When you experience slow internet in your home, there could be a few culprits. Your network might be overwhelmed by the number of people using the service at one time and one of you is watching their favorite shows on their favorite streaming services like Netflix, Youtube, or Flex TV and someone is playing online games or having a video conference all in the same time, or there could be an issue on the provider’s end. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to try to speed up your internet signal again, such as repositioning the equipment in your home or using a signal extender. It’s common for providers to experience slower periods, but it shouldn’t last for an extended period of time or frequently occur during the year. In most cases, it’s easy to identify the cause of your internet slowing down and then fixing it so that you’re back in business again.
Busy Network
If you notice that your internet service is slower in the afternoons, on the weekends, or during certain other times during the week that are fairly the same, then it could be because there are more people using the signal at one time. When people get home from work and school, during the holiday season when more people are shopping online, or when there are more people out of school during the summer, you could notice a slowdown. This slowdown will usually only last a few hours until people go to bed or do other things at home. Try to do other tasks that don’t involve being online or using your mobile internet signal until you see the speeds increase again. At other times, your provider could have an issue with the connection. If this is the case, then you can usually view outages online or on the provider’s mobile app to see how widespread the outage is and when it could be back in service.
Positioning of Equipment
In order to use the internet service in your home, the signal has to travel from the router to the device that you’re using. As the distance becomes greater throughout your home, you could see that the speeds decrease. This is because there are usually objects that are in the way of the signal instead of there being a straight line to your device. You can run speed tests while you’re near your router and while you’re in other rooms of your home to see how the speeds change. A signal extender can help with this issue as it makes the signal reach farther in your home. Try to put your router in the center of your home for the best signal.
Old Equipment
Over time, your router and the other equipment that you use for internet service will get old and could need to be updated. You can sometimes ask your provider if they have any new routers that are available. However, the cost of the new equipment could be added to your monthly bill. There are routers that aren’t expensive that could give you better speeds, and you wouldn’t need to pay a fee each month. If you plug in your device directly to the router with an Ethernet cord and see that the speed is faster than when it’s not directly connected, then this is usually indicative of the equipment being old and needing to be replaced.
Other devices in your home could interfere with the internet speed, such as radios or video games. You could also have a virus on your device that’s slowing your signal down.