How to Arrange if You Are Getting Your Internet Slow

Today we are going to tell you the main reasons why your Internet connection is slow and what you can do in each case so that you know what to expect and can remedy it as soon as possible.

Internet connection and speed depend on many factors, so it is sometimes a bit difficult to know what is causing your Internet to be slow. We will see the main causes and possible solutions.

Bad Coverage or Interference

A common reason why the Internet is slow is that at that moment you have poor coverage on the device you are using, be it a mobile phone or a PC. This reason does not apply if you are using a PC that is connected to the Internet through a cable.

This can happen to you whether you are using mobile data and have poor network coverage or if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network and the signal barely reaches you. In the first case, there is not much you can do beyond moving to a place that has better mobile coverage, possibly near a door or window.

If we are talking about a Wi-Fi connection, the coverage and therefore the speed of the network can decrease due to two main factors: the distance to the router and interference. The further you are from the Wi-Fi router, the weaker the signal and the slower and more unstable your Internet connection will be, although you also have to take into account obstacles in the way, especially metal, stone walls, and even the water.

• If you are using mobile data, move to a position with better coverage
• If you use mobile data and slow speed is a recurring problem, consider switching to another operator that provides better coverage in your area
• If you use Wi-Fi, check out these tips to improve your network speed
• Change the router to a better position
• If Wi-Fi is not reaching your entire house properly, consider using a Wi-Fi repeater or PLCs

Someone is Downloading a Lot of Data on Your Network

A common reason why your Internet connection speed is slower than normal is that a lot of bandwidth is being used, whether downloading or uploading files. It can be any type of download, although P2P file-sharing applications such as BitTorrent clients are more likely to saturate the network by making many connections at the same time to maximize download speed.

Before contacting your Internet provider or trying some more complex solutions, it never hurts to check that no one on your network is downloading or uploading files at high speed, taking up a large part of the bandwidth.

This does not mean that you cannot download files while doing other things, but if it happens frequently that the Internet is very slow while downloading files in applications like BitTorrent, you may want to limit the maximum download or upload speed, to avoid saturating the connection.

• Check if someone connected to your network is downloading or uploading files at high speed
• If so, try to limit the maximum download or upload speed in the application they are using, to avoid saturating the connection
• You can also adopt the strategy of downloading things when you are not using the PC for other things, such as surfing the net

There Are Intruders on Your Wi-Fi Network

It may also be the case that someone is using your connection in bulk but it is not someone in your family: the neighbors could be stealing your Wi-Fi and using it to download files non-stop, slowing down your connection without you even knowing it.

To clear up doubts, the easiest thing is to check who is connected to your connection to see if you have an intruder on your Wi-Fi. If so, there are a number of measures you can take to protect yourself and prevent it from happening to you again. One of the most important is to change the password for the Wi-Fi network.

• Check if there are strangers connected to your Wi-Fi with tools like Fing or Wireless Network Watcher
• If so, disable WPS on the router, change the network name and password, and if necessary, have a conversation with the neighbor

You Have Malware or Other Problems on Your PC

It may also be the case that neither you nor an evil neighbor is using your network excessively, but you have some malware on your PC that is using the network excessively in the background. At other times, the malware may be using your PC for activities that require a lot of processing (like mining cryptocurrencies ), which makes the PC very slow in general, including browsing the Internet.

The easiest way to check if this is the case is to discard, checking if the Internet is slow on another device or if it only happens on a specific PC. If it's that PC thing, then there may be something wrong with that particular PC and not your Internet connection. There are many things that can go wrong, one of them being that you have malware or viruses on your PC.

Other problems on the PC that can slow down the PC and the Internet speed are physical problems with the network adapter (that is, it is broken or damaged) or with the drivers. The former is more difficult to fix, while for the latter there are several tools to help you.

• Check with another device if the Internet is slow on other devices
• If your PC is only slow, try running antivirus software to detect and eliminate threats
• Check that the network cable is properly connected to the PC
• If your PC has an antenna for Wi-Fi, make sure it is properly connected and oriented
• Check for updates to your PC's network card

Problems With Your Internet Provider

Often the problem is not the coverage, your PC, the mobile, or the neighbor, but your Internet provider. When your Internet provider suffers a partial disconnection, it is possible that some pages go to you but not others or that the whole Internet goes quite badly.

A quick way to check if this is the case is to visit your provider's Downdetector page (for example, Vodafone or Movistar ), although you can also check social networks such as Twitter to see if other people who use your same service are there too. having problems.

• Check if it happens to you with one web page or with all
• Check on social networks if more people who use the same Internet company are having problems
• Contact the technical service of your Internet provider