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How to Fix Your Slow Internet

Expert tips to banish tedious internet speeds

May ten, 2022 Share
FAQ, Internet Speed Guides

You can by and large fix a boring internet connection if the consequence is on your end. A simple restart of your modem and your router (or all-in-one wireless gateway) tin can sometimes speed up your connectedness. But your slow speeds may as well be the consequence of problems on your provider'south terminate—problems you merely can't prepare.

More often than not, your modem or router (or both) will create a speed bottleneck if not working properly—the same goes with wireless gateways. If your equipment is as well old, it may not support important internet protocols. Equipment impairment, such equally bad ports or components, tin can too cause slowdowns.

There are a few ways to make sure each step of your network is performing at optimal speed. We'll aid you identify and fix your network's weakest link starting with the basics—we'll go more in-depth as nosotros go deeper into our guide.

Want faster internet speeds straight from the source? Enter your zip code below to encounter if a faster plan is available in your surface area.

Why is your internet so slow?

At that place are many reasons why your internet is slow. Mayhap your internet provider is having issues, your habitation network needs a reboot, or you're just too far abroad from the router—the possibilities tin be a chip overwhelming. We'll list the nearly common issues and how you can set them to get more speed.

Your internet programme is too slow
You need better network direction
Your provider'due south network is congested
You exceeded your data cap
Y'all have weak Wi-Fi signals
You accept high latency
Y'all have slow or outdated devices
Your provider is throttling your connection

Problem: Your net plan is likewise slow

If your internet slows downward only when too many other people are online simultaneously, y'all're probably using more than data than your programme allows. Apply our internet speed examination to come across if you're getting the speed advertised by your ISP. If your results are close to your plan speed, consider upgrading.

Your internet package gives you a specific amount of bandwidth, and if there'due south more than data trying to move around than there is bandwidth, you see a traffic jam.

Think of your cyberspace connexion like a road straight to your firm. One car's worth of people (or internet data) can reach your house at a time. If in that location are three cars trying to become at that place, they take to line up to get to your house. And if more than cars arrive equally the others are waiting to reach your firm, the line and the delays get longer.

The easiest fashion to get more bandwidth is past upgrading to a faster internet plan that tin keep up with your household. We're online now more than always, and the net program y'all signed up for a few years ago might not exist sufficient today if your connexion slows down every time multiple people apply the internet.

We recommend checking out one of the fastest net providers in the US.

How much speed do you need?

If y'all demand help figuring out how much bandwidth you lot demand to prevent traffic jams, check out our How Much Speed Do You Need tool.

Problem: You demand better network management

If upgrading isn't an option, yous need to either deal with the tedious speeds or manage your household's internet use. Thankfully, there are severa l easy ways of doing the latter that doesn't include yelling at anybody to go off the internet then you tin can attend a Zoom meeting.

Here are a few tips on how to manage your dwelling house network traffic:

Use QoS settings

Many routers accept a quality of service (or QoS) component that allows you lot to control how your network prioritizes certain types of information. That way, you tin can make certain your streaming data always gets offset access to available bandwidth for smooth playback.

Not all routers accept adjustable QoS, but if your router does, you'll find the controls in your router's web interface.

Pro tip: How to log in to a router

Many of our tips and troubleshooting guides tell you to log in to your router'south spider web interface . It'south really piece of cake if you don't know how—simply follow our instructions.

Prune your cyberspace connections

There may be some devices connected to your network that you rarely utilize—if at all. For example: you bought a new laptop, simply the old ane nevertheless idles and connects to the network. Even though information technology'due south non in use, it even so uses bandwidth for updates and other groundwork services. Your router may even accept a express number of devices it can connect to simultaneously, and if you have too many connected devices the router may start kick some of them off the network.

One uncomplicated way to accept stock of all the devices using your network is to load your router's web interface and view the network map. You volition see all continued devices, whether they're agile or not, so yous can cake the ones you never use.

