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How to improve your broadband speed

  • The Access Line or Connection speed is the speed of your connection between the local telephone exchange and the Sky wireless router. This is the speed that Sky Broadband is able to provide into your home rather than the actual speeds that you experience when online.

     

    When you purchase Sky Broadband, we provide you with an estimate of the maximum Access Line speed that your line can support and confirm this in a letter. You can also view your speed estimate by signing in to My Sky and checking the Service Details page under My Broadband, or entering your telephone number into our availability checker.

     

    To check the actual Access Line/Connection speed of your Sky Broadband, follow our step-by-step guide.

    • Check your phone line

      Pick your up your phone receiver and listen. A clear dial tone means everything's ok, but if you hear crackling or silence, then contact your phone provider - this could be the reason you can't connect to the internet.

    • Check your power cables

      Check that your computer and Sky router are securely connected to one another and that both machines are connected to a power supply and turned on.

    • Move your computer away from other electrical equipment

      Electrical equipment such as TVs and street lights can cause interference that affects your internet connection. This is quite rare but should be considered if your telephone line is ok and your security software isn't preventing web access. Does your connection appear and disappear when electrical equipment is turned on or off? Are you only having problems at certain times of the day? Ask your neighbour if their internet connection is affected - if you're both having problems at the same time, it could be a problem with street lamps or other devices.

    • Tips to improve your Actual Throughput Speed

      Change your security software settings

      • Programmes running in the background may slow your browsing experience. As well as those you have not chosen to run, viruses or other programs trying to track your online activity for marketing purposes may be running on your machine without your knowledge. Please use the anti-spyware features of your Sky Security centre to remove them.
      • If you are using the McAfee Internet Security Suite that comes with Sky Broadband, check that your Privacy Service is not set to "Reject all Cookies" as this can stop you accessing some websites. To check, double-click the McAfee Security Centre icon on your desktop and select Privacy Service from the main menu.

      Clear your history

      • If you've been using the internet a lot, for a long time, your cache of web pages may be full – have a look at the How do I clear my browser cache? page for help resolving this.

      Check your telephone line and power connections

      • Make sure that your Sky Broadband router is correctly connected to your broadband phone socket. The power supply may not be reaching your equipment. Please check that your router and computer are both securely connected to their power sources.

      Browse outside the peak period

      • Your speed may reduce significantly during the peak period from 5pm to 12am. If you want to download large programs or files, try doing this overnight or at a different time of the day.

    • Reboot your browser

      Try closing your browser, switching off your router, waiting 20 seconds, rebooting your router and opening your browser. This may sound simple, but if often repairs a slow or intermittent internet connection!


      Some websites are bigger, and take longer to load, or suddenly become very popular, which can cause delays even if you have a fast connection. The maximum download speed to your computer also depends on general internet traffic, how far you live from the exchange and our contention ratio. You may prefer to download large files and programs overnight.

    • Ensure Microfilters are being used

      Microfilter

      Microfilters allow your broadband, telephones and Sky boxes to use one phone line without interfering with one another. You’ll need a Microfilter for every telephone socket that has a device connected to it unless your master socket is already fitted with a filtered faceplate.

      Your wireless router comes with two Microfilters - if you need more you can email us. You'll need to sign in using your Sky iD and then choose "Sky Broadband microfilter issue" from the Subject drop-down menu.


      Microfilters

      It's vital that a Microfilter is the first thing plugged into each telephone socket - no other connectors, Splitters or devices should be directly connected to a telephone socket - every one should be connected via a Microfilter.

      Microfilters

      1. Make sure that a Microfilter is the first thing connected to each telephone socket you use. Don't forget the one your Sky box plugs into. Check that if you are using an Extension socket that you only have a Microfilter at one end of the cable, not at both ends (Fig. 1)
      2. It's important that a Microfilter is the first thing plugged into each telephone socket - no other connectors, splitters or devices should be directly connected to a telephone socket. Connect all other devices that need a phone socket (e.g. phone, gaming consoles) to the Microfilter socket marked PHONE
      3. Plug one end of the grey cable to the microfilter marked MODEM and the other end of the cable to the back of your Sky router marked ADSL (Fig. 2 & Fig. 3)
       

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