Why is your internet so slow? Easy Tips to Fix Internet Issues

Internet Office Work

Guest Post By Haroon ShahzadSome decades back, the idea of globalization was thought to remove geographical barriers amongst different physical locations. As the accessibility to internet increased, communication channels improved, and the flight of knowledge augmented. Thus, the entire idea of globalization shifted towards the realm of an intangible world which is dependent on a strong internet connection.

While the world is moving towards to 5G connectivity, even countries like America suffer from low data transfer rates. The question still remains unanswered for many internet users that what are the reasons for slow speeds and how to fix them.

There are two major reasons for low internet speeds, firstly the use of copper or coaxial cable results in poor speed and secondly, the limited number of Internet Service Providers restricts our ability to choose better companies. It must be kept in mind that companies like Google are investing heavily into developing infrastructures that can satisfy the needs of quantum computers. The significance of high speed internet is imperative as the future of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and self-driven cars depends on it.

The two major sources of internet are wired broadband and wireless data services provided by mobile carriers. Broadband suffers due to equipment issues involved like the existing connectivity infrastructure which is outdated and incapable of supporting modern technology. Another impediment is the high cost of fiber optic systems which are the alternative medium to copper or coaxial cables.

When we talk about the data services provided by mobile carriers, the dearth of choices and expensive packages are major barriers to development. The gravity of the situation can be judged from the fact that the average mobile data speed in the United States of America only stayed around 20 Mbps in early 2018.

If your internet is slow, you must consider some of the following steps to boost your connectivity to the connected ecosystem:

Close all connected devices except one

There will be multiple devices connected to the modem right now and might be downloading, updating or using the internet plan. You need an accurate internet speed provided to your modem which requires the connection of a single device and closure of all web browsers to halt every activity. Ensure that there are no applications on the system downloading resources at the background because that might provide an inaccurate speed measure.

Check your existing internet speed

There are many online resources available to check your internet speed. These resources will allow you to evaluate your internet connection download speed as well as upload speed without charging a single dime.

Contact your Internet Service Provider

If the download speeds that have been calculated by Speed Meter differ from the internet plan obtained, you need to contact your ISP for inquiring. The variation between the actual speed and claimed speed might differ because of damaged device, quality of wire used, and nature of work done on the internet. Choose an internet plan that fits your requirement in terms of speed as well as quantity of downloads. Try to install the latest hardware so that it complements the selected internet package.

Optimize all your systems

Initially, you need to check all the connected nodes like tablets, smart televisions, smartphones, home assistant systems, and all other tethering devices. Set the options of update in all these nodes to manual selection so that they don’t constrict the internet speed without user’s knowledge. The browsers on our devices are the interface that provide us access to the internet, we must clear our cache data, cookies, and history frequently. In case of malfunction, either run troubleshooting option in the settings or flash the web browser’s data by restoring all options to default.

Keeping the devices healthy

Our data is backed up daily, we must designate time slots when the use of internet is minimal like sleeping hours so that maximum upload speed can be attained. On the other hand, the applications that we update on our smartphones and home systems must be undertaken at hours of less internet consumption. Other important aspect is the protection of data and securing of systems, antivirus software must be updated and run consistently to ensure that no background activity is harming the system. Often without our knowledge, spywares consume the internet speed by illegally transferring our data to ghost protocols.

Content Providers

It is possible that while your internet is working impeccably, the streaming sites like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime are still buffering videos. This might indicate that the data transfer speed is low, but the reasons can differ. These global content sites establish their systems with large amounts of bandwidth to cater to the needs of an expanded audience. In case of heavy traffic, these dynamic systems may even collapse sometimes and start to buffer. Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) use dynamic bandwidth globally for its e-commerce operations which results in smooth flow of information even during heavy traffic seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Once you have tried and tested all the options, it is time to once again evaluate the internet speed. The measures stated above are likely to improve the internet speed as you have focused on changing the equipment, maintaining the systems, and selecting the optimal plans. Use Speed Meter for checking the internet speed and compare it with the last recorded data.