5 Reasons Your Internet May Be Slow
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Regardless of whether you’re a light, moderate or heavy surfer, you’d surely prefer to access the net quickly and easily. ISPs or internet service providers nowadays aggressively promote broadband/Wi-Fi plans with internet speeds ranging from as low as 50Mbps to blazing-fast 1000Mbps or 1GB. Though internet providers market high-speed internet plans to increase their market share, you may not need to opt for these expensive plans.
On the other hand, you may not want to get bogged down with a broadband scheme that slows down connectivity. But how to determine how much broadband internet speed is perfect for your surfing needs? To understand the connectivity speed that’d be ideal for you, you’ll first need to have a clear idea of how the same is measured.
We at Internet Advisor will guide you on how to determine the internet speed that would be ideal for you. Additionally, we’ve specified a few tips that’ll enable you to enhance internet speed in case you’ve been experiencing slow connectivity.
What is the process of rating or measuring internet speed?
It’s very crucial for you first to comprehend the technique of measuring internet speed to realize the connectivity speed that’d be perfect for you. Speaking, internet speed is referred to as the velocity with which content/data is transmitted to your device (a PC or smartphone) from the WWW. The speed or rapidity of content or data transmission from the source to the receiver is rated in Mbps or megabits per second.
One megabit (1.0Mbps) is equivalent to 1,024 kilobits, which implies that 1Mbps is over 1,000 times quicker than 1.0Kbps. High-speed internet connectivity synonymous with ‘broadband internet’ usually offers download and upload speeds of a minimum of 768Kbps and 200Kbps, respectively. Download speed involves the rapidity with which electronic or digital data is sent to your device from the source (web servers).
Conversely, upload speed is the rate at which your computer or laptop sends back data to the chief source, i.e., the worldwide web servers. One of the quickest ways in which you can access the net is through broadband internet offered by ISPs, telecommunication companies, and cable operators. Since the majority of netizens are more into downloading data from the net, internet firms generally promote download speeds. Nevertheless, upload speeds would matter considerably if you spend most of your surfing time uploading different kinds of files and documents.
What would internet speed be appropriate for you?
Internet Advisor classifies internet surfers or netizens into three distinct types based on intensity or rate of usage-heavy, medium, and light users. If you’re an avid gamer or spend the better part of your surfing time video conferencing or sharing files, you’re a heavy surfer. So, getting an internet plan with a connectivity speed close to 50Mbps would enable you to complete your tasks smoothly.
You tend to be a moderate user if you regularly stream content from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, apart from performing simple online activities. Accordingly, opting for a broadband internet plan offering a connectivity speed of at least 12-25 Mbps would be indispensable. If you’re someone whose internet surfing is limited to receiving and sending emails and browsing on social media, then you’re a light surfer.
An internet plan with a connectivity speed varying from 10-15Mbps would be par for the course for light users.
The different modes or types of internet connection
How you receive digital data (or the internet connection type) also influences connectivity speed to a considerable extent. Following are some of the most common internet connection types:-
Satellite
The speed at which you access the internet via satellite signals is the slowest amongst all other connectivity options. Satellites can allow you to connect to the internet from virtually anywhere in the world and works for those based in far-flung areas.
Fiber optic
Fiber Optics comprises the state-of-the-art broadband technology and is presently the fastest means of transferring digital data or content. Owing to the novelty and expensiveness of the fiber-optic technology, it is still relatively uncommon and hence less available.
DSL
Direct Subscriber Line happened to be the original mode of providing high-speed internet. You’ll need to have a landline telephone for subscribing to DSL service.
Cable
offers one of the fastest and most reliable internet connectivity, and hence extremely popular
5 Practical Reasons why you experience slow internet speed
There could be a host of reasons why you might experience an inordinately slow internet connectivity speed. It could be because you are using multiple devices for surfing the net (that’s clogging your internet service provider’s bandwidth). Other reasons behind experiencing a lag in internet connectivity could be a sluggish DNS server, the poor signal strength of your cable network, and so on.
You could become frustrated if there’s a holdup or delay in connecting to the internet regularly. In such an event, you might want to upgrade to a high-speed internet plan or change your ISP as a last resort. However, Internet Advisor recommends you to follow some troubleshooting tips for resolving the issue before taking any drastic step:-
You are located a bit far away from the router
Internet Advisor reports that nowadays, the majority of netizens, by and large, access the internet solely via the Wi-Fi owing to the technology’s remarkable convenience. More often than not, it could take a little too long for you to access the net if your workstation or laptop is located at a distance from the router.
Maybe the issue could be resolved if you move your device closer to the router or remove a few things that could be obstructing the smooth signal transmission. Alternatively, you can go for a Wi-Fi extender that’ll augment the range of the signals emanating from the router. The Wi-Fi extender will amplify the signals’ reach, by and large, ultimately enabling you to surf the net smoothly from any section of your home or office.
Viruses and malware tend to slow down the internet
Occasionally your computer or PC could slow down significantly because of viruses, spyware, and Trojans, which in turn could reduce connectivity speed. To get around the problem, you can download or subscribe to an antivirus software app or engage a PC technician.
More often than the router could be responsible
If shifting the router closer to your device does not help, then check out if the router is compatible with your connection mode or type, for checking use an ethernet cable for connecting the router with your system. If you see that the internet speed is faster compared to what you were receiving via the Wi-Fi, then you may need to replace your router.
Your ISP should be able to replace and upgrade your existing Wi-Fi router with a more updated piece of equipment.
Check with your ISP
When all your troubleshooting attempts to boost up internet speed comes to naught, then you’re left with only two options. You either upgrade or advance to a plan that comes with a better (read higher) internet speed or replace your ISP. If you opt for the latter plan, you need to do plenty of research to ensure you replace your old ISP with one that will be better – and work for you. Look at the various internet providers that can help you and see which one fits your needs the best.
See if changing browsers resolve the issue
Sometimes switching to a different browser often resolves the issue. Two of the fastest browsers are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, and between the two Firefox is better as it consumes fewer resources compared to the latter.