How can I improve my broadband speed?

The plan you’re on will determine what broadband speed you get (measured in megabits per second or Mb/s). You could be on one of six* different plans:

*not all of these plans are available to new customers.

We’ll have estimated what speeds to expect when you joined.

> Find out what speed you’re getting

Do you only get slow speeds when you’re connected using WiFi? Try connecting your device to your router using an Ethernet cable and re-check the speed.

If that speeds things up, it may be a WiFi problem.

> See how you can improve your WiFi speed and signal

If you can hear a noise on the line when using the phone or calls are cutting off, there could be a problem with your line.

> See how to fix home phone faults

Or check if there are problems in your area by typing your postcode into the Openreach network status checker.

Are any of the lights on your router indicating a fault? If so, check our guide for help with faulty connections.

If you've got a Smart Hub, see the lights guide to check what your lights mean.

If they are, check if you’ve set up your router correctly. If you've got a Smart Hub, see our set-up guide.

1. Connect to the master socket in the house to get the fastest and most stable speeds (it’ll usually look like one of the sockets below).

2. Use a filter. If your master socket has a single socket like the one below, make sure you use a filter. This clever box makes sure that the phone and broadband signals don’t interfere with each other.

You can buy broadband filters if you need to (you'll need an ADSL filter for standard broadband or a VDSL for Fibre Broadband). It can take three days to see any difference in your broadband speed once a filter's fitted.

3. Is it all plugged in correctly?

If you have a master socket with a single socket, your router set-up should look like this:

Or, if you have a dual socket, it should look like this:

Or, if you have a Smart Hub:

Check your Openreach set-up if you've got a Fibre Max 1 or Fibre Max 2 plan

Ensure your Openreach modem is connected to your Smart Hub router using the ethernet cable provided (red connectors).

The cable needs to be inserted into the “LAN” port on the Openreach modem and the red WAN port on the Smart Hub.

The grey broadband cable should be connected from your master socket to the DSL port on the Openreach modem.