MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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So my home internet (provided through plusnet) is often quite slow, takes ages to load up STW for instance. Not great when I am wfh occasionally. I'd like some advice on where to look for the bottleneck. I'm assuming it could either be the broadband speed itself, the router (free plusnet one that I got when first took out the contract with them), the Wi-Fi signal or my laptop. I can use a cable to rule out the Wi-Fi signal, but what about the others - how can I check those are performing as expected?
Any help / tips appreciated.
Thanks.
a ping will show each step in the chain - you then need to identify the servers at each stage.
tbh, it's probably easier for your isp to run a line check and advise (phone when it's running slow) as they have everything setup to do that. I'm with Virgin on cable but they've always been able to narrow any faults down very quickly when I've phoned.
Sounds ... sensible, where's the fun in that?
Are you sure there isn't something running in the background? Microsoft One Drive slowed my wife's laptop right down and Google Drive does occasionally slow mine down.
Well if I look on task manager memory and CPU useage look fairly normal. Beyond that if there's something else I can use to check then please - let me know and I'll try it.
It won't use much memory or CPU so unlikely to flag up. There is a network option on there too. Also have a look at the icons in the bottom right and expand the menu there
Log on to the router, you should be able to see the speed it thinks it's connected at. That'd be a good start.
Run a speed test - http://www.speedtest.net/ - and see if you get wildly different speeds from the above.
Try a wired connection as you say to rule out Wi-Fi issues.
Is the router connected directly into the master phone socket? What do you have in the way of telephone extensions?
a ping will show each step in the chain - you then need to identify the servers at each stage.
Traeroute will be simpler.
tracert 8.8.8.8 at a command prompt. You'll see how long it takes successive servers to respond. On its own it's probably not much help, but will help towards building a bigger picture of what might be happening.
Thanks both, will try those tonight. Router is connected to the main phone line through an ADSL filter.
So we're clear, by "main phone line" you mean the master socket, yes? Where the phone line first comes into the house, into a socket with a split faceplate?
Any extensions connected?
So we're clear, by "main phone line" you mean the master socket, yes? Where the phone line first comes into the house, into a socket with a split faceplate?
Well it's an old house, with loads of defunct wiring that goes nowhere so as sure as I can be yes - it's the first socket.
Any extensions connected?
Only the ADSL filter / splitter with a phone running of it as well.