Why Is Upload Speed So Slow in the Us

How to Fix Your Irksome Cyberspace

Expert tips to banish slow internet speeds

Jan 23, 2022 Share
FAQ, Internet Speed Guides

You lot can generally fix a slow internet connexion if the issue is on your end. A simple restart of your modem and your router (or all-in-one wireless gateway) can sometimes speed up your connectedness. Only your tedious speeds may also be the result of problems on your provider's end—problems yous simply can't set.

Generally, your modem or router (or both) will create a speed bottleneck if non working properly—the aforementioned goes with wireless gateways. If your equipment is besides old, it may non support important internet protocols. Equipment impairment, such as bad ports or components, can also cause slowdowns.

There are a few ways to make certain each step of your network is performing at optimal speed. We'll help you lot identify and set your network's weakest link starting with the basics—we'll go more than in-depth every bit we go deeper into our guide.

Want faster internet speeds straight from the source? Enter your zip lawmaking below to come across if a faster programme is available in your area.

Why is your internet and so dull?

There are many reasons why your internet is slow. Perhaps your cyberspace provider is having issues, your abode network needs a reboot, or you're only also far abroad from the router—the possibilities can be a bit overwhelming. We'll list the most common problems and how you tin can fix them to get more speed.

Your internet plan is likewise slow
You need better network management
Your provider's network is congested
You exceeded your information cap
Yous have weak Wi-Fi signals
You take high latency
Y'all have deadening or outdated devices
Your provider is throttling your connection

Problem: Your net plan is as well slow

If your internet slows downwards only when too many other people are online simultaneously, you lot're probably using more than data than your plan allows. Use our net speed test to encounter if you're getting the speed advertised past your Isp. If your results are close to your plan speed, consider upgrading.

Your cyberspace package gives yous a specific amount of bandwidth, and if there'southward more information trying to move around than there is bandwidth, you meet a traffic jam.

Call up of your cyberspace connection similar a route directly to your house. Ane car'southward worth of people (or cyberspace information) can reach your house at a fourth dimension. If there are iii cars trying to get there, they have to line up to get to your firm. And if more cars arrive as the others are waiting to achieve your house, the line and the delays go longer.

The easiest way to go more bandwidth is past upgrading to a faster internet program that can keep upwardly with your household. Nosotros're online at present more than always, and the internet program you signed upwards for a few years ago might non be sufficient today if your connection slows down every fourth dimension multiple people use the internet.

Nosotros recommend checking out one of the fastest internet providers in the US.

Trouble: You demand better network management

If upgrading isn't an option, y'all demand to either deal with the slow speeds or manage your household'due south internet utilise. Thankfully, there are severa 50 easy means of doing the latter that doesn't include yelling at everyone to go off the internet then you can attend a Zoom coming together.

Here are a few tips on how to manage your domicile network traffic:

Use QoS settings

Many routers take a quality of service (or QoS) component that allows you lot to control how your network prioritizes certain types of data. That way, y'all tin can make sure your streaming information always gets first access to available bandwidth for shine playback.

Not all routers take adaptable QoS, simply if your router does, you'll detect the controls in your router's web interface.

Pro tip: How to log in to a router

Many of our tips and troubleshooting guides tell yous to log in to your router's web interface . It'south really like shooting fish in a barrel if you don't know how—just follow our instructions.

Prune your internet connections

In that location may be some devices continued to your network that you rarely employ—if at all. For case: you bought a new laptop, but the quondam one still idles and connects to the network. Even though it's not in apply, it still uses bandwidth for updates and other background services. Your router may even have a limited number of devices it can connect to simultaneously, and if you lot accept too many connected devices the router may start kicking some of them off the network.

One elementary way to take stock of all the devices using your network is to load your router's web interface and view the network map. Y'all will see all connected devices, whether they're active or not, then you tin can cake the ones y'all never use.

