Wi-Fi Speeds

Why Your Microsoft Teams Calls Keep Breaking Up Despite Having ‘Good Wi-Fi’

The lights are green, the dashboard is clear and all signal data points to ‘Good Wi-Fi’ – Yet your IT Manager is still tearing their hair out from colleague complaints about Teams calls freezing and dropping out.

This is frustrating from both sides – The employees and end users experiencing Wi-Fi issues and a drop in productivity, and the operations teams dealing with their complaints.

If you’re sat in your modern London office, frustrated with:

Teams calls freezing
Audio breaking up
Video lagging

But the Wi-Fi ‘looks fine,’ then it’s time to dig a little deeper. Wi-Fi performance is about so much more than signal bars.

So what is the actual problem? Why can the quality of Teams calls be so poor when the Wi-Fi signal strength appears strong?

Why Wi-Fi Signal Strength Doesn’t Tell The Whole Story

Most people judge Wi-Fi by the bars on their device. Hey, we’re not judging, it’s a logical place to start. However, a strong Wi-Fi signal does not necessarily guarantee good performance.

There are a few things that can impact Wi-Fi performance that wouldn’t show up on how strong the signal bars are. These include:

Latency

Wi-Fi latency is the delay (measured in milliseconds or “ms”) it takes for data to travel from your device (e.g. smartphone or laptop) over the wireless network to a router, reach its destination on the internet, and return.

It dictates your connection’s responsiveness, rather than its overall data capacity. This is different to speed or bandwidth which says how much data you can upload or download.

Latency is the real time reaction, and what causes a lag – For example, a delay in a Teams call. Latency is the time it takes for a ‘packet’ of data to make the round trip from and back to your device.

Packet Loss

Wi-Fi packet loss occurs when small packets of data traveling over a wireless network fail to reach their destination.

Data travel over Wi-Fi is vulnerable to disruptions. Packet loss is when instead of arriving smoothly, the missing data drops, causing noticeable issues like lag or glitchy audio on Teams calls.

Interference

The disruptions to a data packet’s journey can be caused by a number of different types of interference. These include:

Physical and Structural Obstructions such as walls, metal furniture, and floors. These can degrade wireless signals, making data struggle to reach your device.
Wireless Interference: Other electronics such as microwaves and Bluetooth devices operate on similar radio frequencies which can distort your Wi-Fi signal.
Network Congestion: This is when too many devices are attempting to use the Wi-Fi at the same time. This can overload the router, causing it to drop packets in order to try to manage the traffic.
Channel Overlap: Neighbouring networks in busy modern London offices can overlap with your own Wi-Fi channel, which can cause corruption to data packets or lead to them dropping altogether.
Outdated Hardware: Older routers or network drivers can struggle to process large volumes of data, causing Teams calls to lag or drop.

Congestion

Wi-Fi congestion happens when too many devices try to share the same wireless network, saturating the available bandwidth. This bottleneck causes:

Slow loading times
Buffering video
Lag

It is driven by excessive data demand, high device density, or overlapping radio frequencies. These are commonplace in busy environments like modern London offices, hence why Teams calls can freeze or drop even when the Wi-Fi appears to be working.

Why Teams Calls Are More Demanding Than Other Applications

There are ways of using Wi-Fi that are more taxing than others. Things like browsing websites and checking email are forgiving and allow multiple users to use the Wi-Fi effectively at the same time.

Teams calls, however, require continuous real time communication and low latency as we mentioned above. Even the smallest interruptions or disruption can cause:

Frozen video
Poor audio
Dropped calls

Now picture modern hybrid working environments that we are seeing more and more of in businesses. These flexible working models where employees can split their time between the office and remote working mean more Teams calls and online meetings between colleagues.

This has the potential to put a real strain on office wireless networks that were previously only used for web browsing and checking emails, and is a real problem for IT Managers and Operations Teams to have to deal with.

So what are the root causes of Teams call problems in terms of Wi-Fi specifics.

Common Causes Of Teams Call Problems In London Offices

For IT Managers and Operations Teams it can be really tricky to identify the root cause of Teams calls dropping out, when on the surface the Wi-Fi looks okay. Here are some common causes that would be a good place to start.

Wireless Congestion

Wi-Fi congestion happens when too many devices try to share the same wireless network, saturating the available bandwidth. It also happens when numerous neighbouring Wi-Fi networks compete for airtime.

This is a particularly common problem in multi-tenant office buildings which are frequently found in London City and Canary Wharf as well as other busy city centres.

Poor Access Point Placement

When our Wi-Fi engineers are called out, we unfortunately see a lot of cases where Access Points have been installed in convenient locations instead of where they are actually needed.

This includes certain locations being frequently overlooked, such as meeting rooms for example.

They key is to get a good balance between Coverage and Capacity. Coverage is the reach of your Wi-Fi signal (how far it goes), whereas Capacity is how well the network handles multiple connected devices and heavy data usage simultaneously without slowing down.

The goal with Coverage is to eliminate any dead zones and prevent dropping out, whilst with Capacity you want to support the amount of devices trying to connect and the data throughput.

Roaming Issues

In an ideal world, your colleague would sit at their desk and connect to a Teams call through their laptop for the duration of the online meeting.

In the real world, your colleague connects to the Teams call on their phone and then wanders down to the staff kitchen to make a coffee, then pops to another colleagues office to pick up that file they need for the call, and then makes their way back to their desk.

Whilst on the move like this, their device is constantly switching between Access Points, leaving scope for call interruptions. Poor roaming capabilities will lead to Teams calls lagging or dropping out. And that means frustration for them, and subsequently you as their IT Manager.