Another method is to change the Wi-Fi password, but that only applies to wireless devices . Once you do , y'all must manually reconnect every device that accesses your wireless network .

Some routers or wireless gateways also accept a handy companion app that lets y'all come across everything on your network without loading a browser . That way you lot can identify and remove devices that no longer demand admission to your network .

Stagger bandwidth-hogging activities

If your connection can't handle everyone online at one time, stagger your internet activities and so everyone gets a gamble at an uninterrupted connectedness.

Also, make certain to schedule big downloads (like figurer and game updates) during times when other people won't be online.

Put visitors on a guest network

At that place'southward nothing wrong with sharing your internet with guests when they come to visit , merely you don't want them to secretly download illegal content while they lounge on your couch . That's where your router's guest network feature comes into play .

You tin can create a second guest network using your router's web interface or mobile app. A guest network allows y'all to limit how much bandwidth guests can apply, and what services and websites they can access . Information technology also prevents guest devices from mingling with your devices, so there'due south no worry most guests spreading malware to everything you use.

Problem: Your provider's network is congested

Cable internet subscribers may suffer slowdowns during peak times when they and everyone else in the neighborhood are active online at the same time. It's a similar situation to traffic on your home network simply on a larger scale. In this instance, you and all your neighbors compete for the same bandwidth.

If the congestion gets particularly bad, your internet provider may throttle net speeds in your expanse to reduce traffic for the network.

Unfortunately, you lot can't control when or how often people in the same area employ the internet —nosotros certainly don't advise request your neighbors to log off then you tin Zoom in peace. Simply 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. You could also switch to some other provider that doesn't have as many subscribers around y'all, though that could be difficult to determine .

The merely type of internet that isn't much afflicted by an expanse's network congestion is fiber internet . Cobweb infrastructure is capable of carrying much more information than other internet types, so having a ton of traffic at the aforementioned time doesn't ho-hum down individual customers.

Trouble: You exceeded your data cap

Many cyberspace providers take data caps, and some boring your speeds to a crawl subsequently y'all hit that cap. Yous tin unremarkably bank check to see how much data y'all've used on your online account or through your Internet access provider's app. Providers like Xfinity give customers very high data caps—1.2 TB for this example—and shouldn't cause too many bug for well-nigh households. But satellite internet providers including and are less generous with their data allowances.

Satellite net providers charge for internet use by data rather than by net speed. It'south like to how cell telephone plans commonly work: once you use up your information allowance for the month , your cyberspace connection can slow to a crawl.

HughesNet customers can encounter speeds drop to 1–3 Mbps. Viasat customers can await all their internet traffic to be deprioritized, meaning that their data gets pushed to the back of the line of all Viasat customers' data.

Many DSL, cable, and fiber internet companies are discontinuing data limits , merely in that location are many others that proceed to go along them in identify . Look to run across if your internet service has a data cap in our guide to ISP data caps .

Problem: You have weak Wi-Fi signals

Walls, distance, and even microwaves tin interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Weaker Wi-Fi signals hateful slower speeds and frequent disconnects .

You can tell if indicate interference and weak Wi-Fi signals are your issues if your connectedness works well nearly your router but is extremely dull in the next room .

To set weak Wi-Fi, first, cheque your router'south placement. Y ou want to make sure your router is in a central and elevated location and away from things that can affect your Wi-Fi signals (similar walls, Bluetooth speakers, etc.).

If that doesn't piece of work, yous might demand to replace your router with 1 designed for longer ranges or better coverage—or yous tin add an extender to your network to stretch Wi-Fi signals into a previously unreachable area .

Check out our guide to long-range routers if yous need better Wi-Fi coverage. It goes over both mesh Wi-Fi systems and standalone routers to assistance you figure out how best to access the internet in every inch of your home.

Trouble: You take high latency

Latency is the time data takes to brand a round trip from your device to the destination and back. A high latency creates noticeable lag: an extended duration between your physical deportment and the results displayed on your screen. This can be particularly frustrating with online gaming or video calls.

