When you’re attempting to get things done, nothing is more frustrating than a slow Internet connection. It takes forever to check your email or to visit one of your favorite sites online.
When this is happening at your home or place of work, there are a a few different issues that could be causing the problem.
Let’s see the top most popular reasons of a bogged-down Internet connection.
WiFi Interference
If you’re on a wireless connection, interference could be causing the problem. Other electronic devices that emit signals can cause interference which will negatively affect your ability to connect to the WiFi network.
For example, radio signals, television signals, cell phone signals and other similar signals could interrupt your WiFi network signal.
Nowadays, there are two frequency bands used on Home WiFi devices which use the 802.11AC standard. These are the 2.4GHz band and the higher speed 5 GHz band.
Although the 2.4GHz band can cover larger home areas, it is susceptible to interference from nearby electronic devices.
You can use change the WiFi channel on your router in order to work on a less congested channel for lower interference.
Network Problems
In some cases, the problem may be with your Internet service provider. For example, there could be faulty installation or equipment to blame for your below-average speed.
Sometimes, the network is down for everyone in your area because of a technical problem with the service provider.
If your Internet is down for long time, you may want to call the company and see if anyone else is having the same problem in your area.
If you are having problems at your business, there could be a problem with the business Internet line running to the building (which can be fiber optic, coaxial cable, ADSL line etc).
One way or the other, the best idea is to call the company and have their customer service department process your complaint. More often than not, ISPs are very prompt about responding to problems.
Viruses and Malware
In some situations, the slow Internet may not be the fault of your Internet connection at all. Sometimes, viruses, worms or malware can get on your computer, which slow down the speed of your Internet connection.
These malicious software can get onto your computer when you download a bad file or visit a dangerous website.
When this happens, you may need to get a good piece of antivirus software and run it on your computer to get rid of the problem.
Sometimes, malware can also use excessive computer resources (CPU, RAM etc) thus slowing down the whole system. In such a case, you will believe that the problem with slow internet is the connection line but actually it might be that the whole computer is slow.
Router Settings
Sometimes, the problem with slow Internet is caused by problems with the router settings. If you have the MTU setting on your router in the wrong settings or maybe the wifi channel in a congested frequency, it can make your Internet slow down.
If you don’t know how to adjust the settings on your router, you may need a representative from the Internet service provider to come and adjust things for you.
Once the settings are changed on your router, you may be able to enjoy much faster speeds online.
Other Programs or Other Users in the House
If you’re running too many programs on your computer at the same time, it can slow down your Internet speed. Close out of all of the other applications that you’re not using and see if this helps speed up your computer.
Moreover, if there are other heavy users in the house that are downloading content or watching HD movies from streaming services, this means that the capacity of the line is depleted.
Modern day internet needs are bandwidth hangry. To support a modern family home network that uses HD streaming, online gaming etc, a fast internet plan is required such as 100Mbps or faster.
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