Solving problems with unstable Internet speed

It's no secret that the Internet occupies one of the most important places in our lives. Without it, it is difficult to imagine many things that have become familiar to us. With its help, we communicate on social networks, make video calls, download movies and TV series, play, pay our current bills, study, and work. To satisfy all cognitive needs, a fairly high-speed access channel is required.

How to restore Internet speed.

Today, the average speed of access to the World Wide Web for residents of large cities reaches 100 Mbit/sec. We are all so used to fast connections that we get nervous when something goes wrong. And modern websites are not nearly as lightweight as they were 10 years ago. For what reasons can Internet speed drop? What can be done to increase it again? Let's look at the answers to these questions together.

What to do if your Internet speed has dropped

We are all accustomed to using the Internet every day at our dacha in the Dmitrovsky district. Some people use the network for entertainment, while others need it for work, communication or education. Using the Internet, you can contact people on social networks and popular instant messengers. In a couple of seconds you can find the information you need. To organize the Internet in a private home, you need to choose a provider and install a router or modem.

A sudden drop in speed can ruin all your plans. Many people face periodic problems of this nature. Speed ​​may decrease for various reasons. We are all accustomed to a fast connection for comfortable work. But in some cases, the connection speed may drop sharply. We'll look at what you can do to improve your connection speed in today's article.

How to check our internet connection via network cable

One way to check if your cable internet is down is to do a speed test. In this case we are going to do it from our internet browser at web speed test.es. Typically, over an Ethernet network cable, unless it is old equipment, the tests will achieve the speed specified in the contract. This happens even if we have a Gigabit Ethernet network card, but we are already talking about very low-end or pre-2010 equipment.

To conduct the test, I used a symmetrical 600 Mbps connection. This means that loading and downloading are identical. The results obtained are as follows:

As you can see, I have 600 MB upload and download, which suggests that this is correct. If, for example, it does not exceed 100 MB, it usually means that I am connected by a category 5 cable, or that I have a 100 MB network card, or that it is poorly detected.

Why has Internet speed dropped?

All probable reasons for the drop in speed can be divided into two categories. The first ones relate to the provider side. And the reasons of the second group are related to the user’s equipment. The Internet may be slow or disappear altogether due to the fault of the provider. But first, you need to check the operation of your home equipment before calling technical support.

First, check whether the router installed in your home is functioning correctly. The problems may be related to the network card. In this case, you can solve the issue of slow speed yourself. Below we will look at how to fix the problem in different situations.

Checking the speed

We will clearly show how the router reduces the speed. Our provider claims 100 Mbit/s within this service package. Let's test the wired connection first (connect the Internet cable to the computer), and then do an Internet test through the router.

Let's use the popular service speedtest.net. Just go to the page and just click the “Get Started” icon. Read more about this resource in our material.

This is what we got when checking the wired connection.

It is impossible to guarantee 100% speed (or even 99 Mbps). But the results obtained are very decent.

Now let’s test the speed when connecting through a router. This is what happens.

The results are more than eloquent. The router cut the speed by almost 4 times.

We recommend doing this experiment to anyone who wants to argue with their provider. Often it is your connection device that is causing problems.

Internet speed has dropped due to improper operation of the network device

If you have a Wi-Fi router installed at home, the low speed problem may be there. Constant drops in speed indicators may be a consequence of incorrect operation of the device. Often the problems lie in the operation of the router. It may overheat during operation. Other probable causes of malfunction include: penetration of dust and dirt into the microcircuits. If the firmware fails, the device will not be able to perform functions correctly.

What to do in such situations:

• Reboot your router. Turn off the power for thirty seconds and connect the device again.
• If the speed is not restored, try connecting to the computer’s network card. Disconnect the network cable from the router and connect it to the PC.
• Reset your router. To avoid entering the control panel, find a special button on the device body. Manufacturers usually make this button recessed into the body so that users do not accidentally press it. Take any thin, sharp object and hold this button for 10-15 seconds. The front panel lights will flash to indicate a successful reset.

Even if after performing the actions the speed does not increase, it is worth purchasing a new device. An inexpensive model is suitable for a small apartment.

