Dealing with a slow internet connection is probably the most frustrating thing you can face now. Especially in the post-covid-19 era, when spending more time at home means always staying online. When we’re at home, we’re always connected to the internet, connecting to the wifi is almost an instinctive reaction at this point. One of the reasons for us being so reliant on the internet is its universal accessibility. Internet providers are everywhere we go with over 2900 companies offering internet services in the United States.?
Some of the most common providers are AT&T internet, Spectrum internet cable, Xfinity, Cox, and a whole range of others depending on your location. But what do you do when you’re facing a slow connection??
Why Is Your Internet Slow?
Well, there’s a whole range of answers to a question like this. But I swear it’s not as complicated as it may seem. Facing a slow internet connection is a really common problem and there are a variety of reasons why it may be happening. It could be an issue with your internet provider, your network may just need a reboot, or your device may be too far from the router. For any range of issues, rest assured the solutions are all available.?
In this article, we’ll be outlining the most common reasons why you may be experiencing a slow internet connection and tips on improving it.?
You Might Just Have a Slow Connection?
We’ll start with the most obvious reason, you might just have a slow internet connection, to begin with. A lot of us use multiple devices on our home networks from a number of smartphones to laptops and TV. All these devices can take a toll on a low-cost internet plan. The minimum speed recommended for residential usage is 30Mbps. If you’re using multiple devices and users at home then it’s best to get a plan that offers you a good bandwidth that can offer equitable speeds to everyone.?
Check Your Internet Speed
If you’re unable to figure out why you’re facing a slow connection, do a real-time analysis of your connection on speedtest.net to know exactly what your speeds are. If you’ve subscribed for a 30Mbps connection but you’re only getting 5-6Mbps worth of speed then it’s most likely an issue with your internet service provider. You should probably get in touch with them and ask them what the issue is, it could just be an area outage which usually doesn’t take too long to fix.
Have You Tried Resetting Your Router?
Now you may be wondering what a solution as simple as this is doing on our list. Believe it or not more often than not resetting your wifi router does wonder for your internet connection. Just as a computer needs to restart every once in a while to refresh its settings, so too does your router. Try unplugging your router and leaving it off for 20-30 seconds, then restart it. Reconnect your device and check to see whether your speeds improved or not.??
Unwanted Guests
If you’re experiencing slow internet speeds then there’s a chance someone is hijacking your network. It’s not uncommon for strangers to get a hold of your wifi network, especially if the password is easy to guess. If it’s as simple as a phone number or a birthday, then it’s vulnerable to hijacking by any of your neighbors. A simple way to avoid this is to head over to your router’s configuration page and boot any devices you don’t recognize. Once you’ve removed the unwanted guests from the party, you can change your wifi password to one more difficult to guess.?
This should improve your connection speeds and make you more mindful of choosing a secure password for any online network you use.?
You Might Have Exceeded Your Data Cap
If you’re a heavy internet user then this might be the issue you’re facing. Most internet providers offer you a cap on data usage. Almost all internet providers offer unlimited plans but they’re not really unlimited. Your provider could have a cap anywhere from 10Gb to 350Gb. Xfinity Internet comes with a data cap as high as 1Tb which is usually more than enough for any user activity. These caps are usually updated monthly and the usage can be monitored online through your ISP’s app.?
If you want a larger data cap on your connection, it’s best to upgrade your plan or switch to another internet provider that offers higher cap rates.??