Another method is to change the Wi-Fi password, but that only applies to wireless devices . Once y'all practice , yous must manually reconnect every device that accesses your wireless network .

Some routers or wireless gateways also take a handy companion app that lets you meet everything on your network without loading a browser . That way you can place and remove devices that no longer demand admission to your network .

Stagger bandwidth-hogging activities

If your connection can't handle anybody online at in one case, stagger your internet activities so anybody gets a chance at an uninterrupted connection.

Besides, make sure to schedule large downloads (like calculator and game updates) during times when other people won't exist online.

Put visitors on a invitee network

There's nothing wrong with sharing your internet with guests when they come up to visit , but you lot don't want them to secretly download illegal content while they lounge on your burrow . That's where your router's guest network characteristic comes into play .

You tin can create a second guest network using your router's web interface or mobile app. A guest network allows you to limit how much bandwidth guests tin utilise, and what services and websites they can admission . It also prevents guest devices from mingling with your devices, so in that location's no worry nearly guests spreading malware to everything yous use.

Problem: Your provider's network is congested

Cable cyberspace subscribers may suffer slowdowns during top times when they and everyone else in the neighborhood are active online at the same time. Information technology'due south a like situation to traffic on your dwelling house network but on a larger calibration. In this instance, you and all your neighbors compete for the same bandwidth.

If the congestion gets peculiarly bad, your cyberspace provider may throttle internet speeds in your expanse to reduce traffic for the network.

Unfortunately, yous can't control when or how often people in the same area utilise the internet —we certainly don't propose asking your neighbors to log off then you tin Zoom in peace. But there are a few tricks to circumventing the consequence.

Try to schedule game and media downloads during off-acme hours, similar in the middle of the night. You could also switch to another provider that doesn't have every bit many subscribers around you, though that could be difficult to decide .

The just type of internet that isn't much afflicted by an area's network congestion is fiber internet . Fiber infrastructure is capable of conveying much more than data than other internet types, and then having a ton of traffic at the same time doesn't slow down individual customers.

Problem: You exceeded your data cap

Many net providers accept data caps, and some irksome your speeds to a crawl subsequently you hit that cap. You tin can usually check to encounter how much data you've used on your online account or through your ISP's app. Providers similar Xfinity give customers very high data caps—1.2 TB for this example—and shouldn't cause too many issues for nigh households. But satellite internet providers including and are less generous with their information allowances.

Satellite internet providers accuse for cyberspace apply past information rather than by internet speed. It's similar to how cell phone plans usually work: one time you use up your data assart for the calendar month , your net connection tin slow to a crawl.

HughesNet customers can see speeds drib to 1–3 Mbps. Viasat customers can expect all their internet traffic to exist deprioritized, meaning that their information gets pushed to the back of the line of all Viasat customers' data.

Many DSL, cable, and fiber internet companies are discontinuing data limits , merely there are many others that keep to proceed them in place . Expect to see if your internet service has a information cap in our guide to Internet service provider data caps .

Problem: Y'all take weak Wi-Fi signals

Walls, distance, and even microwaves can interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Weaker Wi-Fi signals mean slower speeds and frequent disconnects .

You tin tell if signal interference and weak Wi-Fi signals are your problems if your connection works well near your router but is extremely slow in the next room .

To ready weak Wi-Fi, first, cheque your router'due south placement. Y ou desire to brand sure your router is in a central and elevated location and away from things that can affect your Wi-Fi signals (similar walls, Bluetooth speakers, etc.).

If that doesn't work, you might need to replace your router with ane designed for longer ranges or better coverage—or you can add an extender to your network to stretch Wi-Fi signals into a previously unreachable area .

Bank check out our guide to long-range routers if you need ameliorate Wi-Fi coverage. Information technology goes over both mesh Wi-Fi systems and standalone routers to help you figure out how best to admission the internet in every inch of your home.

Trouble: You take high latency

Latency is the time data takes to make a round trip from your device to the destination and back. A high latency creates noticeable lag: an extended duration betwixt your physical deportment and the results displayed on your screen. This tin can exist particularly frustrating with online gaming or video calls.