Common reasons for network speed drops

But the fact is that in most cases the problem comes from your side or does not depend on the provider, and even more so on the technical employee. support. For what reasons and why the Internet speed drops sharply:

• bad weather conditions;
• the reason is on the side of the Internet provider (crash, breakdown, server overload, and so on);
• the load on the servers of the Internet company providing you with services;
• auto-updates of the operating system or programs that turn on without notification;
• problems with the network card or other components of the home computer;
• incorrect configuration of the router/modem/router;
• outdated software;
• drivers that have not been updated for a long time;
• damaged network cable or input;
• Virus software that causes Internet speed to drop;
• background programs that use PC Internet resources;
• speed limit due to the expiration of Internet traffic on the tariff;
• Internet browser “clogged with garbage”;
• unauthorized users connecting to your Internet.

Avoid these factors so that your Internet speed does not drop to zero.

Ways to solve problems

Speed ​​limiting on the part of the provider (traffic limit)

Often (especially on the mobile Internet) we forget about traffic restrictions. We watch movies, download games, surf social networks, chat on Skype, and at one point we receive a notification that the connection to the network has been lost. The reason for this is completely consumed Internet traffic.

In this case, you can either wait for the next date for charging the subscription fee, or connect additional traffic packages (it all depends on the offers and conditions of your provider).

"Extra" Internet users

For some reason, many users do not think about setting at least the simplest password on their WiFi, and then wonder why the Internet speed has suddenly dropped. Everyone loves a freebie, and connecting to someone else’s free WiFi is even more so.

Avoiding this fate for your home connection is as easy as shelling pears - set a complex password and don’t be afraid that at one moment your neighbor will decide to download a movie via your WiFi.

But don’t forget that you yourself can become the “enemy” of your home Internet if you connect too many of your own devices to one WiFi. Try to turn off third-party devices after you are finished using them.

Channel overload with other programs

You turned on Skype, turned on the browser, forgot to turn off a couple of torrent downloads and are trying to download a book, wondering why the Internet speed is dropping. We are sure that the situation is familiar. On the PC itself, as in the case of WiFi, you should not overload the “machine” too much.

If you have worked with one application and switched to another environment, do not forget to turn it off so that the Internet speed on your computer does not drop. When too many active processes accumulate that “eat” Internet traffic, this has a detrimental effect on the overall operation of the network (and sometimes on the operation of the computer) and leads to a drop in speed.

Automatic updates of the operating system and installed programs

Auto-updates are convenient. But this function can play a cruel joke on you. Usually the system does not warn you that an application suddenly starts updating, and it’s good if the update weighs several megabytes. What should you do if your Internet speed has dropped because Windows is starting to update? Such updates often take up more than one gigabyte. It's good if you don't have a traffic limit. In this case, you will be able to detect resource leaks and turn off the update so that it does not interfere with your work. What about those who save every megabyte? The “consequences” will be more tangible.

If possible, disable automatic updates of programs and the operating system on your computer. It's better to upgrade later, but intentionally.

Viruses, firewall and antivirus

Each operating system, one way or another, is equipped with its own defender from outside attacks. The Internet is a dangerous place and environment for a computer. This is why advanced users install antivirus programs on their PCs.

But “They cut down the forest and the chips fly.” There are often cases when a firewall or antivirus program limits the ports that are currently used by the Internet connection. This is especially noticeable when working with torrents. P2P protocols are not very compatible with torrent clients and the download speed varies greatly from side to side.

But don't forget about viruses. Disable your antivirus program or firewall and you will be left alone with a bunch of viruses that are trying to take over your Internet resources and reduce your download speed.

In this case, try to turn off your antivirus and firewall only temporarily, and not on an ongoing basis (when you need to download something from a torrent).

Browser problems

The browser is almost the main tool for working on the Internet. This is where a session on the World Wide Web begins. But, like any instrument, it also requires special care. Try to do the following procedures often so that the speed does not disappear:

• clear browser cache;
• remove outdated cookies and data from websites;
• update your active browser;
• do not clutter it with unnecessary plugins.

Follow all these points and your browser will not cause you discomfort when working on the Internet, and your speed will not disappear at the wrong time.

Problems with network devices

However, even before setting up the browser, you will need to correctly configure the main components to work on the Internet, namely:

• LAN card;
• network cable;
• router/modem/router.

