Compare a wired test with Wi-Fi beside the router and Wi-Fi in the problem room. If the wired result is healthy but the distant room is poor, focus on wireless placement, equipment or a wired link before upgrading the broadband tier.
For the wider picture beyond your building, explore London’s fibre coverage and network options before checking your address.
Establish a useful baseline
Use the same capable device and test service for each comparison. Pause large downloads and backups while testing. First connect directly to the router with Ethernet, then test wirelessly nearby, then from the place where you notice the problem.
Write down the time, location and result. This is a diagnostic exercise, not a competition for the highest number. A consistent pattern across a few tests is more useful than one unusually good or bad run.
Move equipment with the rooms in mind
Ofcom recommends thinking about router position because walls, materials and nearby equipment affect wireless signals. A more central, elevated position can help, while cupboards and obstructions can make coverage harder.
In a flat with a long corridor, a front-door installation may leave the main living area far from the router. Ask what can be moved safely and whether Ethernet can connect the router to an access point nearer the rooms that matter. Do not move the fibre termination yourself.
Understand what mesh can and cannot do
Mesh equipment gives you additional wireless access locations. The link connecting those units to the rest of the network still matters. A unit placed where it already receives a very weak signal may not solve the problem you intended it to fix.
Compare a practical central location with the furthest corner. Where your equipment supports it, a wired connection between access points can avoid relying on an extra wireless hop. Check the vendor's setup guidance and test after each change.
Check the device as well as the router
A television, phone, USB adapter and laptop may have different wireless capabilities. A router's headline marketing speed does not mean every device can reach that number. The connection can be limited by either end, by interference or by how the device is being used.
Try another device in the same place. If only one is affected, check its updates, power settings and adapter before replacing the home network. Keep provider-managed equipment on supported software and ask for help when settings are unfamiliar.
Spend according to the result
A wired link may be the simplest answer for a fixed television or desk. A better-positioned access point may help a difficult room. A faster broadband service may help if the incoming capacity is the part that consistently fills up.
Before buying hardware, decide what improvement would count as success: reliable calls at the desk, stable television playback or faster file transfers. Retest that activity afterwards. A higher speed-test number is useful only if it improves the experience you care about.
- Keep a wired baseline.
- Test from the room where the problem occurs.
- Change one variable at a time.
- Check a second device before replacing equipment.
- Keep the setup simple enough to troubleshoot later.
Your questions, answered.
Will a mesh system make my broadband package faster?
It may improve the wireless part of the connection, but it cannot increase the capacity of the incoming broadband package.
Why is one device slower beside the same router?
Its wireless hardware, settings, software or current workload may differ. Compare devices under similar conditions before concluding the broadband line is at fault.
Sources & further reading
Official information behind this guide. Links checked 29 October 2026; individual datasets retain their stated reference dates.