Too Many Connected Devices

Before hybrid working environments, modern offices tended to have computers for each staff member which were connected to the internet via a wired connection like Ethernet cables. Sure, there was the off hot desk, but even these were likely to have an Ethernet cable ready tp plug in instead of Wi-Fi.

Now, London offices are full of hot desks. Desktop computers are less common, replaced by staff members having a laptop which they can connect via the Wi-Fi wherever they are sat down.

Now add to this a smartphone for each member of staff, plus a tablet, smartwatch and other devices.

Our offices now contain far more wireless devices than ever before, from individual user devices to meeting room equipment and IoT devices.

This skews the capacity vs coverage issue more towards capacity – Office Wi-Fi has to be able to support the necessary concurrent devices while preventing lag, high ping or dropped packets in high density areas (effectively reducing problems with Teams calls).

Legacy Network Design

Office environments have changed and so have the wireless network requirements. As a network has grown organically over time, the tendency (from our Wi-Fi engineers experience) has been for IT Managers and Operations Teams to add additional Access Points to try and increase coverage. However, without the overall design strategy to match this organic growth, the infrastructure tends to struggle and this is where we see issues with modern collaboration tools like Teams.

Why Wi-Fi Speed Tests Can Be Misleading

As an IT Manager contending with Teams calls problems in the workplace, you might start by looking at a Wi-Fi speed test. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi speed tests can be rather misleading. You might see that internet speeds are good, so assume all must be well with the Wi-Fi and the Teams calls dropping has to be due to something else.

Unfortunately, internet speed tests can often mislead people into thinking there isn’t a problem. Wi-Fi speed tests measure throughput, but not user experience. Here are a few reasons why Wi-Fi speed tests don’t show the whole picture.

Roaming

Wi-Fi speed tests don’t give you an indication of roaming performance. How well are users moving around the office whilst connected? Are the Access Points placed due to need and traffic? Are Teams calls dropping out in a particular place in the office? Do user devices effectively move from AP to AP or do they get stuck? These questions are not answered by a speed test.

Packet Loss

Are things like building infrastructure (walls, floors) interfering with data packets reaching their destination? Is disruption to data packets journeys causing Teams calls to freeze or drop? What is causing these disruptions? Wi-Fi speed tests aren’t going to answer these questions for you unfortunately.

Wireless Contention

Are neighbouring networks overlapping with your Wi-Fi channel? Are too many devices attempting to connect at any one time? The speed of your network might look great on the dashboards, but is the capacity there to meet the needs of your users? Can your network handle multiple Teams calls at the same time?

Real Time Application Performance

Teams calls require real time communication – No loss of data packets, no latency, no lag. They need the Wi-Fi speed, yes, but they also need the capacity and lack of interference to be there to avoid freezing, lagging, poor audio and dropping out altogether.

For all these reasons, it’s very possible for your network to achieve excellent Wi-Fi speeds but still perform poorly on Teams calls.

How Businesses Should Diagnose The Problem of Bad Teams Calls on ‘Good Wi-Fi’

If IT Managers and Operations Teams want to avoid the headache of poor Teams calls on a Wi-Fi network that appears to be ‘good’ then the first thing they need to do is stop guessing.

That might look like calling in the Wi-Fi experts, like our team of Wi-Fi engineers here at Geekabit. The aim is always to understand how people are actually using your network, and then design and deploy the best network to meet those needs.

Professional Wi-Fi Site Surveys

Wi-Fi Site Surveys and Network Assessments are a key tool in analysing the performance of your network, helping to diagnose your Wi-Fi problems (even when things look good on a surface level). They also help measure our success when fixing your Wi-Fi issues.

A Wi-Fi site survey is the most effective way to design, troubleshoot, or optimise a wireless network for homes, offices, warehouses, schools, and commercial environments.

Our expert Wi-Fi engineers work out of London, the city and Canary Wharf (as well as Hampshire and Cardiff). An on-site survey always provides the most accurate results, however for circumstances where this is not possible, we also offer predictive Wi-Fi site surveys using industry-standard modelling software.

You can find out more about our Wi-Fi Site Surveys here.

Interference Analysis

Interference Analysis is the process of identifying and evaluating unwanted Radio Frequency (RF) signals that degrade wireless network performance. It helps pinpoint sources of slow speeds, high latency or dropped connections that could cause Teams calls to lag or drop, such as:

Neighbouring networks
Bluetooth devices
Microwaves

This knowledge allows for targeted network optimisation resulting in keeping those Teams calls connected and stable.

Wi-Fi Capacity Planning

Analysing the Wi-Fi Site Survey, spectrum and client behaviour mean that our expert Wi-Fi engineers can effectively plan for your Wi-Fi capacity, making sure your wireless network fits your bespoke office needs.

Wi-Fi capacity planning is the process of designing a wireless network to support the concurrent demands of users, devices, and applications, rather than just ensuring basic signal reach. It calculates the network’s ability to handle traffic without congestion, ensuring seamless performance even during peak usage.

A robust capacity plan goes beyond simple coverage and translates real-world traffic demands into specific hardware and configuration requirements. This also means that those Teams calls will stop lagging and dropping out.

Why Your Microsoft Teams Calls Keep Breaking Up Despite Having ‘Good Wi-Fi’

Remember that having good Wi-Fi signal strength (or speed) does not necessarily mean ‘good Wi-Fi’.

Modern London offices and hybrid working environments mean that modern collaboration tools like Teams have placed new demands on office networks. These new demands require in-depth analysis to ensure your network is supporting your users and thus your business.

