Why has my satellite broadband download speed dropped?

Like any shared broadband service, the actual download speeds achieved with satellite broadband will vary depending on how busy the network is. The 20Mbps & 22Mbps speeds advertised by SES Astra & Tooway are maximum 'up to' speeds.

We use an SES Astra connection here in the office & often enjoy speeds of 12 to 20 Mbps during the day. We don't use the connection much in the evening but know that speeds can drop considerably - even to around 2Mbps - at peak usage times.

This week, however, we have noticed a drop in the daytime speeds which are averaging around 4 Mbps. This seemed strange, but after a bit of head scratching & a call to the team at Europasat the reason became clear. Half Term! It is an unfortunate fact that when the little darlings are home from school network usage is very heavy & speeds suffer as a result. Oh well, at least it is only a week this time!

Here is the speed test just completed at 14.55. Nearly 9 Mbps download & 2 Mbps upload. Maybe they are all having lunch ??