High latency is difficult to work around. Information technology depends partially on your physical distance from net servers, network congestion between yous and the servers , and your internet provider's infrastructure. Internet type tin also play into latency as well.

For example, satellite cyberspace has loftier latency because all your data must travel to infinite and dorsum, both coming and going to your device. Newer types of net, including fiber and 5G mmWave , have lower latency because they can handle faster signals.

If you're looking to lower your latency for a better connection, bank check out our report on the fastest ISPs . It dives into which internet services have the all-time tested speeds and everyman average latency.

Trouble: You accept slow or outdated devices

The problem might not be with your internet connectedness—information technology might be with the device yous use . Your estimator, tablet, telephone, or gaming console could be outdated and not capable of processing today'south Wi-Fi speeds.

For example, the sometime (but much loved) PlayStation Vita handheld console supports up to 150 Mbps per 2nd considering it uses a Wi-Fi 4 radio. That speed tin can decrease based on the router information technology connects to and the security protocol it uses. The Vita will never meet speeds beyond that 150 Mbps limit.

If you take speed bug on a desktop or laptop, endeavor power cycling the device. This clears the retention of any junk, refreshes your connection, and cleans out unnecessary processes and temporary files. Speed issues tend to happen due to an overworked processor, and a quick ability bike—shutting it downward completely for xxx seconds—will "clear its head."

Other things that can slow down your devices include the following:

Besides many open up applications
Too many open browser tabs
Outdated software
Outdated drivers
The operating organization needs to reboot to install updates
Patch downloads
App downloads
Malware

Avert overwhelming your estimator's CPU by closing unused applications and browser windows. Keep your device'due south operating system up to date past assuasive auto-updates, and keep your antivirus definitions current.

Trouble: Your provider is throttling your connection

Net providers tin can throttle your speeds, causing a slow connection . We'll go over throttling briefly here, simply you can get a more in-depth look at the subject field in our guide to network throttling .

We've already discussed a few circumstances where a provider might throttle your speeds—like if you go over your information cap or if there's besides much congestion in the network. But your provider might also slow you downwardly if it flags your internet activity as potentially illegal or if it by and large doesn't want you lot to exercise a specific type of activeness (like torrenting).

To run into if your provider is throttling your internet, run a speed examination normally and and then run it again using a VPN. If your speeds improve with the VPN, congratulations! You're throttled.

Other factors that touch your speed

Your internet program's maximum speed

Internet speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps) . This refers to your connectedness's full bandwidth, non the bodily time data uses to make a round trip to a website and back—that'south chosen latency.

Providers ordinarily advertise their internet speeds equally "upward to" a sure number of megabits per second, and there'south usually some fine impress that says those speeds are not guaranteed. Internet providers are mostly in the clear legally if your net doesn't actually perform up to the highest advertised bandwidth.

Realistically, you may pay for 400 Mbps per month, but you likely won't encounter that maximum due to hardware issues between your net provider's operator—a device that communicates with multiple modems—and your physical internet connexion. Utility pole connections, your buried cable, and and then on all play a major cistron in how your connectedness performs. There's zilch you can practice to get the maximum bandwidth you pay for each month other than hope for the highest speeds possible.

If yous need a refresher on internet speeds and what they mean, check out our guide to internet speeds .

Your upload and download speeds

You upload and download information every day, whether you're on a smartphone or a laptop. For instance, when y'all access a website, yous upload a request to that website and so download temporary files from the site to view information technology in your browser.

If you don't have bug with streaming on Netflix or downloading files but are still experiencing some symptoms of slow internet speeds, your issue might actually be with your upload speed.

Cable, DSL, and satellite providers requite customers manner less upload bandwidth than download bandwidth because most people request much more information from the internet than they send. Upload speed is typically an issue for heavy uploaders—like Twitch streamers , people who piece of work with video or audio , or those who often have to share large files.

