All About your broadband speed
Standard broadband speed

You can get up to 40Mb, but the actual speed you’ll get is affected by:

• how far you are from the telephone exchange – the further away you are, the slower it'll be

• whether the exchange has been upgraded – if it has, it'll be faster

• the quality of your phone line – if it's in poor condition, it won't be as fast

• the type of broadband available where you live – in some places, BT's lines don't support speeds of up to 17Mb

How can I check my broadband speed?

We appreciate that in some situations the speed of the connection can be so low making running speed tests seem impossible.

A quick and easy way to check it is to go to mybroadbandspeed.co.uk and follow the steps to run a few tests. If the results are slower than the estimate we gave you when you first signed up, have a look at our problem-solving tips.

What things can slow my broadband?”

• Broadband faults 

Any fault will slow down your broadband, especially if it keeps disconnecting.

• Faults on the line

If there’s a fault on the phone line, you’ll have trouble connectin thg toe Internet.

• Bad weather

Heavy rain and thunderstorms can play havoc with your broadband. They can even damage your equipment permanently. If there’s a really bad storm, it’s a good idea to unplug your broadband router until it’s over.

• Your computer

If you’ve got an old computer (more than three years old), it might be slower because it’s having trouble running the latest software and programs. So when you go online, it seems as if it’s your broadband that’s slow.

• Busy times

Even though our network won’t slow down at peak times, some specific websites might.

How can I get the fastest speed which is possible?

• Leave your router switched on

It’s best to leave it on, even at night. When you switch it off and on a lot, it makes it look like your line’s unstable.

• Check your wi-fi signal

Using wi-fi? If you’ve got a lot of devices connected at the same time, it’ll slow down your connection.  If you’re getting a low signal, try these tips.

• Try not to use phone extension cables

Extension cables can cause interference on the line, which slows down your broadband. It’s better to use wi-fi if your router and computer are too far away from each other to connect with a cable. If you do need to use an extension cable, make sure it’s new, high-quality and as short as possible.

All about your wi – fi signal

Best for wi-fi signal

For the strongest connection, it’s best to put your router:

• out in an open space in your home or office, that's not on the floor

• close to your computer

• away from any thick walls, metal objects or electrical appliances

How do I get rid of interferences?

Your router uses radio signals, which can be interrupted by other electrical appliances in your home. So try and keep your router away from microwaves, Bluetooth devices, cordless phones, fridges and other electrical appliances.

All about your safety and security

Basics for staying safe online

• Always keep your software and apps up to date.

• Do not install any software or apps unless you trust where they've come from.

• Run regular anti-virus and anti-malware scans on your computer or device.

• Use passwords that are not easy for people to guess and do not share them with anyone.

• Do not connect to a wi-fi network that is not secured.

• Be very wary of pop-ups that appear on your screen when you're browsing online.

• Never reply to an email that asks for your password, bank account details or personal information.

How do I secure my wi – fi network?

• Change the name of your network and your wi-fi password to something you’ve chosen yourself.

• Hide your network so it won’t appear on anyone else’s list when they scan for wi-fi hotspots.

• Make sure you’re using a secure connection, like WPA2 (wi-fi protected access).

• Be careful about who you give your password to.

Most secure types of passwords

Steer clear of family names, your birthday, or your phone number. They’re the first 
things people will guess if they’re trying to get into one of your accounts

Don’t use the same password for everything

Keep your password to yourself and change it if you think someone knows what it is

Never send a password in an email

Broadband Engineer Charges

How Much Are The Charges?

They range from £90 to £250 (exclusive of VAT) per visit depending on the reason for the charge and how much work was done by the engineer investigating and trying to fix a fault.

What Determines A Chargeable Visit?

The visit WILL be chargeable if:

The fault is found to be in the End User’s (EU) side. This includes anything past the master phone socket. 
It includes the customer’s router, cables, filter, extension wiring, internal non-BT wiring.

 The fault is found to be voice affecting. If your line doesn’t work for voice calls, then don’t expect it to 
function normally for broadband. Sending a broadband engineer to fix the voice issue is the wrong option.

 The engineer judges that there is ‘no fault is found’ or the line is ‘right when tested’. This is more complicated 
than the connection working or not. We have found cases where the customer believes there is a fault, and can 
demonstrate this to the engineer, but the engineer has not considered the connection to be in a fault state.

 When the engineer attended they couldn’t gain access to the premises. Please note that they are not obliged to call 
you prior to attendance. If a slot of booked it is expected that you are present and ready to accept the engineer.

The visit WON’T be chargeable if:

 If the fault is traced to the BT network, including the copper line, the cabinet and exchange equipment.

How to Avoid a ‘Right When Tested’ Charge?

To avoid a ‘right when tested’ charge, you have to be confident that the engineer will see the connection in a fault condition. This doesn’t always match what the EU considers a fault condition to be.

 

1) Broadband Offline When the engineer removes the End Users (EU) equipment from the phone socket and plugs in their own, if they can’t get sync then there is clearly a fault and the engineer can’t say ‘right when tested’. If the EU cannot get online, but the engineer can get online using his own equipment without any changes having been made, the visit will be chargeable. This is why you must test all EU equipment.

