Hidden Reasons Your Internet is Slow

With remote working becoming the norm, the internet is our single most necessary source. For professional reasons and personal entertainment, we rely on the internet. In many houses, a single internet connection powers several devices. We need the internet to order food, groceries, medicines, essential items, check our emails, study, and stay entertained. The internet has also allowed us to stay in touch with our loved ones across the world.

A slow or poor internet connection means that we spend more time trying to connect and waste data rather than actually working. Slow internet connections consume excess data, lag your devices, and can impact your work quality.

Your Router is Ineffective

Cheap routers are often ineffective. Routers are built like computers and the cheap versions contain less expensive parts and less memory. Light weighing routers are also an indicator of low quality parts that will not last long. More memory and more CPU takes up more metal. Research well before deciding on a router. Buy premium quality and good brands that are guaranteed to last long.

You are unaware of your exact speed

Mbps or speed indicates the regular speed of your internet connection. A lot of other factors also play a role while affecting the speed of your internet. You can do a speed test by typing the words ‘Speed Test’ in Google and test the speed of your internet, thus determining if its slow or fast.

You don’t have enough speed

Your usage, number of devices, and needs will determine the speed you need. The number of people using your internet, the type of content being streamed, the devices, and regularity will help you decided a decent speed. If your package is for 10 Mbps and your house needs 15-20 Mbps then you will constantly feel your internet is slow or lags. Check with your family before selecting a package and find one that doesn’t affect your usage.

You Need a Better Plan

Compare your plans before finalizing any so that you don’t lose out on better options. Your internet provider will also be constantly upgrading packages and providing newer plans. You can check back with them if you feel your current plan is too basic or slow. An upgrade to a bigger plan may solve your internet related issues.

You are on an Overloaded Channel

The slow Internet problem could be due to the channel that your WiFi is on. Like radio, different WiFi signals connect to different channels. You can use a tool like Network Analyzer Lite (for iOS) or Wifi Analyzer (for Android) to see if your WiFi channel is overloaded and/or manually choose a new one.

Your Modem needs to be Reset

If you’re getting slower Internet than you’re supposed to, you can try resetting your modem and router (turning them off and on again). You might also want to check the other devices in your house before or after this step. If it’s just one device that’s slow, you might just have a hardware problem. If the lights on your modem and router all come on like they’re supposed to after resetting them, try grabbing the ethernet cable that your ISP should have given you when they installed your Internet to connect your computer directly to the modem. Reset the modem again. If you have Internet after this, it’s a router problem. If the problem persists, you should call your internet provider to have a look.

Your WiFi is placed in a poor location

If you normally keep your router in a cabinet or closet, then it is time to try keeping it in the open. Having an open space for the WiFi signal can have a remarkable improvement on your WiFi speed. People with bigger homes find distance issues with their routers regularly. Try testing your speed when you’re near your router versus when you’re farther away. If you notice a difference, it might be worth investing in some WiFi extenders for a mesh network.

Other devices are causing interference

Certain devices in your home or office could be causing interference to your WiFi signal. Electronic devices that are emitting radio frequency radio, TV, monitors, etc. can cause this. Try removing them from your space to check whether they are the issue.

Background programs are eating your bandwidth

Games and programs that work with videos, in particular, can heavily impact your network and cause what appears to be slow Internet connections. It’s easy to forget these applications are running. Check your computers for any programs that are running in the background when you troubleshoot a slow network. Or someone else could be streaming or downloading something at the same time, thus causing the internet connection to lag.

Your computer has a virus

Your computer or device could be affected by a virus that affect your internet speed and resources. Constantly keep checking your devices for viruses and have anti-virus software downloaded to keep your device safe and protected.

Your connection is poor

Make sure the home computer is connected via a wired Ethernet cord for performance reasons—especially if you feel that you don’t know what you are doing. This is because wired is a closed system where variables can be controlled. Wireless Internet is an open system and the environment and performance is constantly being affected by several external and internal factors.