Name the greatest agony of all time and we’ll wait. Insert drum roll….. You ready? Well, we don’t know about you but nothing ruins our day more than a painfully slow internet connection.
Slow internet speed isn’t that big of a deal if the issue is solely at your end. A simple restart can sometimes do the trick. But, what if the issue is bigger than that? Well, that’s what we’re here for. Poorly performing internet can be due to many reasons. Let’s narrow down the main issues why your internet connection often acts so stifled and find out ways to quickly fix those issues.
Let’s start with the easiest. Have you ever considered taking a look at your internet plan? If the speed of your internet connection drops drastically whenever there are multiple devices connected with it, then here’s what you can do. Run an internet speed test to check whether your ISP is honestly providing you with the advertised speeds or not. Here’s a globally preferred one to help you get started.
Running the speed test should give you an approximate figure of download and upload speed that you’re receiving from your ISP. If the number is lower than what your ISP has promised, then upgrade right away!
Think of it this way – your internet plan comes with a pre-defined bandwidth. It won’t make extra room for more users. Rather it would remain the same and upon receiving an overwhelming amount of traffic, it’ll only add to network congestion, which then degrades the performance.
This is most common in cable broadband users since they’re most likely to incur lags during peak usage time. In case you’re less familiar with peak time. It’s typically known as ‘internet rush hour’ and it occurs between 7PM to 11PM when there is a huge number of users online, carrying out activities such as video streaming, instant messaging, social media, web browsing, and more. Therefore, to avoid aggravated network congestion, your provider resorts to throttling your speeds.
There’s not much you can do about it since this issue arises from the provider’s end. But, there are a couple of ways you can circumvent this issue. First one is by scheduling your online activities. Whether there are files to download or games to play online, make sure to schedule your activities for off-peak hours. And secondly, if available in your neighborhood, replace your cable broadband with a 100% fiber internet option.
Fiber internet like that of AT&T or MetroNet isn’t susceptible to peak-time connection drops. It’s tremendously reliable – huge network traffic or not, your fiber internet connection will always deliver consistent speeds.
Maybe….. maybe your provider likes to put you through the agony of data caps. If that’s the case with your provider then boy, are we in trouble?
Data caps can be troublesome, but not when your provider is understanding enough to hook you up with substantial additional data every month. If your existing provider applies a low data cap, then consider switching to options that either come with none or rather hefty data allowance.
For instance, Xfinity offers its customers a data cap of 1.2 TB every month. Followed by Mediacom that offers varying data allowance with all the internet plans, and that too up to 6000 GB per month. AT&T also offers 1 TB of data with its high-speed DSL plans up to 75 Mbps. Plans from 100 Mbps and above get unlimited monthly data. Spectrum follows suit with unlimited data in all of its internet plans. With providers that don’t cap your internet data, the trouble of a slow internet connection surely becomes a myth.
You don’t realize, but the WiFi at your home depends on a few things in order to run smoothly. Distance, thickness of walls, and obtrusion from microwaves can wreak havoc on your home WiFi network. This could mean a couple of things. A) you need to change the placement of your equipment and place it on an elevated spot where it can reach other devices seamlessly, and B) The WiFi gateway at your home is looking for an upgrade.
Don’t be alarmed, WiFi gateways run out of ‘fashion’ pretty often than usual. You can avoid running into this snafu by opting for a WiFi gateway directly from your provider. Or, if you already have upgraded equipment but only weak signals are your concern, then get in touch with your provider and add WiFi extenders to your existing WiFi gateway.
WiFi extenders are super-efficient at stretching WiFi signals across every corner of your home. The signals remain robust regardless of where you keep your WiFi gateway. Most providers offer this feature for an additional, small fee. So be prepared to bear the extra ‘hit’ added to your monthly internet bill.
Do you live where satellite internet is the only viable connectivity option? Well, we hate to break it to you but consider getting a replacement. Sometimes, a slow internet can occur due to high latency. In case you’re not familiar, latency is the rate at which data travels from your end to the main destination. Of course, satellite internet works via satellites in the space, so you can imagine how great would the ‘to and fro’ distance be.
If you’ve to carry out bandwidth-intensive activities such as gaming, telecommuting, HD streaming, and downloading files, then high latency can be a hassle. A better alternative to satellite internet these days is 5G. It transfers data at an incredibly fast rate and demonstrates the lowest latency.
When was the last time you closed unwanted apps on your computer or phone? Well, if it was too long ago, then consider this a reminder to turn off all the unused applications on your device, close all the extra tabs on your browser, reboot your device so it can install new updates, and check for a software run.
It’s true that devices need to be frequently cleaned and updated in order to process WiFi connectivity. Make a habit of running frequent checks to ensure that your device‘s operating system is the latest and there are no unnecessary activities eating up your download speeds in the background.
So, in this article, we took you through the following things:
Make sure to be mindful of all of these to ensure seamless internet connectivity. We have something for you over here. This should help you figure out why your internet slows down, along with some quick ways to troubleshoot it.
You’re paying a good amount of money to enjoy the internet every month. That is why, whenever you’re experiencing a dip in your connection, make sure to run some diagnostics yourself or better yet, report it to your provider.
If your existing provider is consistently under-delivering, then make your life easy and replace it with a better internet plan. Dial 1-855-349-9328 and our experts will help you find the right internet provider in no time.