The main focus for IT Managers and Operations Teams needs to be on user experience rather than just Wi-Fi speed and signal strength. There can be a lot more going on beneath the surface of ‘Good Wi-Fi.’

If you or your colleagues are struggling with Teams calls freezing or dropping out, despite your Wi-Fi dashboard suggesting all is fine then it’s time to call in the experts. Our Wi-Fi engineers here at Geekabit can help guide you with Wi-Fi troubleshooting, Wi-Fi Surveys and network optimisation.

Skip the Teams call and get in touch with our friendly team here instead.

by admin29th June 2026

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Help Wi-Fi Issues Wi-Fi Problems Wi-Fi Site Survey Wi-Fi Speed Test Wi-Fi Speeds Wireless Network

“Why is my office Wi-Fi slow when internet speed tests are fine?”

As an IT Manager or Director, you’d probably expect a Wi-Fi failure to look catastrophically obvious. Like sirens wailing and offline-related casualties strewn throughout the office.

But most Wi-Fi failures don’t look like failures. Office Wi-Fi problems in London can really fly under the radar.

Access points? Online
Internet connection – Fast
No major outages on monitoring tools

And yet, your Teams calls drop, Zoom freezes and perhaps most importantly – Staff are complaining about slow Wi-Fi on a daily basis. What is going on?

It’s at this point most of our clients contact us for help. Persistent Wi-Fi problems when the obvious vital signs look okay are one of the most common reasons organisations in London contact Geekabit for a Wi-Fi survey or investigation into the cause of the problem.

“What is wrong with my office Wi-Fi? Everything Looks Fine!”

When your colleagues or staff members are constantly complaining about the office Wi-Fi it’s no fun for IT Managers at all. Especially when the IT Team are seeing:

Strong signal strength
Healthy internet bandwidth
No hardware faults
No ISP issues

On the surface, everything looks like the Wi-Fi should be performing well. But in reality, you’ve got users experiencing:

Poor Microsoft Teams calls
Random disconnects
Slow Wi-Fi roaming between areas
Applications pausing unexpectedly
Complaints concentrated in specific locations

So what is actually going on in these woeful Wi-Fi scenarios?

Five Hidden Causes of Poor Office Wi-Fi

1. Too Many Devices Sharing Airtime

Modern London offices tend to have:

Users with multiple devices all connected to the office Wi-Fi including Laptops, Smartphones and Tablets
Meeting room systems
Wireless displays
IoT devices

Imagine all of these devices and systems all trying to connect to the office Wi-Fi at the same time. The problem is often contention rather than coverage. Hence why the Wi-Fi monitoring systems and the user experience can differ so much.

2. Co-Channel Interference

Many busy London offices and modern office buildings accidentally create their own interference.

Typical causes of Wi-Fi interference in office environments include:

Too many access points
Poor channel planning
Legacy configurations
Neighbouring office networks

3. Office Roaming

In many office environments, users can be constantly on the move. Replying to emails whilst making a coffee. Checking files on the network from meetings. Roaming from floor to floor meeting with colleagues. Connecting to a Teams meeting on your way back to your desk.

Wi-Fi problems like Teams calls dropping whilst roaming can be due to:

Devices sticking to distant APs instead of moving with the user and connecting to the nearest
Poor handoffs between floors

4. Meeting Room Wi-Fi Congestion

One meeting room can generate more demand than an entire office area. Now imagine multiple meeting rooms all trying to function at the same time.

Common symptoms of meeting room Wi-Fi congestion can be:

Teams issues
Wireless presentation failures
Slow guest access

5. The Building Itself

Many of our clients are London-based. Offices in the capital often have specific challenges to overcome when it comes to identifying hidden causes of Wi-Fi problems at work.

London offices tend to consist of many potential network disruptors, including:

Multi-floor buildings
Dense neighbouring Wi-Fi networks
Glass partitions
Concrete cores
Users who hot-desk (and flexible working)
High user density in relatively small spaces

The signal bars on your monitoring systems aren’t telling IT Managers the whole story.

Why Speed Tests Often Mislead

As an IT Manager, you might look at a speed test and see that internet speeds are good, so assume all must be well with the Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, internet speed tests can often mislead people into thinking there isn’t a problem. Here are a few reasons why Wi-Fi speed tests don’t show the whole picture.

Internet speed ≠ Wi-Fi Performance

You might also be asking why is my internet speed, but my Wi-Fi still slow? It’s because the internet speed shown in a speed test is only the capacity of the wired connection – That is the speed of the internet coming into your office via fibre or cable. The Wi-Fi performance depends on what happens to the internet after it enters your office and goes through your router – How the Wi-Fi performs depends on the local, wireless distribution of that initial speed.

So the speed might look fine, but how the wireless signal is distributed could be affected by:

Physical interference (e.g. building materials)
The distance the signal is travelling (are there enough AP’s and are they deployed in the right places?)
Hardware limitations (is the hardware up to date and still in good working order?)
Having to share with lots of other devices (which might be older and slower)

These things can all degrade the speed that is delivered to your devices. Your network is only as fast as your slowest link, regardless of the speed coming into your building.

“Why am I not getting the 1Gb connection I pay for?”

You may be paying for 1Gb internet, but that may not be translating into user experience.

This goes back to what we said above – Your network is only as fast as your slowest link. So you might well be getting 1Gb internet speeds into your building, but what is happening after the wireless signal is distributed by your router?

There is little point in paying for 1Gb internet speeds if you don’t have the hardware capabilities to match it. It’s important that your router and AP’s have the capabilities to effectively transmit that Wi-Fi signal and speed. Older phones, laptops, tablets and other devices that use older wireless standards are also going to cap your maximum speed lower than what you’re paying for.