High latency is difficult to piece of work around. Information technology depends partially on your physical distance from net servers, network congestion between you and the servers , and your internet provider's infrastructure. Cyberspace type can also play into latency besides.

For example, satellite internet has loftier latency considering 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 , accept lower latency because they tin can handle faster signals.

If you're looking to lower your latency for a better connection, cheque out our written report on the fastest ISPs . It dives into which internet services take the best tested speeds and lowest boilerplate latency.

Trouble: Yous accept wearisome or outdated devices

The problem might not exist with your internet connection—information technology might be with the device you use . Your computer, tablet, phone, or gaming panel could be outdated and not capable of processing today's Wi-Fi speeds.

For example, the old (but much loved) PlayStation Vita handheld console supports upwardly to 150 Mbps per 2d because information technology uses a Wi-Fi 4 radio. That speed can decrease based on the router it connects to and the security protocol information technology uses. The Vita volition never see speeds beyond that 150 Mbps limit.

If yous have speed issues on a desktop or laptop, endeavor power cycling the device. This clears the retentivity of whatever junk, refreshes your connection, and cleans out unnecessary processes and temporary files. Speed issues tend to happen due to an overworked processor, and a quick power cycle—shutting information technology downwards completely for 30 seconds—will "clear its head."

Other things that tin can tiresome down your devices include the following:

Too many open applications
Too many open browser tabs
Outdated software
Outdated drivers
The operating system needs to reboot to install updates
Patch downloads
App downloads
Malware

Avoid overwhelming your computer's CPU past endmost unused applications and browser windows. Keep your device's operating system upwards to date past assuasive auto-updates, and proceed your antivirus definitions electric current.

Problem: Your provider is throttling your connectedness

Net providers tin throttle your speeds, causing a slow connectedness . We'll get over throttling briefly here, but you can go a more in-depth look at the subject in our guide to network throttling .

We've already discussed a few circumstances where a provider might throttle your speeds—like if you lot go over your data cap or if there'southward too much congestion in the network. Just your provider might also tiresome yous down if it flags your cyberspace action as potentially illegal or if it generally doesn't want you to do a specific type of activity (like torrenting).

To come across if your provider is throttling your net, run a speed test normally and and so run it once more using a VPN. If your speeds amend with the VPN, congratulations! Yous're throttled.

Other factors that bear on your speed

Your internet plan's maximum speed

Cyberspace speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps) . This refers to your connection's total bandwidth, not the actual time data uses to make a round trip to a website and back—that'southward called latency.

Providers usually advertise their net speeds every bit "upward to" a certain number of megabits per second, and at that place'due south usually some fine print that says those speeds are not guaranteed. Cyberspace providers are mostly in the articulate legally if your internet doesn't actually perform upwards to the highest advertised bandwidth.

Realistically, yous may pay for 400 Mbps per month, but you likely won't meet that maximum due to hardware issues betwixt your internet provider'south operator—a device that communicates with multiple modems—and your physical internet connection. Utility pole connections, your buried cable, and so on all play a major factor in how your connexion performs. At that place'southward naught you can practice to get the maximum bandwidth you pay for each month other than hope for the highest speeds possible.

If yous need a refresher on internet speeds and what they hateful, check out our guide to net speeds .

Your upload and download speeds

Y'all upload and download data every mean solar day, whether you're on a smartphone or a laptop. For instance, when you access a website, yous upload a asking to that website and then download temporary files from the site to view it in your browser.

If you don't have bug with streaming on Netflix or downloading files simply are still experiencing some symptoms of slow internet speeds, your issue might really be with your upload speed.

Cablevision, DSL, and satellite providers requite customers mode less upload bandwidth than download bandwidth because virtually people request much more information from the internet than they transport. Upload speed is typically an issue for heavy uploaders—like Twitch streamers , people who work with video or audio , or those who often take to share large files.

