Your Internet connection is a vital component of your technical set-up that will facilitate your ability to communicate and work with other musicians online. This unit explores a number of approaches to making sure that this is working well.

Your Internet connection is a key component in your ability to work productively online. You can check the speed of your Internet connections using free online tools to check the ‘bandwidth’ your provider is facilitating. Bandwidth is measured in MBPS (Mega Bits Per Second) and the upload and download speeds from your home connection will be different. If you are wanting to collaborate on musical projects with others you will need to test both the upload and download speeds. You should also try measuring the speeds at different times of the day to see if they vary. OFCOM have provided a helpful guide for consumers to make sure that they are getting what their broadband provider has promised them!

The next thing to do is to check the bandwidth requirements for the online platform you will be using. Here’s one example: Zoom has a ‘system’ requirements web page which you can check what the bandwidth requirements are. Remember in the digital world KBPS measurements are less than MBPS.

Bandwidth can be impacted by how many other users are online. This might be users in your household or your local neighborhood. Scheduling online activities outside of busy times (if possible) may improve your bandwidth.

If you are using WIFI the closer you are to your router will make the signal more reliable and stronger. You can use WIFI ‘repeaters’ or ‘boosters’ to strengthen the signal across the rooms of your home. The construction material of your home can interfere with signal strength between rooms. ‘Boosters’ might help, but the most reliable solution is to opt for a wired connection rather than Wifi connection. 

A wired connection is where you plug your computer into your router using a data cable called an Ethernet cable. Ethernet cables are cheaply available from most reputable electrical device dealers. You could opt to run a long Ethernet cable between rooms from your computer directly to your router, or for longer distances, install a dedicated cable with data sockets.

Related Resources

Speed Test Links:
checker.ofcom.org.uk/broadband-test
speedcheck.org