Why goldfish might be undermining your internet speed

Millions of Australians are missing the internet speeds they paid for, and there are many hurdles, from outdated hardware to unsuspecting goldfish.

NBN Co issued the warning on Monday after customer research showed nine in 10 home wi-fi installations had room for improvement and more than half of households did not take action until something went wrong.

The warning comes months after the company increased internet speeds for more than 2.7 million households through its upgrade program and thousands of copper-connected homes and businesses switched to faster fiber technology.

Three consumer surveys, including the NBN-led Strategic Housing Survey of more than 12,000 users, found that most home internet setups do not deliver their potential speeds (92%).

In more than half of the cases, the Wi-Fi routers were more than two years old, and in almost two in three cases (59 percent) the routers were located in bad locations in the house.

Common mistakes included running the router far from the home’s peak internet usage (47 percent) and not keeping it clear of obstructions (19 percent).

NBN Co spokesman Doug MacDougall said seemingly harmless objects such as brick walls, wireless devices and water tanks could slow down home wi-fi.

“Some of the mistakes we see are putting things next to things that stop the signal, such as mirrors, furniture, solid walls,” he told AAP.

“Even fish tanks and other stored liquids can absorb the Wi-Fi signal.”

Mr MacDougall said many broadband users were unaware they were getting slower download speeds than they paid for, and more than half (53 per cent) did not try to make a change until they noticed a slowdown.

He said simply changing the location of Wi-Fi routers can improve performance and enable further connection upgrades without requiring additional expenses.

“In April this year, 44,000 people switched to full fiber,” he said.

“We want these customers to feel confident that they are getting the most for their money and the best performance and value from their connections.”

According to founder Alex Stephens, one in four calls to Rent-A-Grandson are responsible for underperforming Wi-Fi networks, and these are often caused by outdated modems and routers.

“When everything is set up correctly, it’s almost set and forget or set and forget until a problem arises,” he said.

“If the fridge maintains its temperature that’s all you need, whereas when you have Wi-Fi it may still be on and working but not working to its full potential or even shutting down.”

Stephens said broadband users should test their Wi-Fi speeds regularly, contact their internet provider about hardware upgrades, and consider installing mesh Wi-Fi devices if home furniture and walls are in the way.