The best way to ameliorate upload speeds is to switch to a fiber plan. Fiber-optic internet connections often give customers upload speeds equal to their download speeds. If yous don't know what kind of speeds you really need , bank check out our recommendations for upload and download speeds .

Your cyberspace connection type

There are a few different technologies net providers use to evangelize your connectedness, similar cable, fiber, satellite, or DSL. Your internet connectedness type p lays a huge gene in your overall speeds.

Satellite internet transfers internet signals from a base of operations 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 downwards.

DSL cyberspace uses phone lines to carry data. Considering the infrastructure is commonly a fiddling older, it tin't handle the same amount of bandwidth as a newer connection like cobweb. DSL internet tops out at simply over 100 Mbps, and its electric signals tend to degrade in quality over long distances.

Cablevision internet can be faster than DSL considering it uses the same coaxial cables that carry cable Television set. Speeds can attain up to 1,000 Mbps, but cablevision is susceptible to network congestion during loftier-traffic times due to the infrastructure's overall "shared" design.

Cobweb-optic internet is one of the newest types of internet, and it's the best wired connection you lot can become. Fiber uses LED or laser pulses to ship your net data, then it has lower latency than other internet types as a whole. It can also carry much more bandwidth than cable or DSL, offering speeds up to 2,000 Mbps. It'southward less prone to network congestion and tin offer equally loftier download and upload speeds.

Overall, DSL and cable are the most common internet types while fiber is newer but scarce. Satellite is best for rural areas where the other three types tin't accomplish.

How to troubleshoot a slow connectedness

First, know your program speed

You lot need to know how much speed you pay for each calendar month and compare that number against the speed you're actually getting now . Wait on your newspaper bill or log in to your online business relationship to see your plan'due south advertised maximum speed.

Next, run a speed test and compare

Running a series of speed tests while connected to different points in your network tin help you lot effigy out where your speeds are slowing downward. Nosotros'll break the testing procedure down into two sections.

Part ane: Test the modem

Your showtime speed test is to see if you're getting the correct speeds to your home compared with what you're supposed to become from your internet provider . To get the most accurate results for your initial speed exam, unplug your router from the modem and connect a figurer to the same port on the modem using an Ethernet cable. If y'all take a wireless gateway, simply plug information technology into one of the Ethernet ports.

Warning: Nosotros don't recommend browsing the internet for extended periods of time without using a router. Your router has some excellent built-in security features that protect your network from viruses and malware.

This outset examination should give yous results that are close to the speeds promoted with your program. If not, endeavor to track this effect over multiple days and times of twenty-four hour period to establish a pattern. Contact your net provider to talk well-nigh why you're not getting the correct speeds if you lot continue to see lower than expected results .

Function 2: Test the router

If your modem isn't the issue, the next step is to test the router. Plug the router back into the modem and run multiple speed tests using your wireless devices, and wired devices plugged into the router'due south Ethernet ports.

If yous see a vast deviation between the modem and router tests, then your router is causing your connection slowdowns—or the Ethernet cable tethering your router to the modem.

Keep in mind that not all wireless devices experience identical speeds. Their connections depend on the hardware inside no matter what router you lot utilize, so a budget Samsung phone will have slower Wi-Fi speeds than an expensive wireless card plugged into your desktop.

To troubleshoot router bug, follow these steps:

Stride 1: Unplug the router's power, wait 30 seconds, and and so plug it back in.

Step 2: Make sure all cables are connected securely and that all ports work.

Stride three: Update your router's firmware. You lot can do this by logging in to your router's web interface or mobile app . (Your Internet access provider probable does this automatically, but it'due south worth checking.)

Step 4: Reposition your router .

Step 5: Motility wireless connections to the best Wi-Fi band .

Step 6: Change Wi-Fi channels in your router's interface to find one that'southward less crowded.

