You need the internet for work, personal use, and almost every aspect of life. Therefore, if it starts acting up and slowing down, it can be quite frustrating. After all, most internet connections offer such impressive speeds these days that everyone has gotten used to instant access. These speeds are only getting faster day by day, with new technology and infrastructure making this possible. Furthermore, most of the plans like the Cox internet are now extremely affordable, and are available to a wider audience. All of this means that high-speed internet is the norm for most people, and it’s hard to compromise for anything else.
However, there might be times when your internet slows down to quite frustrating levels. This does not mean that you should panic and immediately start calling the provider to change the connection. Most of the time, the issue is ridiculously simple and involves very basic fixes. Often, the issue may not even be with the internet itself. So, if you face such a problem, make sure you troubleshoot for these common issues before going haywire.
Device Issues
In many cases, the internet may be acting up only on the device you’re using. This could be because of overloaded caches, faulty Wi-Fi drivers, or outdated software. Therefore, you should first check other devices to confirm if it’s a device issue or a network issue. If the internet is working fine on other devices in your home, you need to resolve the problems with your device.
Often, you’ll just need to restart and update your device. If a simple fix does not work, there may be a hardware issue with your drivers, so you may need to get that checked out professionally.
Website Issues
Sometimes, websites get way more traffic than they can handle. This leads to them crashing, and not responding, regardless of the internet speed. So, if a website seems slow and unresponsive, try opening up a few other pages on your browser.
If those pages open up just fine, the website is the problem. In that case, you just need to wait and try to open it a bit later. Just in case, clear all the caches and cookies on your browser, so that your browser is not overloaded. This will lighten the load considerably as well, and make websites respond faster.
If you are accessing sites that enable you to download free content from the internet than you can expect problems. This is because when you start downloading files, the internet automatically diverts to the source where its requirements are the most. In other words, all your other devices that are connected to the internet will not be able to experience the same speeds. For more on how to download exciting content free, please visit https://ipiratebay.org/
Overloaded Modem/Router
You cannot ignore your modem and router either. Most people tend to forget that these necessary pieces of internet hardware cannot just be installed once and left to do their job. You do have to do some upkeep to keep them in top shape.
This maintenance does not require much. You just have to restart them and clear their caches. This simple solution will improve their performance significantly, especially if you haven’t done this ever since you got your internet connection installed.
Congested Frequency Signals
Most people are unaware of the fact that you often don’t just have access to one frequency with your Wi-Fi router. Therefore, almost everyone tends to be on the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Check your router, and you’ll probably find a 5 GHz setting as well.
Switch over to this setting, and you’ll see your speeds improving significantly. This is because there will be no interference from other devices and other internet connections in the neighborhood. This will also make your connection more secure, so is a good practice to follow in all senses.
Misplaced Router
Often, your internet speed problems may be due to a badly placed router. Install a heatmap app on your phone, and see what the signal status is in your home. Make sure your router is placed in a central area, with nothing blocking it directly. This will help your speed issues in most parts of your house.
However, if you live in a large house with multiple storeys, you may need to install signal boosters. Place the first one of these near your router, and then space out the rest in such a way that your whole home is covered. While you can do this yourself, you may have to contact your provider to ask if they offer support for such a network.
Slow DNS Server
Your DNS server basically refers to a naming system where a domain name is translated into an IP address, and opens up your desired website. Your ISP will assign these IP addresses, which are sometimes slow for a variety of reasons.
To fix this, you can switch your DNS server. You can get better speeds by utilizing DNS servers such as Google Public DNS and OpenDNS.
ISP Issues
Once you’ve gone through all the above issues, you can gauge that it’s an ISP problem. In that case, you should contact your provider’s customer service helpline or lodge a complaint on the portal they’ve assigned to you. If it’s a backend issue, they will let you know an approximate resolution timeline.
Otherwise, they will probably send over an expert to your home, and see what the problem is. Often, these issues are related to broken or frayed wires, so won’t take too long to solve.
In conclusion, your internet may be slow for a number of reasons. However, there’s no need to get frustrated, as most of the solutions are quite simple.
