WHETHER YOU’RE TRYING to connect with family and friends in far flung destinations, let the children play new games online or even look up some last minute recipes – Christmas is not a good time for slow broadband.

Some parts of the country experience broadband speeds up to 36 times slower than others.

The slowest broadband area is Legan in Longford, with an average download speed of 1.98Mbps, while the fastest area is Drimnagh in Dublin 12, with an average of 72.15Mbps.

The National Broadband Plan sets out that broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps should be available across Ireland.

However, as it stands only 25% of broadbands tested have speeds of 30Mbps or more. The average speed is about 23.75 Mbps.

Independent price comparison website and switching service Switcher.ie has these five tips for when slow broadband is holding up your day:

• Firstly, carry out a speed test to check the actual speed you’re getting

• If you’re receiving speeds much lower than what you’d expect, and you’re using WiFi:

1. Make sure the router is not encased in a cabinet or surrounded by things that may block the signal
2. Ensure the modem is not near devices that could interfere with it – like microwaves, baby monitors or cordless phones
3. Try plugging your device directly into the router
4. Move the router into the room where you use the internet most and/or
5. Use a WiFi extender

• If you live in an apartment building or an area with lots of wireless modems and lots of devices you may experience some wireless interference. Simply rebooting your modem – by unplugging it, leaving it for 30 seconds and plugging it back in – will automatically select the most appropriate channel for you.

• Certain devices can cause problems with your WiFi. Try disconnecting all of your devices one by one to see if there’s a particular one that’s causing you a problem.

• If none of these solutions work, contact your provider to see if they can offer a solution.

It also reminds users that broadband providers advertise ‘up to’ speeds, which are not a guarantee of the speed you will get. Sometimes changing to a faster type of connection, if it’s available, might be the best bet.

Read: These are the areas in Ireland with the slowest and fastest broadband speeds>