Is the whole connection offline?
Yes: check broadband down, router lights and full fibre ONT lights. No: continue to Wi‑Fi and speed checks.
Connection checksBroadband Issue Hub
Fix the problem behind the speed test result
Speed matters, but reliability matters too. Use this hub to diagnose dropouts, unstable Wi‑Fi, packet loss, lag spikes and buffering, then run a LinkSpeed test to check download speed, upload speed, ping and jitter.
Start here
Choose the symptom that sounds closest
Pick one of the three simple routes first. This keeps the hub useful for non-technical users before they scan the full troubleshooting guide list below.
My connection drops completely
Router lights change, several devices go offline, Wi‑Fi disconnects or the broadband line appears down.
Start with dropouts, broadband down and full fibre ONT checks
My internet works, but it is very slow
Pages, downloads, streaming or Wi‑Fi feel sluggish even though the connection is still online.
Start with slow broadband, slow upload, Wi‑Fi and buffering checks
My speeds look fine, but games or calls lag
Download speed looks acceptable, but gaming, video calls, remote work or streaming still feels unstable.
Start with ping, jitter, packet loss, lag spikes and bufferbloat
Quick diagnostic route
Follow the if/then route before choosing a guide
Is only Wi‑Fi affected?
Yes: test near the router, compare rooms and check router position. No: test speed and upload on more than one device.
Wi‑Fi checksIs speed OK but gaming or calls lag?
Yes: check ping, jitter, packet loss and loaded latency. No: follow the slow broadband or streaming route.
Latency checksDoes the issue happen during uploads or downloads?
Yes: check bufferbloat and router queueing. No: check device, router or provider-specific faults.
Bufferbloat checksBroadband Troubleshooting Guides
Pick the closest broadband issue below. This hub is deliberately issue-led; each guide page then uses a consistent symptoms, causes, validation and resolution structure.
Connection and Wi‑Fi problems
Wi‑Fi connected but no internet
Your device shows Wi‑Fi bars, but websites, apps or streaming still will not load.
Open guide
Broadband down
No internet on several devices, router status looks wrong, or the whole connection appears offline.
Open guide
Internet keeps dropping
Random disconnects, router drops or devices going offline.
Open guide
Wi‑Fi unstable
Weak wireless signal, interference or room-by-room problems.
Open guide
Best router position
Router placement, cupboards, TVs, corners or low positions may be weakening Wi‑Fi before it reaches rooms.
Open guide
Walls blocking Wi‑Fi
Brick, concrete, foil insulation, floors or metal objects may be causing weak rooms and dead zones.
Open guide
Broadband disconnecting
The whole connection cuts out, router lights change or wired and wireless devices drop together.
Open guide
Internet slow at night
Everything feels worse in the evening, especially streaming, gaming or large downloads.
Open guideLatency, packet loss and lag
Packet loss
Games stutter, calls glitch, streams pause or devices briefly lose data despite decent speed.
Open guide
Lag spikes
Sudden ping jumps during gaming, calls or streaming.
Open guide
Lag when downloads start
Ping spikes, calls break up or games lag when another device downloads or uploads (bufferbloat).
Open guide
High ping
Games, calls or remote work feel delayed even when download speed looks fine.
Open guide
Jitter and unstable latency
Calls stutter, games feel inconsistent or streaming pauses despite decent speed.
Open guide
Teams video call lag
Fix work-from-home freezing, broken audio and screen sharing drops on company VPNs or home Wi‑Fi.
Open guide
Zoom lagging
Stop audio lag, pixelated video and disconnects during calls, online classes or freelance sessions.
Open guideGaming problems
Good ping for gaming
See what ping, jitter, packet loss and loaded latency ranges are good for PS5, Xbox, PC and cloud gaming.
Open guide
Improve gaming ping
Work out whether gaming lag is caused by Wi‑Fi, server region, packet loss, upload saturation or router load.
Open guide
5G broadband laggy
5G speed looks good but ping, jitter, packet loss or peak-time mast load makes games and calls feel unstable.
Open guide
PS5 lagging
Console Wi‑Fi, high ping and online gaming problems.
Open guide
Xbox lagging
Xbox games lag, downloads interfere with play or the console performs worse on Wi‑Fi.
Open guide
Games feel delayed
Online games respond late, rubber-band or feel worse during peak times.
Open guide
Gaming router problems
Lag improves on Ethernet or when other devices stop using the connection.
Open guideStreaming and speed problems
Broadband feels slow
Pages load slowly, downloads underperform or several devices feel sluggish at the same time.
Open guide
Slow upload speed
Video calls, backups, file sending or livestreams struggle even when download speed looks fine.
Open guide
Netflix buffering
Streaming pauses, quality drops or slow loading.
Open guide
YouTube buffering
Videos start slowly, drop quality, buffer on one device or struggle in the evening.
Open guide
BBC iPlayer buffering
iPlayer pauses, freezes, drops quality or struggles more on TVs, Wi‑Fi or during evening viewing.
Open guide
Wi‑Fi feels slow
One room, device or wireless connection is much slower than the rest of the home.
Open guide
Not sure what the result means
Speed, upload, ping and jitter results do not clearly explain the problem.
Open guideDevice, router and full fibre problems
One device is slow
One phone, laptop, TV or console is much slower than the rest of the home.
Open guide
Router may need replacing
Old hardware, overheating, weak Wi‑Fi or poor loaded latency may be holding the connection back.
Open guide
Websites not loading
Some sites fail, apps still work, or the browser says DNS or connection errors.
Open guide
Full fibre ONT lights
LOS, PON, optical or service lights suggest the fibre box may be part of the problem.
Open guideRetest after fixing
Did your troubleshooting steps work?
Run another LinkSpeed test after making changes so you can check whether download speed, upload speed, ping and jitter improved.
Internet Quality
Understand the numbers behind broadband problems
Troubleshooting stays focused on symptoms and fixes. Metric explainers and specialist tests now sit in the Internet Quality hub, so users can understand ping, loaded latency and bufferbloat without cluttering the issue picker.
What is ping?
Understand latency, good ping ranges and why a fast connection can still feel delayed.
Open Internet Quality guide
Loaded latency explained
See why calls, games and browsing can lag when downloads, uploads or other devices are active.
Open Internet Quality guide
What is bufferbloat?
Learn how excessive queueing causes ping spikes when the line is busy, and when a bufferbloat test helps.
Open Internet Quality guide
Internet Quality hub
View ping, jitter, packet loss, loaded latency and bufferbloat guides in one dedicated section.
View hubTroubleshooting FAQs
Choosing the right broadband troubleshooting guide
Which guide should I start with?
Choose the guide that matches the symptom you notice first. Start with slow internet if everything feels sluggish, Wi‑Fi unstable if only wireless devices are affected, and packet loss or lag spikes if games and calls break up.
Should I use the Wi‑Fi guide or the slow broadband guide?
Use the Wi‑Fi guide when one room or one device is worse than the rest. Use the slow broadband guide when the whole connection feels poor across several devices.
Where do gaming lag and call problems fit?
Gaming lag and broken calls are usually latency, jitter, packet loss or bufferbloat issues. Use the high ping, lag spikes, packet loss or bufferbloat guides rather than only checking headline download speed.
Where should streaming buffering fit?
Use the Netflix or YouTube buffering guides when the issue is mainly streaming pauses, slow starts, quality drops or buffering on a TV, streaming stick, console or mobile device.