Three key components, the failure of which will reduce the Internet speed on your home computer to zero. Always check that they are in good working order. Also periodically update network drivers for faster network operation.

Computer problems (processor, memory)

This is indirect, but still greatly affects the operation of the Internet. If your processor is constantly malfunctioning and your memory is overloaded, your applications will noticeably slow down. The Internet may work very quickly, but due to constant processor overload, your browser will take several minutes to open. Such moments cannot but affect the work on the Internet. And sometimes they can lead to a drop in speed to zero.

Time of day and weather conditions

Probably the only factor that we cannot influence directly. During bad weather, the network jumps a lot and works much worse, so the speed of wireless and home Internet drops sharply. Try to plan your work and coordinate it with weather conditions. Don't put off writing an important report until Wednesday evening if a severe thunderstorm is forecast for that time.

Remember that most users surf the Internet in the evening. It is at this moment that the network is most congested. So don't expect to be able to use the Internet at full capacity in the evening.

Accident on the provider side

Often there are breakdowns of the Internet stations of the company that provides you with communication services. This could be one of the reasons why the internet speed on your device is dropping sharply.

Just like with the weather, you just have to wait until the accident is fixed and Internet access at maximum speed will be open to you again.

The web browser is not working properly

A drop in connection speed may be due to incorrect browser operation. Try clearing your cache first. Then install the latest version of your browser. If you use a web browser for a long time, the system accumulates quite a lot of temporary files. They can slow down your browser. As a result, pages will load very slowly.

Clear the cache and check whether the Internet for business has started to work faster. If the speed remains slow, reset your web browser settings. You can also try accessing the network through a different browser.

The trend towards more complex networks

Both home and office networks have changed a lot over the past ten years. At first we only had a computer or laptop connected to the Internet. However, this situation began to change with the advent of smartphones and tablets. Since then, we have seen an increase in the use of Wi-Fi networks.

However, networks continued to become more complex. In this sense, Smart TV, Android TVs, smart sockets, household appliances related to home automation and IoT devices have appeared. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account that it is now more difficult to find out why the Internet over cable is slow.

There are many reasons, as we will see below, they can be hardware, software, related to our Internet connection and much more.

Increased traffic loads

Sometimes the data transfer speed is not enough to comfortably perform various resource-intensive tasks. For example, a user can simultaneously download a heavy file and watch a movie online in high quality. This may cause a sharp drop in speed. In such a situation, you need to turn off unnecessary loads on the channel. If you use mobile Internet, try connecting to an unlimited tariff with good speed.

Traffic limit

The reason why the Internet speed has dropped sharply may be a tariff with a limited amount of traffic for a certain period of time. In these cases, an agreement is concluded between the subscriber and the provider, according to which traffic decreases as it approaches the maximum threshold. Accordingly, data transfer is limited or the service is completely disabled.

Several options will help you avoid the problem:

1. Change the tariff to a more profitable one with unlimited traffic or the ability to connect an additional package of options if the connection deteriorates due to exceeding the maximum threshold;
2. Try not to exceed the permissible traffic limit;
3. Wait until the next reporting period, after which the traffic is updated;
4. Load on the provider's equipment.

Problems with data loading often occur on weekdays after six in the evening. This is due to the large number of users who connected to the provider's network. In this case, all responsibility falls on the supplier, since he could not provide network equipment that could withstand such loads.

PC processor and memory are heavily loaded

If you use your computer's resources to the maximum, all applications and programs on it will slow down. Internet speed may also decrease. Using the task manager, check the load on processor and RAM resources. It is also worth checking the performance of the hard drive. Deactivate open programs that you are not currently using.

A strong drop in speed can be observed in the late afternoon and at night.

In some cases, the Internet in the office may disappear altogether due to the activity of viruses. If such a suspicion arises, immediately check your system for viruses. Run a comprehensive scan and delete all affected files from your PC. Connection speed may decrease for various reasons. Before calling your provider or writing a complaint, you need to check your own equipment.

results

We have done everything we wrote about above:

• moved the router closer to the computer;
• found a free channel;
• set the correct operating mode;
• selected the highest channel frequency;
• Reflashed the device.

Is your internet speed slowing down now? Let's check again on speedtest.net.

The results surprised even us. Compared to the initial test (29.20 and 17.59 Mbit), the speed increased four times. Bottom line: even a budget router can provide good speed.