What matters more than raw bandwidth when it comes to internet speeds?

Whilst bandwidth is important, there are other factors at play when it comes to how fast an internet connection feels.

Bandwidth is the capacity to move a high volume of data. How fast and responsively that data is delivered is influenced by:

Latency
Airtime
Roaming

There are many interactive applications that only need a little bandwidth, but demand instant, unhindered transmission in order to feel fast.

How Can Wi-Fi Speed Problems Be Investigated?

Here at Geekabit, our expert Wi-Fi engineers have a number of tools at their disposal in order to help investigate Wi-Fi problems and identify solutions.

Spectrum Analysis for Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi spectrum analysis is the process of scanning and visualizing the invisible radio frequencies (RF) used by your wireless network. It helps network administrators, IT Managers and our expert Wi-Fi engineers to identify, locate, and mitigate interference from both Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi devices. This allows us to optimize network channels and improve speeds.

Why might spectrum analysis be necessary? The frequency bands used by Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) are unlicensed, meaning anyone can transmit signals there. While standard network scanners only see other routers, a spectrum analyzer sees all the energy in the air. This can then help inform decisions about Wi-Fi deployment in order to minimise interference.

Wi-Fi Client Behaviour Analysis

Wi-Fi client behaviour analysis evaluates how connected devices (clients) interact with a wireless network or how people move through a physical space using their devices.

It can be split into two main categories: Business Analytics (consumer tracking, i.e. seeing how a customer moves through a retail space) and Network Troubleshooting (looking at the technical performance in a workspace).

Network troubleshooting is going to be most helpful in an office environment, enabling Network Administrators and IT Managers to understand device performance throughout the office, identify problem areas and thus improve network health and performance.

Client Behaviour Analysis in Network Troubleshooting would likely look at:

Roaming behaviour – How are devices transitioning between Access Points? Are there any ‘sticky’ clients that refuse to disconnect from weak, distant AP’s? Are there any dead spots?
Device capabilities – Are there any legacy devices that are slowing things down? Which clients support modern protocols (which Wi-Fi standard or frequency band are they utilising?)

Professional Wi-Fi Site Surveys

Wi-Fi Site Surveys are a key tool in analysing the performance of your network, helping to diagnose your Wi-Fi problems as well as measure our success fixing your Wi-Fi issues.

A Wi-Fi site survey is the most effective way to design, troubleshoot, or optimise a wireless network for homes, offices, warehouses, schools, and commercial environments.

Our expert Wi-Fi engineers work out of London, Hampshire and Cardiff. An on-site survey always provides the most accurate results, however for circumstances where this is not possible, we also offer predictive Wi-Fi site surveys using industry-standard modelling software.

You can find out more about our Wi-Fi Site Surveys here.

Wi-Fi Capacity Planning

A robust capacity plan goes beyond simple coverage and translates real-world traffic demands into specific hardware and configuration requirements.

“Why does my office Wi-Fi look fine but still feel slow?”

In conclusion, the biggest Wi-Fi problems are often invisible.

If users in your office or workspace are complaining about slow Wi-Fi despite healthy-looking dashboards, the issue may not be with your internet connection, access points or ISP.

As we’ve outlined above, it may be the way the wireless environment behaves in the real world. And this can be affected by various factors.

If you have tried everything you can think of to improve your slow office Wi-Fi but things still aren’t improving, then call in the experts. Geekabit helps organisations across Central London, Canary Wharf and the City identify and solve complex Wi-Fi problems through professional site surveys, troubleshooting and wireless network optimisation. Get in touch with our friendly team today.

by admin22nd June 2026

5G Satellite Broadband Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Issues Wi-Fi Speed Test Wi-Fi Speeds Wi-Fi Standards

Do UK Trains Have the Slowest Wi-Fi Speeds in Europe?

It has been found that trains in the United Kingdom deliver some of the slowest internet speeds across Europe.

Ookla, the network testing company, analysed the Wi-Fi performance onboard train services across Europe and some Asian rail networks using their favoured service Speedtest.net by collecting data via consumers themselves. Results suggested that the UK does indeed deliver some of the slowest Wi-Fi speeds available on trains in Europe.

If you’ve ever tried to work on your train commute or while away the time by streaming a show using train Wi-Fi then you will likely already know that Wi-Fi quality across UK rail operators and networks is not particularly strong, consistent or reliable.

What Are the UK Government’s Plans for Rail Network Connectivity Improvements?

Back in 2017 the government at the time pledged to improve connectivity on mainline train routes by this year, with the aim to provide Wi-Fi and mobile speeds (5G) of up to 1 Gbps. While this may be true of a few rail operators, for most this outcome has not been reached.

This issue has recently been revisited by the current government as part of their Infrastructure Strategy for the next 10 years, which was published back in June. This strategy includes a commitment of £41m to “introduce low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity on all mainline trains, significantly improving both the availability and internet data connection speeds for Wi-Fi connected passengers“. However, there doesn’t seem to be a clear date as to when this will be delivered.

Which Country in Europe Has the Best Onboard Wi-Fi When Travelling by Train?

According to the data collected by Ookla, there seems to be quite a gap between the best European train operators for onboard Wi-Fi performance and the worst.

From data taken during the second quarter of 2025, the countries with the top 3 fastest onboard train Wi-Fi were Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland in terms of the median average download speed (64.58 Mbps, 29.79 Mbps and 26.33 Mbps respectively.

At the other end of the scale, with the slowest on board speeds were Spain, the UK and last of all the Netherlands with median average download speeds of 1.45 Mbps, 1.09 Mbps and 0.41 Mbps respectively.

