Virgin Media has issued a fresh email alert to UK homes and it’s worth taking notice if your broadband speeds don’t feel up to scratch. The popular Internet Service Provider (ISP) reckons a very simple trick can offer instant improvements and it only takes a minute of your time. It may sound way too easy but just switching your router off and back on again can work wonders for your connection.
“If you find your broadband is unusually sluggish, the first port of call should be to power cycle your Virgin Media Hub – in other words, the classic “turn it off and on again” method,” explained Virgin in a message seen by Express.co.uk.
“It might seem simplistic, but power cycling your Hub (especially if it hasn’t been done in some time) can help to clear the Hub’s memory and CPU of older and no longer needed data and processing.”
So how do you give things a reboot and how long does it take?
It’s pretty simple to restart your internet hub. On the back of that flashing black box Virgin supplies for your Wi-Fi is a switch. Flick it to the off position and wait for at least 10 seconds – or a minute if you have time.
Virgin recommends that, while you’re waiting, check over your equipment for faulty or damaged cables, which can cause problems with your network and slow down your internet speed. Also make sure your cables are tightly connected to the hub (finger-tight is all that is required, do not over-tighten as this could break the connector).
Once the time has passed, turn your router back on again.
It’s worth noting that it can take a while for everything to reboot and start working again – up to 10 minutes – so make sure you don’t need the web, are waiting for an important email or need to make a video call to the office.
Once you’ve restarted your network, things should feel a lot more stable but if you still aren’t getting the speeds you think you’re paying for it’s worth checking you don’t have Wi-Fi issues.
The easiest way to find out if Virgin is letting you down or if you have issues around the home is to run a quick speed test – Google and Ookla both offer this service for free – using a wireless connection and write down the result.
Next, get your laptop and plug it directly into the router using an Ethernet cable. Run the same speed test and if things are much faster you know it’s your wireless connection that’s poor rather than the actual broadband coming in through the walls.
There are plenty of things to try to make your Wi-Fi better including making sure your router isn’t blocked, keeping it away from mirrors and avoiding placing near baby monitors, microwaves and even fish tanks.