1) Your plan
Different broadband plans have different speeds. The speed quoted on
your plan is the maximum speed. The actual speed may vary depending
on the factors below. Once you hit your monthly international data usage
limit, your connection is automatically speed-capped to 64k (just above
dialup speed) until the end of the month.
2) Your computer
Your computer's set-up and operating system, especially RAM availability,
may affect speed.
3) Your Modem/Router, Filters & Phone Cable
Not all Broadband modems & ADSL filters are created equal, and some
may not give as high quality connection as others. You can purchase
one of our recommended modems either by ringing our tollfree helpdesk,
or through our website.
Loose wiring in telephone cables running from your modem to your telephone
jack may cause your Broadband connection speed to degrade. Additionally,
if you have a long extension cable running from your Broadband modem
to the telephone jack, this may also affect your Broadband connection.
If you have the 'self-install' option (you are using ADSL filters on
each phone in the house), and you have more than 5 devices plugged into
your phoneline (including your Broadband modem), this will affect the
quality of your Broadband connection. Try unplugging some devices from
your line, and then try your Broadband connection again.
4) The Internet
Not all websites will offer the same speed of download, no matter how
fast your connection is. A general rule is that you may expect a NZ
website to load a little faster than an international one.
Because the internet works by sending data through a chain of computers
between you, your ISP (Quicksilver), and the website you want to reach,
there may be limitations or congestion on any of the links between these
points which may affect your speed.
5) Internet traffic
During busy periods you may experience slower speeds as more people
are accessing the Internet. Telecom allocate a certain amount of bandwidth
to your telephone exchange, which may mean that at peak times, the maximum
speed you can reach is limited because everyone on your exchange is
using the same bandwidth at the same time. This is a limitation placed
by Telecom at every phone exchange.
Higher speed plans do get higher priority on bandwidth than lower speed
plans, so that customers paying for a higher speed connection should
still get higher speed than low-speed plans, even at peak times.
6) Your location
The distance of your home or office from the Telecom exchange has a
big impact on the maximum speed you will be able to obtain on your Broadband
connection. Generally the further you are from the exchange, the poorer
the quality of Broadband connection. Anything over 4-5km from the exchange
may have a noticeable difference.
7) Other programs or users downloading on your connection
If you have a home or office network, and others are dowloading or uploading,
or if you are downloading on your own computer whilst trying to do other
things, these activities may 'saturate' the bandwidth, slowing down
your other downloads, email or web browsing.
If your Quickfire Broadband connection from Quicksilver seems slow, we
recommend going through this speed troubleshooting list in your own time,
to try to work out where the problem may lie. These suggestions are not
in any particular order of importance.