Ways to increase speed on a laptop

There are several simple ways to help increase the connection speed on your laptop:

• Install a more powerful router model. The more expensive the device, the more powerful its electronic components. Therefore, it will be able to provide a better signal.
• Switch to another tariff. Go to the provider’s website and study the current offers. Choose a tariff plan that suits you. Read the terms of use, check your connection speed.
• If there is only one laptop installed in your house or apartment, move the router closer to it.
• If you have a dual-band model, switch to another operating range. Perhaps the 2.4 frequency is heavily loaded by neighboring devices. You can switch to another frequency in the router control panel.

Remember, you can always fix the problem of poor internet yourself.

Problem with laptop or computer

First of all, I would advise checking your machine for viruses. Any antivirus program will do this. Before doing this, do not forget to update the Anti-Virus databases.

Remember if you have installed any programs or utilities before. They can interfere with the normal operation of the network card or Wi-Fi module. For example, if you enable an “access point” on your laptop, the speed will be cut in half. The module just needs to simultaneously distribute Wi-Fi and receive it from the router.

1. Go to Programs and Features.

1. Remove suspicious software that was recently installed.

1. Press + R at the same time and enter the command “msconfig”.

1. In the “Startup” section, look to see if there is any suspicious software that is loaded along with your system. Disable it - if you find it.

1. If this does not help, then we will try to roll back the system. Very often this helps in many problems. When restoring, select the earliest possible point - if possible. Next, just wait until the OS completes the procedure and reboots.

Reasons for slow mobile internet

Internet from cellular operators is more susceptible to external factors. The quality of signal reception largely depends on 4G and 3G coverage areas. The power of broadcasting stations is of great importance. Weather conditions may affect signal strength. Many summer residents often complain about poor Internet speed.

Outside the city, the Internet may be unstable and disappear and appear from time to time. If the speed indicator has dropped to the minimum level, this is not a reason to call the operator.

First you need to understand the reasons:

• There are no funds in your account. If your balance is zero, there may be no Internet at all. Although many Russian cellular operators are loyal to subscribers and do not “cut off” the Internet. The data transfer speed simply becomes minimal. The solution to the problem is to top up your account and enjoy the Internet.
• Mobile traffic is exhausted. A similar situation in which the speed will be minimal. In this case, you can activate an additional package with gigabytes. Change your tariff plan if the traffic volume in your current tariff is not enough for you. Some companies offer, after activation of which the connection speed begins to increase.
• There is a weak signal from the operator tower in your area. In this case, it is advisable to purchase a set of amplifiers. You can install an outdoor antenna and repeater. Such kits provide stable and reliable communication.
• There are too many applications open on your gadget that are consuming traffic. Many programs can run in the background, consuming mobile traffic. Deactivate all such applications.
• Widgets and browser extensions slow down the Internet. Reconfigure your browser. Remove all unnecessary extensions.
• Viruses, system failures on the device.

If you have problems with mobile data transfer speed, rebooting the gadget often helps. You can check your connection speed using the special SpeedTest service. Testing will allow you to find out what exactly the problem is: on the operator side or in your device.

Viruses

The presence of malware can cause the Internet speed to drop. In these cases, the traffic is used to run applications in the background. Various virus files are downloaded and spam is sent, which can not only increase the download time, but also completely block the connection.

To troubleshoot problems, you should run an antivirus to detect spyware applications. In some cases, you will have to fix problems not only with the computer, but also reset the router settings. Because malware often affects hardware firmware.

Connection to home router

First of all, you need to determine the IP address of your home router. To do this, enter the command: cmd /k tracert -d ya.ru

Tracing route to ya.ru [87.250.250.242] over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 1 ms 1 ms <1 ms 192.168.88.1

The first IP address in the tracert results will most likely be the IP address of your router.

We can also conclude that the author is a Mikrotik lover.

Ping usually sends packets of 64 bytes in size, which rather shows the physical qualities of the channel - whether there is a bad cable along the way.

As mentioned earlier, diagnostics only work in comparison. Below are two ping examples.

From a server that is connected to the router by cable.

And this is from a computer that is connected to the same network, but via wi-fi.