Footstep 7: Try a factory reset past pressing the reset button located on the back of your router.

If none of these steps work, you may need to upgrade to a newer or more than powerful router. Internet tech advances rather quickly, and if your router is more than a few years old, information technology might be time to get yourself something more modern . If yous're looking for router-buying guidance, we have recommendations for the best long-range routers , the best modem and router combos , and the best routers for Xfinity .

Cheque for Wi-Fi dead zones

Wi-Fi problems can stem from multiple factors . It could be your router'southward range, a crowded frequency channel or ring, or point interference acquired by physical obstructions and other electronics.

You already know that you should identify your router at a central and elevated location for the all-time coverage, so we'll assume that y'all've already washed that and pointed your antennas in the right direction.

Get to different areas of your house with a computer or smartphone and lookout the Wi-Fi bespeak strength indicator. If you notice a lot of dead zones, yous may demand to move your router again (if they happen in areas where y'all commonly demand Wi-Fi) or invest in something to boost your Wi-Fi signal to that particular area. You lot can too make a Wi-Fi heatmap if you want to get more than precise with it.

If y'all have more than than a couple of issues with Wi-Fi expressionless zones, we recommend upgrading to a mesh networking kit . They commonly ship with at to the lowest degree two nodes—one that connects to your modem and another that communicates directly with the first unit—to create a "blanket" of coverage. There's no centralized bespeak, and you can easily add more nodes to extend coverage. Moreover, devices seamlessly switch between nodes as yous motion most the home or office.

If yous adopt to stick with the traditional router, you could add a Wi-Fi extender or powerline adapter , However, we still adopt mesh router kits versus the router/extender setup .

Reorganize your Wi-Fi connections

If yous've already pruned your Wi-Fi connections of unnecessary devices , it'due south fourth dimension to make sure all active connections are on the correct Wi-Fi band.

Most modern routers offer 2 Wi-Fi bands, which each create their ain visible Wi-Fi network. By default, these are usually labeled with their frequency bands, only it might exist unlike if you've inverse your Wi-Fi network's proper name.

These bands operate on two unlike frequencies: 2.iv GHz and five GHz. The 2.four GHz frequency ring has a better range, but it's slower and more susceptible to point interference from other electronics. The 5 GHz band is faster but tin can't travel equally far.

Basically, you want to use the 5 GHz band for most bandwidth-heavy applications like streaming or gaming. Devices that don't need that much speed—like smart domicile devices— should use the ii.4 GHz band instead .

Typically, you tin can change the Wi-Fi ring each device uses by logging in to the right Wi-Fi network on each device. However, some routers circulate only one network proper noun and automatically selects the best frequency band for your device. This can exist problematic if you really need the faster 5 GHz connectedness, merely the router forces your device to use the 2.four GHz band.

Change your Wi-Fi band's aqueduct

Both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands used by your router separate into multiple channels, similar to how analog and digital Telly works over the air. Like any network dealing with lots of information, these Wi-Fi channels can get too crowded, which can cause slowdowns. This is specially true for compacted living situations like apartment buildings.
To find the best channel, y'all tin employ an app like NetSpot for Windows or utilize the Network Diagnostics role on a Mac. Changing your Wi-Fi channel involves logging in to your router's web interface and manually selecting the ideal aqueduct.

Check connected devices

As we mentioned before, sometimes the event isn't with your cyberspace connection— it's with the smartphone, estimator, or tablet you lot're using to access the internet . It may need a reboot, it may be outdated, or you have too many apps and programs open, bogging down the device'due south processor.

Manage your network

If y'all've made it this far and you're all the same experiencing issues with slow internet speeds, run through the tips in the abode network traffic section of this post if y'all oasis't already.

Your speed bug most likely stem from your internet provider's reliability or the traffic on your own home network. Even if you lot've organized and trimmed down your number of connected devices, y'all could yet not have enough bandwidth at certain times of twenty-four hour period to comprehend everything your network has to handle. The only solution to this is to either use the internet less or go a faster internet plan.

