Will restarting my broadband router fix my speeds?

In some cases yes, and given that routers are just small computers if it has not been restarted for a few months it may be the software just needs reloading and restarting by switching off and on will accomplish this.

Lightning even when a long way away can interfere with DSL signals, so if your broadband is slow in the time following a storm, it is worthwhile restarting the modem.

Caution: Do not switch off your router when you leave the house on a daily basis! With ADSL2+ and FTTC services switching the broadband router off and on a lot can make the remote broadband hardware think the line is unstable and a process called Dynamic Line Management (DLM) may kick in and slow the line down in response to try and make it more stable.

Top Tip: Check your microfilters on every single extension; another thing that catches people out, is that someone may move the phone to a different extension and if they forget to plug in a microfilter this will cripple the speeds for ADSL2+ and VDSL2, so always double check that everything is plugged in correctly, i.e. anything plugged into the phone line has a microfilter.