So while the UK doesn’t have the absolute slowest onboard train Wi-Fi in Europe, it wasn’t far off.

The countries with the best upload speeds were similar. You can see how other European countries fared in the graph imagery below for both download and upload speeds, with thanks from Speedest Intelligence.

Will the UK Rail Network Catch Up With Current Wi-Fi Standards?

If you’re a regular reader of our Geekabit blog, you’ll have seen us talking about Wi-Fi 8 and the advancements this new Wi-Fi standard will be making when it arrives.

Unfortunately, many rail operators aren’t up to date with Wi-Fi standards and are still using Wi-Fi 4 based connectivity which could be a big part of the problem. Not only this, but 38% are also still using the 2.4 GHz band which is the slowest and most congested.

Interestingly however, even countries who are embracing more modern Wi-Fi options like using the 5 GHz band are also still underperforming on speed (this can be seen in the likes of Spain and Italy’s speed scores). This could be due to poor satellite or trackside infrastructure causing a lack of pace in backhaul capacity. This is a key factor for onboard performance.

What Are The Key Factors Affecting Onboard Rail Wi-Fi Speeds?

There seem to be many contributing factors to what causes issues with Wi-Fi speeds across European and Asian rail networks. These include:

Construction materials used in train carries
Onboard network design
Political leadership and policy
Adoption of satellite broadband connectivity from LEO satellites

Whilst it’s great that the UK has listed Low Earth Orbit satellites in their Infrastructure Strategy as part of improving connectivity on rail networks, it’s still not going to improve Wi-Fi in tunnels!

You can read the full report from Ookla in much more detail here.

by admin20th October 2025

Broadband Broadband Speed Connectivity Estate Agents Fibre Broadband Full Fibre Hampshire Home Network Home Office Home WI-Fi SpeedScore Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Advice Wi-Fi Speed Test Wi-Fi Speeds

Broadband Performance: A Must-Have for Estate Agents to Showcase Dream Properties

A recent survey highlights the critical importance for estate agents to offer broadband performance reports when marketing properties, particularly “dream property” offerings.

Recent research suggests that Estate Agents should be focusing on providing home buyers with broadband performance reports if they want to meet the criteria of buyers dream homes.

The top ranked factor for the ‘dream home’ wish list when looking for a new property was reliable internet.

UK based platform Compare My Move assists home buyers, sellers, landlords and movers with the whole property buying process. They commissioned research with Front Door Comms and OnePoll, creating an online survey of 2,000 adults based in the UK, naturally representative of age, gender and region.

62% Brits Looking for Decent Wi-Fi When Looking at a Potential New Property

The survey found that 62% of survey respondents put decent Wi-Fi as the number one feature they would want in their realistic dream property. Strong Wi-Fi came above a private driveway and a walk-in wardrobe.

This would appear to highlight a shift away from fancy frills, instead favouring functional living and everyday essentials when looking for a new property.

If you’ve ever had your internet go down for a significant length of time then you’ll know how much you rely on that connection. From the obvious things like logging onto your laptop to work from home, to the more taken for granted things like asking Alexa for a timer whilst cooking dinner or trying to listen to music – Having no Wi-Fi is excruciatingly frustrating.

Since the pandemic when the UK was plunged into the world of working from home and home learning, Estate Agents have seen a dramatic increase in questions about reliable broadband when prospective buyers are looking at new property.

So it’s little wonder that prospective home buyers want to know exactly what kind of broadband connection they could expect from a potential new home – And if Estate Agents want to make a sale, and Estate Managers want to find a tenant then they need to be providing information that shows the available broadband for that property.

Reliable Broadband for High End Estate Agency

High End Estate Agents aren’t just matching High Net Worth Individuals with their latest luxury home – They need to give their buyers confidence that they will be moving into a well connected home with strong, reliable broadband.

Co-founder and MD of Compare My Move says it himself – The results show that “people are prioritising convenience, comfort, and connectivity in their everyday lives. While high-end extras might look impressive on paper, it’s the things we rely on daily – like Wi-Fi and a driveway – that really make a place feel like home.”

And thus, this needs to be reflected in the way that Estate Agents (including High End) and Estate Managers are marketing their properties.

Is Slow Internet the Dealbreaker That’s Losing You House Sales?

The survey reported above supports previous research from a few years ago when it was found that 20% of people would not buy a property if it had slow internet speeds.

Similarly, the lack of super-fast internet is often a deal-breaker when it comes to house hunting with many prospective buyers viewing the Wi-Fi connection more important than the number of bedrooms.

Whilst the size of a property is still important, Estate Agents must now recognise that for many house hunters the quality and speed of the internet is now on par with other deemed essentials. In Scotland and the Southwest, some prospective house buyers value the availability of high-quality broadband above everything else – Even house size.

Estate Agency and Estate Management clients are least likely to compromise on high-quality broadband when looking for a new home. Decent Wi-Fi was deemed more important than local amenities and space.

In addition to this, homes for sale that had a worse connection could see Estate Agents selling at approximately £5K less, based solely on whether a home had access to a 300Mbps connection or not.

How Many Homes Have Access to Full Fibre?

According to Ofcom, 20.7 million UK homes, or 69% of the total, have access to full-fibre broadband. This represents a significant increase from 17.1 million homes (57%) in September 2023.

Specifically, Ofcom’s Connected Nations report in July 2024 showed that:

Full-fibre coverage has expanded to 69% (20.7 million) of the UK’s 30.1 million homes.
This is an increase of 12 percentage points (3.6 million premises) since September 2023.
Full fibre is more prevalent in urban areas (71%) than in rural areas (52%).
Gigabit-capable coverage, including full fibre and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable, has reached 83% (25 million) of UK homes.
Northern Ireland leads the way with 93% of homes having access to full fibre.

