Don't get caught lagging - Uswitch's five tips to beat the video call blues

Cut out the background noise: If your broadband is being used for multiple tasks while you’re on a video call, it can strain the bandwidth and contribute to lag. This is more likely to be the case for online activities that require a lot of data, like downloading files. Before you start a video call, limit the amount of background processes your computer is running and close down any unnecessary tabs in your browser. 

Respect the router: Where your broadband router is placed in the home has an impact on your connection speed, with the floor, furniture, walls and physical objects able to get in the way of your Wi-Fi signals. Make sure you place your router in the middle of your home, as free from obstructions as possible and plug it into a main socket rather than an extension. It should be upright and face towards you, and when it comes to making your call, the closer you are to your router the better.

Testing times: If you find your computer regularly slowing down it’s worth performing a broadband speed test. First, stop any downloads or apps running on your computer and then turn off other devices and nearby electrical products like microwaves or voice assistants that could sap the strength of your signal. Keep close to your router and ensure there are no large objects that could block the signal to your device.

Something in the Ether: If you share a Wi-Fi connection with your family or housemates, it might be difficult to keep them off the internet when you’re on a video call. Try connecting your device to the router via an Ethernet cable and you will have a faster and more stable connection and be less likely to suffer the dreaded lag. 

Up(load) the ante: When you conduct a speed test it will show your download speed (the rate at which information travels from your internet to computer) in Mbps, as well as your upload speed (the rate you can send information from your device to an internet server). While download speeds are important for things like checking emails, loading web pages or streaming music, interactive applications like Zoom or Teams also require reliable upload speeds as they use this bandwidth during a video call. For regular home work meetings look for an upload speed of 18-20Mbps. Look out for providers offering symmetrical speeds, where the upload and download speeds are exactly the same, like Vodafone’s Gigabit packages.