 

2) Broadband Dropping ADSL and FTTC connection do drop and this is normal behaviour. The frequency of dropping determines whether it’s seen in a fault state or not. If it’s dropping once or twice a day, this won’t usually be seen as a fault and the visit will be chargeable, not least because the engineer may not be able to witness the issue. BT themselves give a guideline that connection must be dropping around 10 times per day to be classed as an intermittent fault. Please bear this in mind before booking an engineer.

 

3) Slow Speed Issues The download sync speed has to be a fair way below the predicted speed for the engineer to consider it in a fault condition. To check if there’s a risk of the engineer saying ‘Right When Tested’, please do the following:

 Please put the phone number in question in here: https://www.icuk.net/broadband/internet_checker.asp

 Next check the sync speed of the connection under ‘Sync Profile History’ in the control panel.

 Compare the two speeds. If the sync speed is more than 70% of the predicted speed in the broadband checker, the engineer 
may say there is no speed issue and there may be a ‘Right When Tested’ charge. If the sync speed is over 70% of the predicted 
speed, but the speed the EU is actually getting is much lower, then the issue is likely to be congestion at the exchange. 
Be wary of sending an engineer in these cases. The engineer may test the sync speed as say the connection is fine. 
Only if the throughput really is significantly lower than the sync speed and this can be demonstrated to the engineer 
should you consider an engineer visit.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON UPLOAD SPEEDS: Engineer visits booked to deal with UPLOAD speeds (where download speeds are fine) are nearly always chargeable. The upload speed is not guaranteed and the engineer will only look at slow download speeds.

Phone help

Phone problems

What you need to do firstly if you have problems with you phone?

Checking that:

your phone’s fully charged (if it’s cordless)

all the right wires are plugged into the back of the phone and the phone socket

if your house has a double phone socket, make sure you're using this to connect your broadband

if you don't have a double socket, check that you're using microfilters on all the sockets 
in your house where you have anything connected.

There’s no dial tone

Unplug everything that’s plugged into your phone sockets

Plug a corded phone into the master socket (the master socket’s the first socket where the phone line comes into your home)

Try to make a call

If you then hear a dial tone, there’s no problem with the line itself. The problem’s wiring, microfilters or your equipment. To find out which is the culprit, plug in one device, then check for a dial tone. Repeat this with every device, checking for a dial tone each time, until you find the one that’s causing the problem.

Your line’s too quiet or has a background noise

Unplug everything that’s plugged into your phone sockets

Plug a corded phone into the master socket (the master socket’s the first socket where the phone line comes into your home)

Make a call

If that improves the sound quality, there’s no problem with the line itself. The problem’s your wiring, microfilters or equipment. To find out which is the culprit, plug in one device, then check the sound quality. Repeat this with every device, checking the sound quality each time, until you find the one that’s causing the problem.

You can’t make a call

Unplug everything that’s plugged into your phone sockets

Plug a corded phone into the master socket (the master socket’s the first socket where the phone line comes into your home)

Try to make a call

If you can then make a call, there’s no problem with the line itself. The problem’s wiring, microfilters or your equipment. To find out which is the culprit, plug in one device, then try to make a call. Repeat this with every device, checking if you can still make a call each time, until you find the one that’s causing the problem.

You can’t receive calls or your phone doesen’t ring

Firstly, check that the ringer on your phone’s handset is switched on and the volume’s turned up. Then test it by calling your number from another phone.

When you’ve done that, try these steps.

Unplug everything that’s plugged into your phone sockets

Plug a corded phone into the master socket (the master socket’s the first socket where the phone line comes into your home)

Try to call your phone from another phone

If that fixes the problem, there’s no problem with the line itself. The problem’s wiring, microfilters or your equipment. To find out which is the culprit, plug in one device, then check for a dial tone. Repeat this with every device, checking everything’s working each time, until you find the one that’s causing the problem.

How to stop nuisance calls?

Everything you need to know about getting rid of unwanted calls:

1. Keep your personal info private – a lot of people are in the habit of answering the phone by saying their phone number. A nuisance number might’ve called you at random, so saying your number gives it to the caller. It seems obvious, but by answering the phone with just a ‘hello’, you’re giving nothing away.
2. Use an answerphone or answering service – it’s an easy way to screen calls.
3. Keep voicemail or answerphone messages short – don’t give too much info and never say you can’t take calls because you’re away from home.
4. Change your Phone Book listing – only give away essential info in your listing. If it has anything else, like marital status or gender, it’s best to delete it. To do this, get in touch with us.
5. Use a screening feature like ‘call guardian’ or ‘caller display’ – if your phone’s got a display, you can use it to see who’s calling before deciding whether or not to answer. Some phones come with screening, which means you can find out who is calling before picking up.
6. Set up anonymous call rejection – this will let you block withheld numbers. It’s also called ‘barring’ calls. You can find out more about it in our call features guide.