Cheque out every provider and program in your area to run across if you can get meliorate speeds for a ameliorate deal.

Quick fixes for slow internet speeds (and why they piece of work)

Earlier we dive in, have an internet speed test. Measuring your internet speed and knowing how it compares to the speeds you pay for is an of import office of diagnosing a ho-hum connection.

Ready #1: Power cycle your modem and router (or wireless gateway)

Your modem and router work difficult , and sometimes they demand to refresh with a quick power wheel. Simply pull the plug on both units, wait xxx seconds, and then plug the modem dorsum into the wall outlet. Once information technology properly boots, exercise the same with the router.

In the case of a wireless gateway, pull the plug, wait, and plug it back in.

Draining both units of power allows them to clear the system memory, clear upward any local advice issues, and reestablish fresh connections. Moreover, a power cycle allows the modem to resync with your internet provider's operator—a device that communicates with multiple modems. Information technology also refreshes your router's public IP address.

Overall, a ability wheel can really give your net speeds a boost on your side of the modem.

Fix #2: Move your router to another location

Many people hide their routers or wireless gateways in closets, backside furniture , or downwardly in basement s . Don't be ane of those people unless you lot desire excessively bad Wi-Fi.

Instead , put as few physical barriers between your router and your devices equally possible. Walls, floors, ceilings , doors, large furniture, and similar obstructions can battlement your Wi-Fi signals and reduce connection speeds , especially over longer distances.

Sure signals from other devices tin also interfere with your wireless speeds. These include microwaves, Bluetooth speakers, baby monitors, and cordless phones.

For the best Wi-Fi coverage, identify your router in a central, elevated location, or at a location where you use Wi-Fi the most, like in a abode part .

Be sure to employ your router's external antennas ( if present ) to go better Wi-Fi coverage. Most router antennas broadcast Wi-Fi signals in an outward circle perpendicular to the antenna's position . For instance, if the antennas are positioned vertically, the Wi-Fi signals broadcast horizontally in all directions.

That said, if you live in a one-story house, keep the antennas vertical. If you lot alive in a multistory house, positional at least one antenna horizontally so the Wi-Fi signals reach the additional floors.

Fix #3: Utilise the internet during off-peak hours

If you know there'south a large download in your time to come— the latest version of macOS or a 100 GB update for an Xbox Series X game—y'all might desire to schedule a time when you don't need to practice anything else online. The early forenoon hours are ideal when everyone is asleep and no other downloads currently hog your bandwidth.

Operating systems tend to wait until the early morning hours when you're fast comatose. Game updates, meanwhile, typically require you to manually start the download. Other updates aren't quite so all-around with your schedule.

If your internet gets likewise slow to stream during sure peak hours, download the content earlier in the mean solar day (or once more, in the center of the night) so you'll exist fix to binge watch all of Avatar: The Concluding Airbender without buffering -related interruptions.

Fix #4: Upgrade your cyberspace programme

Y'all may need a faster plan if more people live with you now, if you transitioned to working from home, or if you generally use the internet more than y'all did before. Enter your nil code beneath to find a speedier plan that'due south bachelor in your area .

Author - Rebecca Lee Armstrong

Rebecca Lee Armstrong has more than half-dozen years of experience writing about tech and the internet, with a specialty in easily-on testing. She started writing tech product and service reviews while finishing her BFA in creative writing at the University of Evansville and has plant her niche writing nearly home networking, routers, and cyberspace access at HighSpeedInternet.com. Her work has likewise been featured on Elevation Ten Reviews, MacSources, Windows Central, Android Central, Best Company, TechnoFAQ, and iMore.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital infinite for 7 years, and she'southward edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for v years. She graduated with a BA in English language and a small in editing from Brigham Young University. When she'due south not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in cyberspace country and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span.

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Source: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/why-is-my-internet-so-slow