CenturyLink Throttling: Why Is CenturyLink Internet So Slow?

It’s quite irritating when the internet slows down, especially when you’re in the middle of something important. Unfortunately, this is something that you can’t fix even if you switch providers and get the most expensive plan. Not to mention, this move is not really a proper solution and it is needlessly costly. In today’s blog, we are specifically addressing CenturyLink users and their internet throttling issues.

If you are a CenturyLink internet user, you may have experienced slow internet at one point or another. Well, now you know one of the possible causes of the sluggish performance. But what is throttling and why do ISPs feel the need to do it? Specifically, why does CenturyLink do it to its users? Let’s take the time to understand this one step at a time.

This blog is divided into three parts. First, we will be discussing the possible reasons for CenturyLink slow internet. Next, we will talk about the reasons for CenturyLink throttling your internet. Lastly, we will discuss what you can do when CenturyLink is throttling your internet connection. Let’s get right into the topic at hand!

Reasons Why CenturyLink Is So Slow

CenturyLink is a wonderful ISP that ranks among the best Internet Service Providers of 2022. While you don’t expect to run into problems with an ISP of that caliber, sometimes, you unexpectedly do. CenturyLink is a DSL and Fiber internet provider and there have been moments when people have pointed out that they are not getting the advertised speeds with CenturyLink. What could be the reason for that? There could be multiple reasons actually.

Data Caps

Many ISPs will intentionally slow down your internet speed and the reason for that is the data caps. If an internet plan comes with data caps, you need to be careful of the data limit. If, for example, you have used up or exceeded the data limit for your plan, then it is a given that your internet speed will be slowed down or throttled. So, if you know that you need a lot of bandwidth, then you should get a plan that offers an appropriate data limit.

Some plans have no data limits as well. These are perfect for people with very intense internet needs like connecting to smart home and security devices, gaming, working from home, and other such activities. CenturyLink plans also do not have any data caps, which means that this reason for throttling can be marked off the list.

Net Neutrality

Everyone knows that your online activities are monitored to some extent, and this could be one of the reasons for your ISP throttling the internet. Maybe you’re doing something that goes against their policies and that’s why they throttle your internet connection. The other reason is that you could be consuming a lot more internet bandwidth compared to other users.

For example, if you have signed up for a 100 Mbps internet plan, yet you are using up a lot of the bandwidth while streaming Netflix or while gaming, then the ISP will slow down your connection, so other users’ internet connection is not disrupted.

Network Congestion

You might have noticed how at specific times your internet really slows down and it seems to be like a regular thing. The reason for this is network congestion. This happens during peak hours like when people come home from the office and school and use the internet. The number of people using the internet suddenly rises and so, the result is throttling. Throttling helps to regulate the traffic and it also helps with decongesting the network.

Bandwidth Plan

ISPs have agreed to provide the same internet bandwidth for everyone subscribed to the same plan. This means that if you have subscribed to a 100 Mbps plan and your neighbor has done that too, both of you will get equal bandwidth for browsing and other online activities. If the ISP notices that you are using up a lot of bandwidth because of gaming, and your neighbor is not even able to email someone because of that, the ISP will throttle your internet connection and ensure both of you get the same bandwidth.

Late/No Payment

If you haven’t paid your monthly bill or the submission date has long passed, you are bound to experience slow or even no internet. This much is a given and this happens when there is no contract involved. Since the service is like a subscription, you need to pay a certain amount every month to keep it going. Of course, to avoid this, just pay the bill on time or as soon as you can.

Is CenturyLink Throttling Your Internet?

Knowing the reasons for throttling, the next question is naturally about whether CenturyLink is throttling your internet. How do you find out whether it is true or false? There are some things you can do to confirm this and these techniques are shared below:

Run a Speed Test

Multiple tools on the internet will run a speed test on your internet connection. That way, you will know exactly how much bandwidth you are getting. The problem with these speed tests is that depending upon multiple factors like distance, barriers, and interference, the answer might not be as accurate. To get an accurate answer, it is recommended that you connect your device directly to the modem and then run an internet test.

Be sure to note down the speed and bandwidth details and compare them against the promised speed and bandwidth. If there is a significant difference, say 20-30 Mbps or so, in the promised and current bandwidth, then you should definitely bring this to CenturyLink’s or the ISP’s attention. While a little difference like 3-5 Mbps may count as a margin of error, too much difference is obviously not okay.

A little helpful tip: Make sure to check both CenturyLink upload speeds and download speeds during the time of purchase and in the results of the speed tests.

Run an Internet Health Test

Checking your internet speed just generally is useful, no doubt. But what if you want to check your internet speed at a specific time or on a specific site? For this, you can just opt for running an internet health test. This means you can check whether your internet speed slows down while gaming or while you’re streaming on Netflix. Of course, you can get tools for this on the internet as well.

To get as accurate of an answer as you can, it is recommended that you run this test more than one time and check if the speeds are inconsistent. Make sure to check both CenturyLink upload speeds and download speeds. If you find inconsistency in the speeds, contact CenturyLink right away and they will work to fix this problem.

Run Port Tests

Being a gamer means using multiple ports on your laptop or computer at a time. Sometimes, you might suddenly face some unexpected issues with these ports and it disrupts your gaming experience. This can happen due to throttling and not just because the ports or wires are malfunctioning. To check if it is due to throttling, search for “Port Scanners” online and run the test. If you happen to be using these ports, but they show up as ‘Rejected’, this is a clear sign that the ISP is throttling your internet connection.

Contact your ISP, in this case, CenturyLink, and have them fix the issue. Of course, if they can’t do so, they will probably give you a reason for that too, but be sure to bring this to their attention.

What Should You Do When CenturyLink Is Throttling Speeds?

Once you find out that CenturyLink is throttling speeds, the next step is to do something about it. Aside from reporting the problem to CenturyLink’s tech support team or customer support team, there are some other things you can do to solve the problem quickly and efficiently.

Troubleshoot your internet connection

Firstly, you can try to troubleshoot your internet connection. How do you do that? Well, you might be surprised to find out that you can find CenturyLink troubleshooting tips on its official website. You can just follow those tips or you can just try the most basic things like:

Use a VPN

If troubleshooting the internet connection did not work, try using a VPN. We all know that the VPN enables you to remain anonymous and thus, protects your identity and information. So, if you use a VPN now, it will do its job of hiding your IP address. The location that the VPN server will be taken as your location instead. That means if there are any ISP filters, they will not be a problem anymore considering your location has changed.

If you are accessing a website that is banned or not available in your region, you can just use the VPN to trick the web server and access the website from another location entirely. This way, your internet won’t be slowed down just because you are trying to access unavailable sites in your area. As for VPNs, you can find many good options for VPN to use, some of which are listed below:

Concluding The Topic

That brings us to the end of our blog! We hope that this blog has been very helpful to you in regard to throttling. While it is not a problem you may experience often, especially if you have a good internet plan from a good ISP, it is something that you should be aware of. Knowing what you can do to solve the problem is also helpful in case you ever run across this problem. So, be sure to bookmark this blog and keep it for when you really need it!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why does my CenturyLink internet connection drop all of a sudden?

You should first identify if the problem lies within or outside of your home. It is possible that the wiring has come loose somewhere or there is an outage. It is also possible that there is a physical barrier between your device and the modem. If you need the help of an expert to identify the problem, just call us at 1-855-349-9310.

Why is CenturyLink throttling my internet speed?

CenturyLink throttles your internet for a multitude of reasons: You might be using up too much bandwidth, or you are trying to access a site that is banned or not available in your region. If you haven’t paid your monthly fees by the due date, your ISP could be throttling your internet for that reason.