Internet Speed Troubleshooting

[JackSpadesSI]

My internet speed has felt dreadfully slow for the past several weeks. Every website - even simple ones - takes forever and a day to load. YouTube videos need to be paused for quite a while so they can buffer enough to play.

However I pay for broadband speed (I forget what I'm technically paying for, but it is at least 20 Mbps). Various internet speed test websites I've found tell me that I'm only getting 3 Mbps (but I've seen it as high as ~12 Mbps).

I run Norton 360 and frequently scan for viruses with the latest definitions. It sometimes finds cookies, but never anything else.

So, what could be the reason for painfully slow internet speeds?

 

[mammador]

Your ISP's local infrastructure could be clogging things up.

 

[Ghiedo27]

Do you have more than one computer at your home? If you do, do the others have the same issue? Are you plugged into the router / modem or are you using wireless? If wireless, how far away from the router are you?

Have you tried unplugging your modem and router for a bit and then plugging them back in (modem first until the lights settle and then the router)?

 

[JackSpadesSI]

Do you have more than one computer at your home?

Yes, I've got a bunch of computers. But, the only ones that are typically plugged in and running are: my desktop, my wife's laptop, and my Windows Home Server. Then, also two phones, a tablet, and a game console on WiFi.

If you do, do the others have the same issue?

I'll ask my wife later how the laptop is working (that's on WiFi).

Are you plugged into the router / modem or are you using wireless? If wireless, how far away from the router are you?

My desktop (the one I'm concerned about) is wired by Ethernet through a switch, then router, then to the cable modem.

Have you tried unplugging your modem and router for a bit and then plugging them back in (modem first until the lights settle and then the router)?

Yes. This didn't help.

 

[Ghiedo27]

You may want to run the speedtest from her laptop (or another wireless device) so you'll know if you need to look closer at the switch and your computer or to look at the router towards the ISP. You can bring up your modem's web interface page and that can give you signal levels. It's not definitive, but it is quantitative. The address varies by manufacturer, but 192.168.100.1 is pretty common.

Personally, I'd want to verify that it's happening on more than just the one computer. Then I'd take something and plug it directly into the modem to rule out all of the other stuff before calling the ISP.