Study shows how broadband speeds vary through the day

A recent study has shown how the broadband speeds that UK consumers are receiving are varying over the course of the day, with the speeds that are achieved in the evening being the worst.

Broadband speeds are very important to many broadband users in the UK these days, with many users utilising their broadband connection for things such as streaming data and playing online games. However, the speeds that users receive can vary based on a number of factors such as their provider, the package that they choose, where they are located, and the time of day that they use the Internet.

A recent study has highlighted how the speeds that users actually achieve can vary throughout the course of the day, and the results of the study show that the evening is the worst time for users to get online because of the slowdown in speeds that are experienced during this period. This is the time when many people get back from work or college and try to get online, and this causes heavy traffic and slower speeds.

A quarter of a million speed tests were carried out over a ninety day period in order to determine how speeds were varying over the course of the day, and to work out which was the worst time of the day to use the internet in terms of broadband speeds.

The results found that two o’clock in the morning was the best time to get online for faster speeds.
An official involved in the research said: “Broadband is a bit like a motorway – speeds get slower at peak times because everyone’s trying to use it at once. But the broadband speed you get also depends to some extent on your broadband provider’s policy towards traffic shaping. Some broadband providers actively ‘throttle’ broadband speed to ensure a consistent broadband experience for all consumers on their network.”

Source – Web User