SpeedScore from Geekabit Wi-Fi Experts

With over a decade of experience providing connectivity solutions to UK markets, Geekabit saw how house buyers, tenants and hospitality customers are getting more tech savvy and starting to ask Estate Agents and Estate Managers questions about internet speeds and reliability.

Thus, we launched our innovative Internet Connectivity Measurement Platform – Geekabit SpeedScore.

This gives Estate Agents and Estate Managers a variety of tools to help provide an independent certification of internet speeds and connectivity. Ideal if you’re trying to make a sale by proving the speed and connectivity of a property’s internet.

Whether it’s a high end luxury property or the dream home of the average buyer, a clear, concise and accurate presentation of a property’s broadband could be the leverage to close that sale.

You can read more about SpeedScore here.

by admin14th July 2025

Connectivity Hardware Home Network Home Office Mesh Network Technology Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Extender Wi-Fi Help Wi-Fi Speeds Wireless Network Wireless Technology

Can Wi-Fi Extenders Just Stop Working?

They can indeed. And it can be handy to know the signs if an extender is about to fail.

Disclaimer: Here at Geekabit, we don’t actually recommend Wi-Fi extenders as a solution to Wi-Fi problems. There are usually other more effective solutions that can be put into place with a little help from Wi-Fi experts like ourselves. However, we also know that people don’t always heed expert advice… So, here are some useful tips to keep in mind if you do go down the Wi-Fi extender route. And if that doesn’t work, you’ll know who to call.

Just like other electronic devices, Wi-Fi extenders can fail. Whilst they do tend to last a decent amount of time and generally don’t need too much maintenance or repairing, they still won’t last forever. As with anything in the tech world, components will start to wear out and older extender models will become obsolete with the emergence of new technologies. Let’s take a look at some of the main issues that could stop a Wi-Fi extender from working.

Why has my Wi-Fi Extender stopped working?

There could be a number of reasons why Wi-Fi extenders might stop working earlier than you would expect. The number one reason for a Wi-Fi extender to break down is heat.

Overheating

Like other electronic devices, Wi-Fi extenders generate heat. However, they don’t have fans or anything else to keep the heta from building up, so rely on passive cooling. This can be a big problem when they are switched on all the time, never getting the chance to cool down.

To prevent a Wi-Fi extender from failing too soon due to overheating, there are a couple of things you can keep in mind.

Place the Wi-Fi extender in a place where there is plenty of air flow around it e.g. an open book shelf
Avoid places where there is less air flow like shelving units, cupboards, cabinets or enclosed spaces

Dust

How often do you clean your Wi-Fi devices and hardware? A simple, regular clean of your Wi-Fi extender can help extend its life. Whilst we wouldn’t recommend taking a Wi-Fi extender apart to clean inside it, it’s definitely worth the effort to check the vents on it and blow away any dust.

New Technologies

As with any kind of Wi-Fi hardware, things do become obsolete over time as new technologies are developed and introduced to the market.

A popular reason for people to replace their Wi-Fi extenders is to make sure that their extended network is as fast and can handle as many devices as their primary network.

When should I replace my Wi-Fi extender?

If everything is working to your satisfaction, then there’s no need to replace anything. However, if you’ve been googling ‘do I need to replace my Wi-Fi extender?’ then you’re probably already experiencing problems and looking for the solution!

Preemptive replacement of Wi-Fi hardware would usually be for crucial network components, for example, your router. Wi-Fi extenders aren’t usually as important, so there’s usually no need to replace them until they break.

However, if you are relying on your Wi-Fi extender to provide internet access to parts of your home or to devices that must be connected (for example, perhaps a garden office or CCTV cameras) then you may feel it’s more important to stay ahead of problems and replace them before issues arise.

There isn’t really a set time frame for replacing a Wi-Fi extender – They can last for as long as ten years, maybe more. But there will come a time when internal components will start to fail as they naturally start to degrade. In scenarios like the above where your Wi-Fi extender is fulfilling a vital function, you might want to consider replacing it on a shorter timeframe e.g. every 5 years perhaps or when you notice any reduction in performance.

Can I tell if my Wi-Fi extender is starting to fail?

Unfortunately, there’s rarely obvious signs that a Wi-Fi extender is beginning to fail. They tend to work one day, and not work the next. There may be some clues that it’s starting to degrade, which we’ll outline below, but this may not always be the case.

Possible signs that your Wi-Fi extender is starting to fail:

Having to regularly reset the Wi-Fi extender. Whilst doing a factory reset may fix the issue, if you’re having to do this a lot then it’s probably time to consider replacing it.
Difficulty connecting to the Wi-Fi extender. If interference isn’t an issue, but your devices are having trouble connecting or staying connected then it might be time to replace the extender.
Slow internet speeds. If your connection is suddenly slower one day, then there is likely a problem with the extender. Also bear in mind that if your extender is older than your router, then it likely won’t support the latest Wi-Fi technology available to your router, hence causing a slower connection in the extended area.
Dropped connection. If you can connect a device to your primary network, but it drops out when connecting to the extender then there is likely a problem with the Wi-Fi extender.
Error lights. If lights on the extender are the wrong colour, flashing or not on at all then there is likely an issue. Check the manufacturer’s instructions to find out what the lights mean and how to resolve the problem.
Unable to turn the Wi-Fi extender on. It may have overheated, so let it cool down and then try again to turn it on. You could also try plugging it into an alternative outlet. Pressing the rest button may also help with this issue. If after trying these things it still won’t turn on then it’s probably time to replace it.

