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| Slow internet speed can be devastating. Photo: wirestock, Freepik |
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Slow internet speed is very frustrating. When you are paying a high price for an internet plan, such a slow speed is not desirable. Buffering in the middle of videos and websites opening late— spoils the internet experience. Your internet plan is often significantly slower than the advertised speed, even if your internet provider gives you close to that speed at home.
Many factors can dull your internet speed. Make sure that's not from your side. A faulty router can cause slow speeds. You can change your router anytime and see better results. Also, look to see if your neighbor is mooching. So check out all the devices connected to your system. Sometimes, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can throttle your speed. Just by using a VPN, you can figure it out instantly.
Here are some ways you can determine the cause of your slow internet speed:
Read More: How to Fix 5 Common WiFi Problems
Run a speed test on your devices.
There are so many speed tests that you can run on your devices to determine your internet speed. These tests help you learn about the download-upload speed, streaming speed, and audio and video quality of your network.
Here are some things you can try to comprehend about your internet speed:
Download and upload speed tests.
This test measures the data flow speed between your devices and the Internet. You can check it with various internet speed checker apps available online. To check the download speed on the app, you can watch a live video or browse websites. For upload speed, send an email or upload a photo.
Latency speed tests.
This test shows how long your device takes to receive a response after pinging the server. There are lots of websites and apps to check your latency. For Windows users, you can go to the command prompt on your PC, write ‘Ping’ on the black box, and hit the space bar. Type the IP address you'd like to ping and press enter. Your ping result can be seen in the black box. If you are a Linux user, open Terminal. Type 'traceroute' and the IP address or URL you wish to ping. Hit Enter and review the ping results.
Jitter speed tests.
This test measures changes in the time a data packet travels across a network. Because of network congestion, data packets usually get stuck on the way to the receiver. As a result, audio calls become choppy and video calls appear pixelated. There are several websites to check your network's jitter speed. Jitter is measured in milliseconds (ms), and its acceptable limit is below 30 ms.
What else can you do?
If all your diagnoses show unsatisfactory results, it is time to apply the traditional method. Just restart your devices. Most of the time, this technique resolves all network problems. If this doesn't work, update your router's firmware. You can get the latest features from the new version and additional security updates. But the best case would be to call the ISP customer care for the best consultation.
Read More: How to Start a Livestream from Your Phone
It's not desirable to pay for sluggish internet speed where videos have low resolution, and websites don't open right away. So, better take things into your own hands and find the root cause of slow internet speed.
