Troubleshooting Guide

Common Business Internet Problems and How to Fix Them

Slow internet, dropped connections, and poor call quality cost businesses time and money every day. Before you call your provider or upgrade your plan, it helps to understand what is actually causing the problem.

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Sometimes the fix is simple. Sometimes it means your connection type is the bottleneck, and no amount of troubleshooting will help until you address the root cause.

The Six Most Common Problems

Slow Speeds

Internet feels fast early morning but crawls during business hours. Cloud software lags, uploads stall, and web pages take forever.

Choppy VoIP Calls

Phone calls break up, voices sound robotic, calls drop mid-conversation. Your phone system depends on your internet quality.

Wi-Fi Dead Zones

Strong internet at the router but patchy or non-existent signal in parts of your office. Meeting rooms and back offices struggle.

Random Dropouts

Internet disconnects randomly throughout the day. Sometimes for seconds, sometimes for minutes. Difficult to diagnose without proper logging.

Video Call Freezing

Zoom and Teams calls freeze, screens pixelate, or audio cuts out. Everyone sees you frozen mid-sentence. Usually an upload speed problem.

Slow Cloud Software

Xero, MYOB, Salesforce, and Google Workspace feel sluggish. What should take seconds takes minutes. Often a latency or upload issue.

Each Problem Explained

What it looks like: Internet feels fast early in the morning but slows down between 9am and 5pm. Cloud software takes longer to load, file uploads stall, and web pages lag.

Common causes: Too many devices sharing one connection, bandwidth-heavy applications like cloud backups running during work hours, or your connection type itself being the bottleneck. FTTN and HFC slow down with shared infrastructure.

How to fix it: Schedule cloud backups and large syncs outside business hours. Check your plan speed against active users, allowing 10-25Mbps per person depending on their tasks. If your connection type is FTTN, upgrading your plan may not help because the copper infrastructure limits throughput. Business fibre may be the actual solution.

What it looks like: Phone calls break up, voices sound robotic, calls drop mid-conversation, or there is a noticeable delay between speaking and the other person hearing you.

Common causes: Insufficient upload bandwidth, no Quality of Service (QoS) configured on your router, or your internet connection lacking the consistency VoIP requires.

How to fix it: Check your upload speed. VoIP needs around 100Kbps per active call with low jitter. Configure QoS on your router to prioritise voice traffic. If you are on NBN with limited upload (20Mbps shared across all applications), upgrading to business fibre with symmetrical speeds often resolves call quality issues immediately.

What it looks like: Strong internet at the router but patchy or non-existent Wi-Fi signal in parts of your office. Meeting rooms, back offices, and warehouses are the usual problem areas.

Common causes: A single router or access point trying to cover too large an area, physical barriers like concrete walls and metal shelving blocking the signal, or interference from neighbouring Wi-Fi networks.

How to fix it: A single consumer-grade router is rarely enough for a business premises. Business-grade mesh Wi-Fi or multiple access points provide consistent coverage throughout your space.

What it looks like: Internet disconnects randomly throughout the day. Sometimes for seconds, sometimes for minutes. Everything reconnects eventually, but it disrupts work, drops calls, and interrupts file transfers.

Common causes: Faulty or ageing modem/router, loose or damaged cabling (especially on FTTN where old copper is involved), ISP-side issues, or overheating equipment in poorly ventilated spaces.

How to fix it: Start with the basics: restart your modem, check all cables for damage or loose connections, and ensure your equipment is not overheating. If dropouts persist, contact your provider to check for line faults. Frequent dropouts on FTTN may indicate copper degradation that will not improve until you switch to fibre.

What it looks like: Zoom and Teams calls freeze, screens pixelate, audio cuts out, or you see the dreaded buffering spinner during presentations.

What is actually happening: A single HD video call needs approximately 3-4Mbps upload. If three staff are on video calls simultaneously while others use cloud software, a 20Mbps upload connection runs out of headroom fast.

How to fix it: Check your upload speed during business hours. Reduce unnecessary video by using audio-only when full video is not required. Close bandwidth-heavy applications during important calls. If upload speed is consistently the bottleneck, symmetrical business fibre eliminates the problem.

What it looks like: Xero, MYOB, Salesforce, Google Workspace, and other cloud applications feel sluggish. Reports take forever to load, data entry lags, and saving changes takes longer than it should.

Common causes: Cloud software depends on both download and upload speed, plus latency (the time it takes for data to travel between your computer and the server). High latency makes every click feel slow.

How to fix it: Test your latency to the servers your cloud applications use. If latency is high, the issue may be routing, not speed. If upload speed is limited, symmetrical fibre helps. Also check that your browser is up to date and not running too many extensions.

If your business internet problems persist after troubleshooting, the connection itself may be the issue. We can assess your setup and recommend the right solution.

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When the Problem Is Your Connection

The Bottom Line

If you have tried the fixes above and problems persist, the issue is likely your connection type or plan, not something you can troubleshoot your way out of.

Businesses on FTTN with persistent speed issues will not see improvement until they switch to business fibre. Businesses with VoIP quality problems on asymmetrical NBN need symmetrical upload speeds that only fibre provides.

Quick Diagnosis Checklist

Test Before You Call

  • Run a speed test: Use speedtest.net during business hours, not at 6am. Compare results to your plan speed.
  • Test wired vs Wi-Fi: Connect a device directly to your modem with an ethernet cable. If wired speed is normal but Wi-Fi is slow, the problem is your Wi-Fi setup.
  • Check your upload: If download is fine but upload is limited, cloud software and VoIP will suffer. This is a connection type issue.
  • Count your devices: Every computer, phone, printer, camera, and smart device uses bandwidth. Divide your plan speed by active devices to see per-device allocation.
  • Check your connection type: Look at your modem or check with your provider. FTTN and HFC have known limitations that no troubleshooting will fix.
  • Monitor dropouts: Note the time and duration of each dropout. Patterns help identify whether the issue is your equipment, your provider, or the infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common causes are too many devices sharing limited bandwidth, cloud backups running during business hours, and connection type limitations. FTTN and HFC connections are particularly susceptible to slowdowns because they use shared infrastructure.

VoIP needs consistent upload speed and low latency. Check your upload speed first. Configure Quality of Service on your router to prioritise voice traffic. If upload speed is the root cause, switching to symmetrical business fibre typically resolves call quality problems.

A single router cannot cover a large office space, especially with walls, partitions, and floors in the way. Business-grade mesh Wi-Fi or strategically placed access points provide consistent coverage. The solution is better Wi-Fi distribution, not a faster internet plan.

Common causes include faulty equipment, loose cabling, ISP-side faults, and copper line degradation on FTTN connections. Frequent dropouts on older copper connections may require switching to fibre for a permanent fix.

A rough guide is 10-25Mbps per active user depending on their tasks. A five-person office doing basic work needs 50-100Mbps. A fifteen-person team running cloud software, VoIP, and video calls needs 250Mbps or more.

It depends on your connection type. On FTTP, upgrading your plan can improve speeds. On FTTN, upgrading may not help because the copper wiring limits what you can receive. Check your connection type before upgrading.

Connect a device directly to your modem with an ethernet cable and run a speed test. If speeds are normal via cable but slow on Wi-Fi, the problem is your Wi-Fi setup. If speeds are slow even on a direct connection, the problem is your internet service or connection type.

Tired of troubleshooting? We can assess your current setup, identify the root cause, and recommend a solution that actually fixes the problem.

Send Enquiry Form CALL US: 1300 293 266