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When you signed up for your broadband package, the chances are you were told you would get speeds of up to 8MB, 16MB, or 24MB. You were probably also told that this speed may not be achievable due to the distance you live from the exchange. You probably weren't told that this speed is nigh on impossible to get, regardless of where you live.

Shocking discoveries have been made as a result of broadband users taking online speed tests, which is an internet tool that checks the speed of your connection by downloading a 10MB file roughly 19 times.

These results showed that when bandwidth is advertised at up to 8MB, for example, the actual speed received can be as low as 2.2MB, regardless of your distance from an exchange. One user who lived close to an exchange received just 9 Mbps of the advertised 16 Mbps. The lowest speed recorded in these speed tests was a meagre 0.09Mbps, which isn't much faster than dial-up.

Unfortunately, there is little the consumer can do to gain faster broadband speed. Computeractive magazine has taken a petition to Downing Street to try and prevent misleading advertising by broadband providers, in a bid to get the word 'typical' on the adverts, in much the same way credit cards advertise 'typical APR'.

Surprisingly, price isn't necessarily a factor in determining bandwidth. A cheap broadband package can be just as slow or fast as a more expensive one. Sometimes switching your provider can help, but it can be costly and stressful, especially if you're trying to end a contract early.

Check all your connections and wires first of all, and if you can't see a problem with those, contact your provider to see what they suggest. You may need an upgrade on your modem, or maybe even a new PC.

Bear in mind that certain times of the day, the internet is slower for everybody. Peak times in the UK tend to be between 4 and 6pm, when people tend to log on at the same time, thus clogging up the exchanges.

Want broadband? Find cheap broadband by comparing broadband providers online.

J Tillotson is a UK author specialising in technology and communications.