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Broadband speed – guide to technical terminology


Access line download speed
  • Quicker download times for music, photo and video files
  • Smoother video streaming, with less pausing, buffering and continuous loading.

Access line upload speed
  • Makes it quicker to send emails with photos or other large files attached
  • Allows faster uploading of photo and video files to social networking sites
  • Reduces lag in online games
  • Enhances the quality of video and phone calls you make over the internet.

Minimum guaranteed download speed
Normally available download and upload speed
Maximum download and upload speed
Throughput speed
  • The number of devices connected to your broadband at the same time
  • The volume of users trying to access the same website at the same time as you
  • The distance from your device to your NOW Broadband Hub
  • Whether or not you have microfilters set up correctly to reduce interference on your line
  • Electrical devices near your Hub, such as microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors, Bluetooth controllers, wireless game controllers and fluorescent lights.

Average product headline speed
Your access line speed
  1. Open a new browser window and type 192.168.0.1 into the address bar, then press Enter.
  2. When prompted, enter the username admin and the password nowtv.
  3. Once signed in, select Maintenance from the options at the top.
  4. You'll find your access line speed in the Modem section, labelled as DownStream Connection Speed.

Actual speed
  • The Wi-Fi connection between your device and your NOW Broadband Hub. Wi-Fi connections can be slowed down by thick walls in your home, other electrical items such as baby monitors or cordless phones, and local congestion if there are a number of connections using the same Wi-Fi channel in your neighbourhood.
  • The number of people that are using the website you’re trying to access.
  • Time of day - you connection might be slower at peak times (weekday evenings and weekends), when the number of people using the internet in the UK is highest.