The best manner to improve upload speeds is to switch to a fiber plan. Cobweb-optic net connections ofttimes give customers upload speeds equal to their download speeds. If you don't know what kind of speeds you really need , cheque out our recommendations for upload and download speeds .

Your cyberspace connection blazon

There are a few unlike technologies internet providers employ to evangelize your connexion, like cable, fiber, satellite, or DSL. Your cyberspace connection blazon p lays a huge factor in your overall speeds.

Satellite net transfers internet signals from a base station to a satellite to a receiver at your habitation. Considering all your information must travel such a long altitude both ways, satellite internet can take very high latency compared to other types of internet, which slows things downwards.

DSL internet uses telephone lines to carry data. Because the infrastructure is usually a picayune older, information technology tin't handle the same amount of bandwidth as a newer connexion like fiber. DSL internet tops out at only over 100 Mbps, and its electrical signals tend to degrade in quality over long distances.

Cable internet can exist faster than DSL considering it uses the same coaxial cables that carry cable TV. Speeds can reach up to ane,000 Mbps, just cable is susceptible to network congestion during high-traffic times due to the infrastructure's overall "shared" design.

Fiber-optic internet is 1 of the newest types of internet, and it'southward the best wired connection you can get. Cobweb uses LED or laser pulses to transport your net information, so information technology has lower latency than other net types equally a whole. It can also carry much more bandwidth than cable or DSL, offer speeds upwards to two,000 Mbps. It'south less prone to network congestion and can offer every bit high download and upload speeds.

Overall, DSL and cable are the virtually mutual internet types while fiber is newer but scarce. Satellite is best for rural areas where the other iii types can't reach.

How to troubleshoot a tiresome connection

First, know your plan speed

You lot need to know how much speed yous pay for each month and compare that number against the speed yous're actually getting now . Await on your paper beak or log in to your online business relationship to meet your plan's advertised maximum speed.

Next, run a speed exam and compare

Running a series of speed tests while connected to different points in your network tin can help yous figure out where your speeds are slowing down. Nosotros'll pause the testing process downward into ii sections.

Part one: Examination the modem

Your first speed test is to see if you're getting the correct speeds to your home compared with what y'all're supposed to get from your net provider . To get the most authentic results for your initial speed test, unplug your router from the modem and connect a computer to the same port on the modem using an Ethernet cable. If yous take a wireless gateway, just plug it into ane of the Ethernet ports.

Warning: We don't recommend browsing the internet for extended periods of fourth dimension without using a router. Your router has some first-class built-in security features that protect your network from viruses and malware.

This first test should give you lot results that are shut to the speeds promoted with your program. If not, try to rail this outcome over multiple days and times of day to establish a pattern. Contact your net provider to talk nigh why you're not getting the correct speeds if yous keep to see lower than expected results .

Run the Speed Test

Part 2: Test the router

If your modem isn't the issue, the adjacent stride is to examination the router. Plug the router back into the modem and run multiple speed tests using your wireless devices, and wired devices plugged into the router's Ethernet ports.

If you meet a vast difference between the modem and router tests, then your router is causing your connection slowdowns—or the Ethernet cablevision tethering your router to the modem.

Keep in mind that not all wireless devices experience identical speeds. Their connections depend on the hardware within no thing what router you utilise, and so a budget Samsung phone volition take slower Wi-Fi speeds than an expensive wireless card plugged into your desktop.

To troubleshoot router problems, follow these steps:

Stride i: Unplug the router'south ability, look xxx seconds, then plug information technology back in.

Stride two: Make certain all cables are connected securely and that all ports piece of work.

Step 3: Update your router's firmware. You lot can do this by logging in to your router's web interface or mobile app . (Your Internet access provider likely does this automatically, but it'due south worth checking.)

Step 4: Reposition your router .

Stride 5: Movement wireless connections to the best Wi-Fi ring .

