It’s frustrating to pay for fast internet but watch your Zoom calls freeze and your Netflix movies buffer. If you’re like most people, you probably assume that buying a high-speed internet plan is all you need for a good internet experience, but there’s more than you realize going on behind the scenes.
From router placement and network congestion to device overload and hardware limitations, there are a variety of factors that may be slowing you down.
Here’s the scoop on why your internet feels slow and how to fix it.
1. Does your internet plan support your needs?
The first thing to look at is your internet plan and see if you’re getting enough speed and bandwidth to meet your needs. What is a good internet speed? It depends on what you use the internet for. For example, if you only check email and browse the internet, you’ll be fine with 25 Mbps. If you stream HD video and use Zoom, you only need 100 Mbps. If you game online and stream in 4k, you’ll need between 300 and 500 Mbps.
Once you know what your needs are, check your internet plan to see if it’s close. Keep in mind that speeds vary throughout the day, but you should be getting close to the speed you were sold. If there’s a discrepancy and your plan isn’t fast enough, that’s likely the main issue causing your slow internet. If your plan far exceeds your needs, you’re probably paying too much for speed you don’t need.
2. Routers and Wi-Fi aren’t always the fastest option
Wireless internet connections are convenient, but they’re not as reliable as wired connections. Wi-Fi isn’t built for speed or stability. It’s built to make an internet connection accessible to devices at a distance. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi signals weaken with distance and interference, especially if you have thick floors, walls, or certain appliances in the way.
The other factor to consider is network congestion. Unlike wired connections, a Wi-Fi connection has to juggle multiple devices sharing the bandwidth.
A wired Ethernet connection will always be faster and more stable because it doesn’t use radio waves to transmit the signal. It’s direct. So if you game a lot, share the network with other people, work from home, or stream in 4k, consider getting a cable and wiring your connections.
3. Router location makes a huge difference
Where you place your router matters more than you think. Corners and closed spaces are a bad idea, as are basements. Routers work best in open, central locations, typically higher up on a shelf. If you put your router in a closet or behind a TV, the signal may not reach the other end of your house.
Know the range of your signal based on what band your router uses. A 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection is faster, but has a shorter range. A 2.4 GHz router signal will travel farther, but will be slower. If you have a dual band router, devices farther away will likely be automatically switched to the slower band.
4. Hardware matters
If your router or modem is older, it may not support your internet plan’s high speeds. If you’ve had your router for more than five years, upgrade to a model with at least Wi-Fi 5 (although Wi-Fi 6 is better).
Your devices matter as well. Older devices with older network cards and operating systems can’t always manage today’s high speeds. Even an outdated web browser can be sluggish on a high-speed internet plan.
5. High speed internet slows down during peak times
Even the fastest connections slow down when everyone in the neighborhood is online. Typically, this happens in the evening after everyone gets off work. If you have cable, you’re sharing bandwidth with your whole neighborhood, and you can expect your speed to drop significantly at night.
6. Idle, connected devices eat bandwidth
You may not realize that some of your devices might be updating apps or streaming data constantly in the background, even if you aren’t actively using them.
You don’t always get what you pay for (but that’s fixable)
There are a handful of factors that affect internet speed that even the fastest connections can’t avoid. Your router, its location, network congestion, and the time of day all impact the speed you get from your connection. The key is knowing where the bottleneck is. Sometimes it’s a fast fix, and other times the solution is to upgrade your internet.
Either way, with a little investigation and some tweaks, you can turn a sluggish connection into the high-speed connection you need.
Leave a Reply