How can I help my Wi-Fi extender last longer?

No hardware can last for ever, so eventually all Wi-Fi extenders are going to fill and need replacing. That being said, there are some things you can do to take good care of it and help it to last as long as possible. As we noted above, the most common problems are caused by heat, so the main solutions lie in keeping the gear cool.

Help your Wi-Fi extender have a long life using these tips:

When you’re setting up, always place your Wi-Fi extender in a well-ventilated area. Never place it in an enclosed space like a closed shelf or cabinet. Not only will an enclosed space block the Wi-Fi signal, but it will also cause the extender to get hotter than necessary, which will shorten its life.
Use a surge protector in the same location as the Wi-Fi extender if possible. This can help stop voltage spikes which can cause severe damage to a Wi-Fi extender.
Regularly give the extender a clean and remove dust by dusting the outside of it and blow dust from the vents. Dust build-up can also contribute to overheating.
Sometimes firmware updates from manufacturers can help keep performance at its best. If you notice worsening performance then it’s worth trying to install a firmware update (if there is one) to help speed up an older Wi-Fi extender model.

Is my Wi-Fi extender causing network issues?

Problems with Wi-Fi connectivity and speed are the first clues when it comes to identifying if a Wi-Fi extender is failing or starting to fail.

Got a unique SSID for your extender? Then you’ll notice right away that you’re having problems connecting to it compared with your primary network.

Using a mesh network? If you’re using the same SSID and password for your extended network as your primary network or using a mesh network then you might notice you have connection trouble or slow internet speeds when you’re in the extended network area.

As you’ll remember from our disclaimer at the start of this article, here at Geekabit we don’t recommend Wi-Fi extenders. One of the reasons why we don’t is that they can cause problems for your network even when they’re working.

One of the biggest problems with Wi-Fi extenders is that they can actually cause interference on your primary network if they’re running on the same channel. So by trying to extend your network to a further area of your house and garden, you could be jeopardising your main network connection.

This issue is reduced when using a mesh network as they create one big network where devices are seamlessly passed from one extender to the next. However, your bog-standard Wi-Fi extenders can cause real issues with your main Wi-Fi router if they’re operating on the same or overlapping channels.

If you’re trying to create a reliable network across a large space and finding a regular router isn’t quite cutting it, then it might be time to call in the experts rather than reaching for the extenders. Give our friendly Wi-Fi engineers a call and we can identify the best Wi-Fi solution for your premises.

by admin14th April 2025

Fibre Broadband Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Speeds

Watchdog Bans ‘Fastest Wi-Fi’ Advert from Virgin Media

Is Virgin Media Wi-Fi really faster than its rivals like its advert claims? Touted as misleading customers, their advert making this bold claim has been banned in recent weeks.

Virgin Media claimed in their advert that they had the ‘fastest Wi-Fi guarantee of any major provider.’

Understandably, this ruffled a few of their rivals’ feathers leading to Vodafone making a complaint to the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority).

The watchdog agreed that the information presented by Virgin Media was misleading, by leading customers to believe that Virgin’s Wi-Fi was faster than that available from other providers.

Virgin were left feeling rather baffled by the decision, insisting that they did indeed offer a faster minimum speed (guaranteed) than its competitors.

The advert was supposed to communicate the message that Virgin customers are guaranteed a minimum Wi-Fi download speed of 30 Mbps. This guaranteed minimum speed is faster than the minimum speed offered by other providers. If Virgin customers find that their minimum download speed was not met, they would then be given a credit towards their bill.

In comparison to Virgin’s minimum guaranteed download speed of 30 Mbps, Vodafone’s equivalent is 10 Mbps. Hence the claim in their advert, albeit a potentially misleading one.

Despite Virgin’s explanation, the ASA upheld the complaint from Vodafone and agreed that the information presented in the advert was misleading to customers.

There is a subtle difference between ‘guaranteeing the highest speed and offering a guarantee which promised action by the advertiser if a minimum speed was not met’ which led to the ASA’s decision to ban the advert.

They weren’t convinced that the majority of potential customers watching the advert would have understood the actual meaning by the headline claim, but instead would assume it meant that Virgin offered (and guaranteed) they had the fastest Wi-Fi service of all the major broadband suppliers.

In the ASA’s eyes (and likely Vodafone’s) the claim was not substantiated, therefore leading to the conclusion that the advert was misleading.

Virgin were told that they could no longer run the advert, and were not to imply that they could guarantee that they offered the fastest Wi-Fi service of all major broadband providers unless of course that was the case.

Originally appearing on their website on the 3rd July presenting their Wi-Fi guarantee, Virgin further specified that it only applied to customers with access to fibre optic broadband and those opting for their M50 broadband package in which they offer an average download speed of 54 Mbps.

The guarantee was a promise to give the customer a £100 credit if they didn’t get at least 30 Mbps in each room of their home, following up to 3 Wi-Fi signal boosters to help achieve that minimum speed.

Virgin remained adamant that their customers would understand the meaning behind the claims in their advert and were both disappointed and surprised that the ASA ruled it as misleading.

Virgin insisted that they are not the only major broadband provider to promote Wi-Fi guarantees to their customers and even managed to support their claims that consumers understood the meaning of the advert with an independent poll reflecting that the majority did indeed correctly understand what was meant by the guarantee.

by admin21st December 2023

5G 5G Mobile Broadband Mobile Broadband Mobile COnnectivity Mobile Network Mobile Network 5G Survey Mobile Phone Coverage Mobile Reception Mobile Signal Strength Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Speeds

UK Smartphone Users: Are you Satisfied with 5G Mobile Performance?

