There are lots of things that can cause a slow internet connection. Below are just some of the most common causes and their fixes.
Not enough bandwidth
A common reason for slow internet is a lack of bandwidth. This is often the result of choosing a slow internet plan – it’s possible that you could be using more data than your plan allows.
Upgrading to a faster internet plan may be the solution. If you play a lot of online video games, stream lots of videos or download a lot of files, you’ll probably want a relatively fast connection with a lot of bandwidth. You can compare prices of faster plans online.
Not enough range
Your average wireless router has an indoor range of about 150ft. Older routers may only be capable of a third of this range. When connecting to your wireless router, consider your distance away and whether you are out of range.
There are many clever tricks if you want to find out how to extend wifi signal. These include moving your router to a more central location in your home or using extenders. Alternatively, you could look into buying a new router with a larger range.
Network congestion
The speed of your internet connection can be reduced if lots of people in your household are trying to connect. It can also be affected if lots of people in your neighbourhood are trying to connect and are using the same internet provider.
While you may be able to prevent congestion in your household, there’s not much you can do to prevent congestion in your local area. Upgrading to a fiber internet connection could be one way to improve things – fiber internet is designed to handle much more traffic than regular cable and is recommended in densely populated urban areas.
Old or damaged router
If you’ve got an old or damaged router, it could be causing your internet to perform slowly. An older router may not be able to handle modern internet demands and damage may reduce its range and speed.
You should ideally replace your router every five years in order to get the best internet performance. Consider whether your router is over five years – if so it’s probably time to get a new one. If your router is still fairly new and acting slowly, it could be worth calling out a technician to see whether it is damaged.
Large downloads/uploads
When downloading or uploading large files, your internet connection may be temporarily slow. This is particularly the case with large media files such as videos, games or powerful software.
Certain internet plans are able to handle much larger downloads and uploads – it may be worth considering upgrading your internet plan if you find that this is a regular problem. You should also consider what method you’re using to download/upload files. When sending someone a large video file – it may be better to email a link to a cloud folder rather than emailing the video file as an attachment.