Internet why so slow

Another method is to change the Wi-Fi password, but that only applies to wireless devices. Once you do , you must manually reconnect every device that accesses your wireless network. Some routers or wireless gateways also have a handy companion app that lets you see everything on your network without loading a browser. That way you can identify and remove devices that no longer need access to your network. A guest network allows you to limit how much bandwidth guests can use, and what services and websites they can access.

Our guide on how to set up guest Wi-Fi covers a few different ways to establish a second network. Cable internet subscribers may suffer slowdowns during peak times when they and everyone else in the neighborhood are active online at the same time. In this instance, you and all your neighbors compete for the same bandwidth. If the congestion gets particularly bad, your internet provider may throttle internet speeds in your area to reduce traffic for the network. But there are a few tricks to circumventing the issue.

Try to schedule game and media downloads during off-peak hours, like in the middle of the night. Many internet providers have data caps, and some slow your speeds to a crawl after you hit that cap. Providers like Xfinity give customers very high data caps—1. But satellite internet providers including HughesNet and Viasat are less generous with their data allowances. Satellite internet providers charge for internet use by data rather than by internet speed.

HughesNet customers can see speeds drop to 1—3 Mbps. Many DSL, cable, and fiber internet companies are discontinuing data limits , but there are many others that continue to keep them in place.

Look to see if your internet service has a data cap in our guide to ISP data caps. Walls, distance, and even microwaves can interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Weaker Wi-Fi signals mean slower speeds and frequent disconnects. You can tell if signal interference and weak Wi-Fi signals are your issues if your connection works well near your router but is extremely slow in the next room.

Y ou want to make sure your router is in a central location and away from things that can affect your Wi-Fi signals like walls, Bluetooth speakers, etc. Check out our guide to long-range routers if you need better Wi-Fi coverage.

It goes over both mesh Wi-Fi systems and standalone routers to help you figure out how best to access the internet in every inch of your home. Latency is the time data takes to make a round trip from your device to the destination and back. A high latency creates noticeable lag: an extended duration between your physical actions and the results displayed on your screen.

This can be particularly frustrating with online gaming or video calls. High latency is difficult to work around. Internet type can also play into latency as well. For example, satellite internet has high latency because all your data must travel to space and back, both coming and going to your device. Newer types of internet, including fiber and 5G mmWave , have lower latency because they can handle faster signals. It dives into which internet services have the best tested speeds and lowest average latency.

The problem might not be with your internet connection—it might be with the device you use. For example, the old but much loved PlayStation Vita handheld console supports up to Mbps per second because it uses a Wi-Fi 4 radio.

That speed can decrease based on the router it connects to and the security protocol it uses. The Vita will never see speeds beyond that Mbps limit.

If you have speed issues on a desktop or laptop, try power cycling the device. This clears the memory of any junk, refreshes your connection, and cleans out unnecessary processes and temporary files. Other things that can slow down your devices include the following:. Internet providers can throttle your speeds, causing a slow connection. To see if your provider is throttling your internet, run a speed test normally and then run it again using a VPN. If your speeds improve with the VPN, congratulations!

Internet speeds are measured in megabits per second Mbps. Utility pole connections, your buried cable, and so on all play a major factor in how your connection performs.

If you need a refresher on internet speeds and what they mean, check out our guide to internet speeds. For instance, when you access a website, you upload a request to that website and then download temporary files from the site to view it in your browser.

Cable, DSL, and satellite providers give customers way less upload bandwidth than download bandwidth because most people request much more information from the internet than they send. Upload speed is typically an issue for heavy uploaders—like Twitch streamers , people who work with video or audio , or those who often have to share large files. The best way to improve upload speeds is to switch to a fiber plan.

Fiber-optic internet connections often give customers upload speeds equal to their download speeds. There are a few different technologies internet providers use to deliver your connection, like cable, fiber, satellite, or DSL. Your internet connection type p lays a huge factor in your overall speeds. Satellite internet transfers internet signals from a base station to a satellite to a receiver at your home.

Because all your information must travel such a long distance both ways, satellite internet can have very high latency compared to other types of internet, which slows things down.

DSL internet uses phone lines to carry data. DSL internet tops out at just over Mbps, and its electrical signals tend to degrade in quality over long distances. It might also have security features that scan pages for safety before loading. Install an upgrade to the latest version to ensure your devices are browsing at the maximum speed.

One of most common causes of slow speed on the internet is the host server, which hosts websites, files, images, games and applications. To test your host server settings, visit a few different web sites. Your modem is capable of delivering at least as much speed as the fastest-loading site.

If other websites are slower, the problem is usually with those host servers. If you implement all these tips and your internet speed has not caught up with the pace of your business, consider upgrading your internet service plan. We'll send you more exclusive content and information as soon as it's available Email:. Zip Code:. Privacy Policy. Luckily, despite this, you do have some control over your internet connection speed.

In fact, there are several easy and effective steps you can take to speed up your internet connection. Here are our favourite 5 tips to beat the buffering! If your internet requirements have increased due to heavier internet use, more internet-enabled devices in your household or guests staying your loss of speed could be due to your package not covering your requirements.

Contact your internet service provider to find out what your existing plan covers. If you find that you are regularly having connection issues, it may be time to upgrade your package. Want to find out more about what constitutes a good internet connection and how to calculate your requirements? Your internet connection is not an unlimited resource. Only so much information can pass between your router and the internet and this means you need to secure it.

If your router is not protected, your neighbours may be using your connection and, in doing so, could be causing your internet connection so slow down. Most routers come password protected, but not all of them are preconfigured in this way. To do this, you first need to find out your IP address. This may be printed on your router.

If not:. Certain apps can eat up your bandwidth, such as:. Remember when you used to listen to the radio, but when you stood in a certain spot the signal would start to go?

Every time that happened it was because your body was interfering with the signal. Well, did you know that your router is using the same stuff — electromagnetic waves — to connect you to the internet? Just as your body could interfere with your radio signal, it can also interfere with your internet connection.