Manage your network
Take back control – by monitoring and managing your home network.
Having problems with your Wi-Fi network? Unreliable online calls or stuttering video? Then it’s worth taking a look at the devices and services that are using your network. The first place to start is with your broadband connection. Bear in mind that even basic video streaming on Netflix requires a speed of 3Mbps, going up to 25Mbps for 4K video.
A family of four who are working from home, homeschooling the kids, and then bingeing on Netflix, Fortnite, and YouTube are going to need all the broadband they can get. Some basic broadband providers can only offer about 10Mbps, but you can get 100Mbps (or more) broadband that will easily handle all your digital desires.
Unfortunately, this is a bit of a postcode lottery so you’ll need to enter your details into a broadband checker site to see what you can get.
Prioritise and throttle
Whatever speed your connection is, there are other steps you can take. Many routers now include apps that can show all your connected devices, and can even monitor their daily internet usage.
Some apps also allow you to prioritise services such as video or gaming, or to “throttle” individual devices so they can’t hog all the bandwidth. Apple devices also have a special feature called “content caching” that speeds up tasks such as downloading and installing iOS or macOS updates. So check out our quick guide (opposite) to manage your home network and your bandwidth-hungry devices.