What conclusions can be drawn here:

WIFI does its bit. Firstly, we have Jitter (we see that the ping time is jumping). Secondly, the ping got a little worse.

And here is confirmation of my words - a test of the computer-home router section.

Packages, even without going online, sometimes go through poorly. No losses, but there are delays.

Now, let’s load the channel a little using https://www.speedtest.net/ and simultaneously launch a long ping.

To run a “long ping”, you need to enter the command ping -t. In this case, the ping will continue until you press Control+C

We see that when receiving large amounts of information, the speed drops significantly less than when transmitting.

One of the reasons is that the antenna power at the access point is higher than that of a laptop. The laptop is running on battery and is not connected to the network. The battery is almost dead and windows is in “Best battery life” mode

Here is the same test, but with the power supply connected.

It can be seen that the reception has become much better, and the transmission has also improved. There is no 200ms ping during transmission.

What can be configured in this situation:

1. Transmitter power at the access point.
2. Transmitter power on a laptop.

In the first tests, the laptop's transmitter power was turned up to maximum. Below – turned to minimum:

As you can see, losses appeared, and the ping became much worse, even when working from the power supply.

It is worth remembering that Wi-Fi is a conversation. If the access point “screams” and the computer “whispers,” then the point may not hear the computer well, although the sticks will show that everything is fine.

If you set the power to maximum everywhere, your Smart TV and phone connected to the same network may begin to suffer - the computer will “shout out” to them. The laptop will run less on battery power. Power should always be selected based on the conditions, and set to the minimum power that gives you an acceptable result. It is not recommended to set power with a reserve.

Recommendations for users

If you want to have uninterrupted access to the Internet, carefully read the following recommendations to help make the speed as fast as possible:

• choose a reliable browser that will provide good traffic processing speed. Google Chrome is considered a good browser for surfing the Internet;
• disable advertising in your browser. Displaying it requires a lot of traffic, which is why pages load more slowly;
• install a good antivirus program. It will “intercept” all viruses on the fly and destroy them. This will significantly increase the speed of data transfer over the network;
• Don’t forget to pay for the Internet regularly, otherwise your provider will deprive you of access to the network altogether.

It is quite possible to solve the problem with a slow connection on your own; to do this, you just need to identify the existing problem and find ways to solve it. In this case, the Internet will again delight you with speed and new opportunities!

Internet routes

In the first part of the article, I talked about how traffic flows along routes. There are two of them: BGP and IP. One on top of the other. BGP defines the route through physical routers, and IP is the logical component of the path. At this stage, diagnosis is difficult because:

1. Introductory to BGP is TTTLDR.
2. Thanks to technologies such as AnyCast, IP 11.22.33.44 on the route can be physically located in any place, and in two+ places at the same time: AnyCast allows you to specify that a server in New York and Moscow is responsible for this IP. When pinging this IP, you cannot definitely say that you are pinging the Moscow server.
3. There is also MPLS and other tunneling. It will not be possible to disassemble the routes of the tunnels with simple tools.
4. A packet there and a packet back can take different paths.
5. A "to" packet can take multiple paths at different times. There are few tools for diagnosing ECMP on home OSes, they are more complicated than simple tracert, and sometimes they are expensive.

We will work with what we have. And we have the traceroute command.

On Windows it is executed from Start/cmd and enter tracert. There is also a graphical utility called WinMTR. It provides more useful information and, in some cases, we will use it.

You don’t have to run cmd and execute commands there, but do it windows-style:

Start/Run cmd /k tracert -d something

Key diagnostic rules:

1. If you can't demonstrate and replicate the problem, no one can.
2. Data must be collected over several time periods - at least for a period when there are no problems, and for a period when there are problems.

How to quickly determine that everything is acceptable

The author uses the universal metric “Ping per 1000 kilometers”. It is calculated as follows:

1. Determine where the server is located.
2. On Yandex.maps you measure the distance from you to the server.

Execute the ping command to the host you need. If it turns out to be no more than 20 milliseconds per 1000 kilometers, then you should not have any problems with input lag.

The author is located ~1000 km from Moscow. His pings look like this:

At distances of up to 200 km, this rule, by the way, will not be followed, due to the fact that the operating speed of the equipment makes a greater contribution. At such distances, the ping should be within 5-6 milliseconds. If more, you have a problem.