345

I haven't noticed any difference with mine. Infact, i've just done a speed test and achieved 111mb through wifi.

daKlone

I would say that it would be very difficult to judge whether a 'slowdown' was due to action by the ISP ('bandwidth throttling') or simply more bandwidth being used by everyone (and their kids!) being at home.

You'd be best off talking to your ISP, and if they are one of the many who have signed-up to OFCOMs code of practise, if your speed is low because of them they must fix it within 30 days or allow you to change ISPs without penalty.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/broadband-speeds-code-practice

epm-84

Is there any fair usage policy in your contract?  You might normally be well under the amount where they could cap your speed but in the current circumstances you may have used a lot more data and have gone over it.

SnowTiger

randers said:

A while ago I read that broadband could be slowed down deliberately (bandwidth being constrained) so that with so many working from home everyone would get a more equal slice of the pie. And even if it wasn't done deliberately, the high volume of use would have that result anyway. Fro the performance of mine it's certainly slower than it was.
First have others noticed this too?  And secondly if that's the case then many of us will be getting a poorer service than we contracted to, and are paying for.

Now I recognise that this is just how it is and am not wanting to demand 'give me my download speeds' at the cost of other, possibly much more important, calls on the services but, if it's slower whether deliberately or not, then ISPs should be adjusting peoples' bills downward accordingly. Everyone shouldn't have to individually question them and go through a load of checks then raise complaints if the ISPs are already fully aware that services are not as advertised. And as charged for.
But first things first - is it general, this slowing down of b/band?

I haven't noticed any slowing down of my Internet.

The UK generally has oodles of free capacity, therefore it's unlikely to be an issue.

How has the slowing down of your internet speed manifested itself?

There may be a local problem affecting the reliability of your Internet connect.  Someone in another forum mentioned WiFi problems, which appears to be linked to their old router: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6132573/wifi-problems-since-lockdown/p1.

Fire_Fox

Aren't broadband speeds usually (?always) contracted as "up to"? No obvious change here: but my city centre has far fewer active businesses than usual and a good chunk of the residents do not have home broadband.

ISPs have lifted data caps, are offering free landline or mobile telephone minutes, and are helping some of the many lower income 'digitally excluded' households get connected. I would rather have that than a no-effort refund for a possible slowdown that had not affected me anyway. It's saddening how many school-age children, college students and single adults now have minimal social interaction or communication with their peers and feel very lonely.

epm-84

Fire_Fox said:

It's saddening how many school-age children, college students and single adults now have minimal social interaction or communication with their peers and feel very lonely.

The positive thing is that even compared to 15 years ago it's possible to do much more with the Internet.  With a Playstation 2 if you wanted to play against someone else they needed to be in the same room as you.  While if you wanted to communicate with your friend picture messaging was seen as advanced, never mind being able to make a video call.

Thrugelmir

Netflix has agreed to reduce streaming quality to cut it's traffic by 25%. 

Fire_Fox

epm-84 said:

Fire_Fox said:

It's saddening how many school-age children, college students and single adults now have minimal social interaction or communication with their peers and feel very lonely.

The positive thing is that even compared to 15 years ago it's possible to do much more with the Internet.  With a Playstation 2 if you wanted to play against someone else they needed to be in the same room as you.  While if you wanted to communicate with your friend picture messaging was seen as advanced, never mind being able to make a video call.

We are a nation of 'haves' and 'have nots' in this respect.

I was thinking particularly the loneliness, absence of social interaction and communication for those who do not have home broadband/ who are 'digitally excluded' as referred to in a couple of earlier sentences (apologies that was unclear). That is down to lack of ready cash and/ or computer skills and/ or not realising what they might be missing and/ or poor credit history so refused a contract.

I have long since been aware how prevalent this is in lower income single adult households, but had not appreciated that it was rife in families in deprived areas too until the issue for some schools in London was on the news recently.

epm-84

Fire_Fox said:

epm-84 said:

Fire_Fox said:

It's saddening how many school-age children, college students and single adults now have minimal social interaction or communication with their peers and feel very lonely.

The positive thing is that even compared to 15 years ago it's possible to do much more with the Internet.  With a Playstation 2 if you wanted to play against someone else they needed to be in the same room as you.  While if you wanted to communicate with your friend picture messaging was seen as advanced, never mind being able to make a video call.

We are a nation of 'haves' and 'have nots' in this respect.

Still the 'have nots' from 15 years ago are generally better off than the 'have nots' now.  15 years ago a 'have not' may have had no Internet access at all, now they likely have a mobile which can access the Internet even if they can't use a lot of data due to the costs involved.

Lockdown or no lockdown they'll be 'have nots' who miss out on things which others have.

[Deleted User]

My (nowhere near professional) suspicion is that if more people in your house are using the broadband then it will be slower. I’d follow Ofcom’s broadband speed improvement information. If nothing works then I’d contact your ISP and see if you can get anywhere.