Wi-Fi answers
NOW Broadband — fast by the router, slow upstairs
NOW Broadband: why is my Wi-Fi fast next to the router but slow upstairs?
The short answer
If the speed next to the router is close to what you pay for, the broadband is delivering. What you are seeing upstairs is coverage: the fast band does not get through floors and walls as well as the slow one, so the far end of the house falls back to a weaker connection.
Tells you where the weak areas will be from your walls, floors and router position.
| Item | What we have on record |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi support tier | Basic router |
| WiFiXpert Experience Score | 22/100 |
| Their own Wi-Fi app | No / very limited |
| Official help page | https://help.nowtv.com/ |
| Service status page | https://help.nowtv.com/ |
The short answer
- If the speed next to the router is close to what you pay for, the broadband is delivering. What you are seeing upstairs is coverage: the fast band does not get through floors and walls as well as the slow one, so the far end of the house falls back to a weaker connection.
Is it the line or the Wi-Fi?
- Test wired next to the router
- Test in the room that struggles
- Write both numbers down with the time
Free things to try first
- Test in both places and write the numbers down — Same device, same time of day. That pair of numbers is the evidence.
- Move the router towards the middle of the house — A router in a hallway cupboard by the front door loses half the house.
Where NOW Broadband fits in
- NOW Broadband is a "Basic router" provider in our comparison, scoring 22/100 for the Wi-Fi support they actually give you.
- No Wi-Fi app for NOW customers, and the supplied hub is basic — bigger homes usually need their own kit.
- Take dated evidence with you — it changes how the call goes.
If it is not fixed
- Ask for a formal complaint reference
- Six weeks unresolved, or a deadlock letter, opens the free independent route
People also ask
- Is this a NOW Broadband fault or my Wi-Fi?
- How do I report this to NOW Broadband?
- Will a NOW Broadband engineer visit help?
- Can I use my own router with NOW Broadband?
If you do end up spending money
Only after the free fixes. Nobody pays to appear here, and no shop link changes anything we say.
- Mesh or a wired second point — only after the free fixes
- Managed Wi-Fi, where the provider owns the fix instead of you
Where this comes from
Related pages
- NOW Broadband
- GigabitIQ — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- EE — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- BT — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- Sky — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- Virgin Media — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- Zen Internet — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- GoFibre — fast by the router, slow upstairs
- Connexin — fast by the router, slow upstairs