Step half dozen: Change Wi-Fi channels in your router's interface to find 1 that'south less crowded.

Step 7: Try a factory reset by pressing the reset button located on the back of your router.

If none of these steps work, you may demand to upgrade to a newer or more powerful router. Internet tech advances rather quickly, and if your router is more than a few years old, information technology might be time to get yourself something more than modern . If you're looking for router-ownership guidance, we have recommendations for the best long-range routers , the all-time modem and router combos , and the best routers for Xfinity .

Bank check for Wi-Fi dead zones

Wi-Fi problems tin can stem from multiple factors . It could be your router's range, a crowded frequency channel or band, or signal interference caused past physical obstructions and other electronics.

You already know that you should place your router at a central and elevated location for the best coverage, so nosotros'll assume that you've already washed that and pointed your antennas in the correct direction.

Go to unlike areas of your house with a figurer or smartphone and watch the Wi-Fi signal forcefulness indicator. If you observe a lot of dead zones, you may need to move your router again (if they happen in areas where you normally need Wi-Fi) or invest in something to boost your Wi-Fi signal to that particular area. Yous can too make a Wi-Fi heatmap if you desire to get more precise with it.

If you accept more than than a couple of issues with Wi-Fi dead zones, we recommend upgrading to a mesh networking kit . They usually ship with at least two nodes—ane that connects to your modem and another that communicates straight with the first unit—to create a "coating" of coverage. There'due south no centralized point, and yous can easily add more nodes to extend coverage. Moreover, devices seamlessly switch between nodes as you move about the dwelling or office.

If you prefer to stick with the traditional router, yous could add a Wi-Fi extender or powerline adapter , All the same, we still prefer mesh router kits versus the router/extender setup .

Reorganize your Wi-Fi connections

If you lot've already pruned your Wi-Fi connections of unnecessary devices , information technology'southward time to brand sure all active connections are on the right Wi-Fi band.

About modern routers offer two Wi-Fi bands, which each create their own visible Wi-Fi network. By default, these are normally labeled with their frequency bands, simply it might be different if you've changed your Wi-Fi network'southward name.

These bands operate on ii different frequencies: ii.4 GHz and five GHz. The 2.4 GHz frequency ring has a amend range, but it's slower and more susceptible to signal interference from other electronics. The 5 GHz band is faster but can't travel every bit far.

Basically, you want to use the 5 GHz band for most bandwidth-heavy applications similar streaming or gaming. Devices that don't demand that much speed—like smart home devices— should utilize the 2.4 GHz ring instead .

Typically, you lot can change the Wi-Fi band each device uses past logging in to the correct Wi-Fi network on each device. Even so, some routers circulate but 1 network proper noun and automatically selects the best frequency band for your device. This can be problematic if you actually demand the faster v GHz connection, but the router forces your device to apply the 2.4 GHz band.

Change your Wi-Fi band'southward aqueduct

Both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands used by your router dissever into multiple channels, like to how analog and digital TV works over the air. Similar any network dealing with lots of information, these Wi-Fi channels tin go too crowded, which can cause slowdowns. This is especially true for compacted living situations like flat buildings.

To find the best channel, you tin use an app like NetSpot for Windows or use the Network Diagnostics office on a Mac. Changing your Wi-Fi channel involves logging in to your router'southward web interface and manually selecting the ideal channel.

Bank check connected devices

Equally nosotros mentioned before, sometimes the issue isn't with your internet connection— information technology's with the smartphone, computer, or tablet yous're using to access the cyberspace . It may demand a reboot, it may be outdated, or yous take too many apps and programs open, bogging down the device's processor.

Manage your network

If y'all've made it this far and you're still experiencing issues with slow internet speeds, run through the tips in the home network traffic section of this post if you haven't already.

Your speed issues most likely stem from your net provider's reliability or the traffic on your own dwelling house network. Even if you've organized and trimmed down your number of connected devices, you could still not have enough bandwidth at certain times of day to comprehend everything your network has to handle. The just solution to this is to either employ the cyberspace less or get a faster internet plan.

