UK homes told to follow 10 second Wi-Fi rule to get a free broadband speed boost

Getting the very best broadband is now more important than ever. Working from home, streaming endless videos online and downloading massive PS5 games onto consoles can all take its toll on your internet so making sure things are working to their full potential is vital.

There are plenty of obvious things you can try to boost those downloads - such as placing your router away from other objects such as baby monitors and keeping it out of cupboards - but one thing you might not be doing on a regular basis is hitting the power button.

Yes, that good old trick of turning it off and on again really can work wonders for your web connection with Virgin Media saying it can fix issues which could be making things sluggish.

READ MORE:

"Manually restarting your router clears any glitches or memory issues that could be slowing down your connection," Virgin explained.

If you want to give it a go then simply follow Virgin's 10-second for an instant boost to your speeds.

"Just remember to leave it off for 10 seconds to reboot properly," Virgin explained.

Be aware that the restart can take around 5 minutes so don't turn off your Wi-Fi if you need to make a zoom call to the office or are in the middle of massive download. It's also worth doing a quick speed test before and after the reboot to see if it's had any effect on your speeds.

Virgin is also offering some other advice to keep speeds at their best including making sure no rogue devices are connected to your system and slowing down your bandwidth.

"Regularly check for and remove any unauthorised devices that are connected to your router that might be slowing it down," Virgin added.

"This could include unused gadgets in the spare room, work laptops on the weekend and even your neighbour’s smartphone."

READ MORE:

You can see what's connected to your router via Virgin's app.

As we mentioned earlier, another piece of advice is to check the all-important position of your router.

Being central in the home and as high up as possible will all help that signal to wiz to every room in your home.

Explaining more, Virgin said: "Believe it or not, your router’s location can have a tremendous effect on your broadband. For maximum signal, place it in a central location and in as high a position as possible, away from pesky blackspots.

"Having your hub on a shelf in your kitchen is going to emit a stronger connection than at the bottom of the garden. And always keep it indoors in a cool place and out of bright sunlight to prevent it from overheating."

One final word of advice. Although it's give to give the broadband a restart, don't switch it off overnight as it won't get vital updates or important patches to keep it secure and safe from data-stealing bugs.