UK market research provider OnePoll have recently released new survey data suggesting that 80% of smartphone users who use 5G to get online on their mobile are satisfied with the performance.

80% of surveyed smartphone users satisfied with 5G mobile service

Commissioned by Green Smartphones (a smartphone comparison website), the poll surveyed 1000 UK based adults who use 5G mobile internet on their smartphone. 80% of the respondents reported being satisfied with both the coverage and the broadband speeds via 5G.

The other 20% of respondents were split between being dissatisfied (8%) and undecided (12%).

Over 50% say 5G mobile service meets expectations

The poll also asked the selected UK smartphone users whether the 5G they use on their mobile is faster or slower than they expected.

From those surveyed:

53% said 5G mobile speeds were what they expected
21% said it was faster than they expected
12% said it was much faster than their expectations
Another 12% said it was slower than they expected
The remaining 2% said it was much slower than they expected

Can 5G live up to the hype?

Recent news outlets have reported disappointment in the rollout of 5G, criticising the 5G mobile services that are available.

The survey outlined above from OnePoll would suggest different, with the majority of their respondents reporting satisfaction with their 5G mobile service performance. Only a small percentage of those surveyed reported slower than expected 5G mobile speeds.

As with most things tech, there is always a buzz and excessive hype with the rollout of anything new. Just like 4G and 3G technology before it, 5G services have been hyped up and over-sold with bit expectations for positive impact on mobile performance.

Has 5G made fixed line broadband obsolete? No. Are we seeing a 5G-powered driverless car revolution on our roads? No, not that either.

What we are seeing is an upgrade in mobile capability which is useful and appreciated by both businesses and consumers – Once it’s available to them.

5G wireless network technology

Let’s not forget that 5G technology still has room to grow so further future improvements are likely.

The expectation is that 5G broadband speed and network coverage will continue to grow and improve over the coming years.

And, as is the world of tech, once we’ve welcomed and embraced 5G will open arms, attention will turn to 6G and the wild assertions of the benefits it will bring with it.

Get in Touch

If you own a rural business and are struggling with broadband connectivity then get in touch with our Wi-Fi experts today.

Our professional engineers in Hampshire can advise whether mobile broadband could help keep your business connected.

by admin5th May 2023

Broadband Home Network Home WI-Fi Optimising Home Network Router Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Speeds Wireless Network

Boost Your Wi-Fi Speed This Christmas By Not Placing Your Router In This Room

You could be able to increase your internet speed over the Christmas period just by moving your router out of a particular room in your home.

As schools and businesses slowly come to a close for the Christmas break, you might find your home internet buckling under the increased traffic. Children home from school, friends and family visiting – There could suddenly be many more devices all trying to connect to your Wi-Fi at the same time.

So making sure your router is placed in the prime position could be vital in making sure Netflix streams don’t buffer, online games don’t freeze and video calls with relatives don’t stutter and fail.

How Can You Make Sure You Get the Fastest Internet Speeds Possible Over Christmas?

Hands up if you’ve got some kind of new device on your Christmas list? Imagine Santa delivers that new games console, smartphone or smart home gadget – But your Wi-Fi speed and signal can’t handle it.

Have you ever counted how many devices you have in your home that are connected to the internet at any given time? The obvious ones are smartphones, laptops and tablets. But then there’s the TV, online gaming, smart home devices like heating and lighting controls.

Then add in these new devices and it’s little wonder the Wi-Fi might start to struggle.

Here are some of our Wi-Fi experts top tips to keep your Wi-Fi quick this Christmas:

Never keep your router in a cupboard. We know they’re not the prettiest things, especially if you have an eye for design, but hiding it away in a cupboard is going to affect the strength of the signal
Avoid placing your router behind the TV as this can block the signal
We know everyone is trying to be savvy with their electric use to keep bills as low as possible, but switching off your router at night isn’t a good idea as it will miss automatic updates (and it won’t save you much money either)
Schedule a time once per month to switch the router off and reboot. This can help to clear any issues and keep it working to its full potential
Use a tool or app to check what internet speed you are getting. If it doesn’t match what you’re paying for, then give your ISP a call.
Place your router in the upright position it’s designed to be in – Not on it’s side or upside down
If possible, try to position your router in the centre of your home. This will help to ensure that the signal reaches every room.
Try not to place your router near large objects, mirrors or fish tanks as these can all inhibit the signal
You might see a decrease in internet speed if you put up your Christmas tree directly over or in front of your router. The lights placed on the tree can, in some cases, negatively affect the signal from the router. You can read more about this here.

What Room Should You Never Have Your Router In?

There is one room in the home that has the most potential for causing interference to your router signal and wreaking havoc on your Wi-Fi. And that is the kitchen. This is the worst place you could choose to place your router.

Your router is consistently beaming out signal the whole time it’s on and connected to your ISP. The kitchen has the highest possibility of interrupting this signal due to the appliances kept and used in there.

Electronics and metal can cause a lot of problems for your Wi-Fi connection. Appliances like washing machines, fridges and ovens are metal heavy and can block the signal from your router if it is placed too close by.

Appliances and electronic devices that emit their own signal can also cause interference, like microwaves. If your router is placed near the microwave, you will likely notice a big slow down of Wi-Fi every time the microwave goes on.

Kitchens are not a good environment for your router, even if your kitchen is in the centre of your home. You will get much better signal strength and speed if you place your router in a room away from large appliances and signal emitting devices.

Stay Connected This Christmas

Christmas is a time for connection – In real life with those closest to you, and online with those that live further afield. Don’t let your router position and Wi-Fi strength be the reason you can’t connect with loved ones this Christmas.

by admin19th December 2022