Check out every provider and plan in your surface area to see if you can get amend speeds for a better deal.

Quick fixes for slow cyberspace speeds (and why they work)

Before we dive in, take an internet speed test. Measuring your internet speed and knowing how it compares to the speeds you pay for is an important role of diagnosing a slow connection.

Run the Speed Test

Set up #1: Power cycle your modem and router (or wireless gateway)

Your modem and router work hard , and sometimes they need to refresh with a quick power cycle. Only pull the plug on both units, wait xxx seconds, then plug the modem back into the wall outlet. Once it properly boots, do the aforementioned with the router.

In the case of a wireless gateway, pull the plug, expect, and plug it back in.

Draining both units of ability allows them to clear the system retentiveness, clear up any local advice problems, and reestablish fresh connections. Moreover, a power cycle allows the modem to resync with your internet provider's operator—a device that communicates with multiple modems. It besides refreshes your router'southward public IP address.

Overall, a power cycle can actually give your cyberspace speeds a boost on your side of the modem.

Fix #two: Move your router to another location

Many people hibernate their routers or wireless gateways in closets, behind furniture , or downwards in basement s . Don't be 1 of those people unless you desire excessively bad Wi-Fi.

Instead , put as few concrete barriers between your router and your devices equally possible. Walls, floors, ceilings , doors, big furniture, and similar obstructions can battlement your Wi-Fi signals and reduce connexion speeds , peculiarly over longer distances.

Certain signals from other devices can also interfere with your wireless speeds. These include microwaves, Bluetooth speakers, baby monitors, and cordless phones.

For the best Wi-Fi coverage, place your router in a central, elevated location, or at a location where yous utilize Wi-Fi the most, like in a home office .

Be sure to employ your router's external antennas ( if present ) to get improve Wi-Fi coverage. Well-nigh router antennas broadcast Wi-Fi signals in an outward circle perpendicular to the antenna's position . For instance, if the antennas are positioned vertically, the Wi-Fi signals broadcast horizontally in all directions.

That said, if you lot live in a ane-story house, keep the antennas vertical. If you live in a multistory house, positional at to the lowest degree one antenna horizontally and then the Wi-Fi signals accomplish the additional floors.

Fix #three: Use the internet during off-peak hours

If yous know there's a big download in your time to come— the latest version of macOS or a 100 GB update for an Xbox Serial X game—you might want to schedule a time when you don't need to practise annihilation else online. The early morning hours are platonic when everyone is asleep and no other downloads currently hog your bandwidth.

Operating systems tend to look until the early on morning hours when y'all're fast asleep. Game updates, meanwhile, typically require you to manually kickoff the download. Other updates aren't quite so accommodating with your schedule.

If your internet gets too slow to stream during certain peak hours, download the content earlier in the day (or again, in the middle of the night) and then you lot'll be prepare to binge sentinel all of Avatar: The Last Airbender without buffering -related interruptions.

Set #four: Upgrade your internet programme

You may need a faster plan if more people alive with you now, if you transitioned to working from home, or if you generally use the net more than you did before. Enter your zip code beneath to discover a speedier plan that's available in your area .

Author - Rebecca Lee Armstrong

Rebecca Lee Armstrong has more than 6 years of experience writing nearly tech and the internet, with a specialty in hands-on testing. She started writing tech production and service reviews while finishing her BFA in creative writing at the University of Evansville and has found her niche writing almost home networking, routers, and internet access at HighSpeedInternet.com. Her work has also been featured on Top Ten Reviews, MacSources, Windows Central, Android Central, Best Visitor, TechnoFAQ, and iMore.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital infinite for seven years, and she'due south edited all things net for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English language and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she'south not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands similar Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in cyberspace land and that a proficient net connexion significantly extends your life span.

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Source: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/why-is-my-internet-so-slow