Dealing with a slow internet connection is the worst, especially when you don’t even know what is causing it to be slow. Do you often experience buffering while streaming online or watching live games? Do you experience websites taking more time to load? There is a good chance that you are dealing with a low bandwidth problem.
How to Explain Low Bandwidth?
Bandwidth can be understood as the total amount of data transmitted from one place to another at a particular time. It’s the highest transfer rate of your internet connection and determines your internet speed.
An internet connection of over 25 Mbps is considered good for an individual. This means that huge households with at least 5 internet users should settle for an internet speed of around 300 Mbps. Depending on what Mbps rate your broadband offers, your bandwidth varies. This means that if multiple people are connected to your home network, the internet speeds will be slow because of network congestion.
Let us explore how the internet connection speed can increase, and bandwidth can improve. These two things help you with a flawless online experience. The bandwidth you currently experience is determined by the internet plan you have subscribed to, your device, router, and internet service providers.
For instance, your ISP promised to offer you 25 Mbps, but this does not mean that you will have such speeds at any time of the day. Many factors can cause the speed to vary, such as the number of connected devices, the position of your router, the model of the modem, etc.
Understand bandwidth as a two-way road where cars travel at the same speed. Cars will be driven more freely if there are fewer of them on the highway. As soon as there are more cars, speeds will get slower. However, if more lanes are added to the highway, cars will pick up speed eventually. With bandwidth, it is the same case.
Do you Have Insufficient Bandwidth?
Do you think that the bandwidth you currently have is insufficient? One way to find that out is by running a speed test. Multiple online websites can help you conduct online speed tests, such as speedtest.net. Once you have gotten the results, compare them with your current internet plan’s speed.
Here’s a tip! You should conduct an online speed test with only one device connected to the internet. Moreover, you should not download or upload anything while conducting a speed test to get accurate results.
If your internet speed test result does not match the speeds that your ISP claims to offer, it only means one thing. You should upgrade your internet plan as the current plan can no longer cater to your online needs.
The primary reason behind this can be more internet users in the house since you first got the internet or you have started surfing the web on multiple devices for intense online activities.
How to Fix Low Network Bandwidth?
There are various ways you can fix the lousy bandwidth. We have mentioned some of them below to help you get started right away.
- Upgrade Your Internet Plan
One of the most common ways to increase your bandwidth is by upgrading your internet plan. Upgrading the internet plan improves speed, which subsequently increases the bandwidth. It is common to upgrade the internet plan because, with time, the number of internet users or devices increases. The need for a bigger internet plan rises with the increase in devices and internet users.
- Change Your Current Internet Service Provider
If even after upgrading your internet packages you still experience low bandwidth issues, you should switch your internet service provider. All the internet service providers claim that they offer high bandwidth, but in reality, there are only a few, such as Smithville internet. You can contact Smithville customer service and inquire regarding their internet plans.
- Try Limiting the Number of Devices
If you do not plan to upgrade your current internet plan, reducing the number of devices on the network will do the trick. This will subsequently increase the bandwidth for devices that are still connected to the network. You can also use Ethernet cables and turn off the Wi-Fi completely.
- Try Using a VPN
Various internet service providers practice bandwidth throttling so that they can make the internet available for all their users. If you want to avoid bandwidth throttling, connect to the internet with a VPN. This way, your internet service provider won’t be able to see what you are doing on the internet.
ISPs only throttle your internet when you visit particular websites or perform specific tasks. So when your VPN hides your online activities, there’s no way the ISP will throttle the bandwidth for you. There are various VPNs thatVarious VPNs can help you, such as ExpressVPN, Surfshark, NordVPN, and more.
Additional Methods to Increase Your Bandwidth Speed
If the internet speed test result comes back with the same speed as your ISP offers, you should try other additional methods to increase your bandwidth.
- Your Device
If your machine is unable to process the data smoothly, you will not be able to experience a fast internet connection. If this is the case with you, maybe it’s finally time to get a new smartphone, laptop, or computer.
You can even try cleaning up your machine, which has worked for many other users. It is recommended to run your antivirus scan and remove any malware installed on your device. Timely update your software and clear your cache. Lastly, ensure to close all the apps running in the background, as they also eat up bandwidth.
- Your Neighbor’s Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi channels can be overlapped, through which the internet connectivity between the devices and the router can get lousy. How can you fix it? Try connecting to a different wireless channel with fewer users connected. In addition, you can also get a dual-bandwidth wireless router to take things to another level.
- Reboot the Router and Switch Its Location
Maybe it is time to reboot your router, as it must have been overworked. Some routers are rebooted automatically, but it won’t hurt trying. In addition, it is crucial to see where your router is kept in the house.
If it is set up somewhere in the corner, consider placing it in the middle of the house since it sends signals outwards in every direction. Moreover, you should use Wi-Fi extenders if you have a big house as the rooms that are far from the router will experience poor signals.
Conclusion
Dealing with lousy bandwidth can be really stressful. This is why we curated this straightforward guide to help you out in no time. It is crucial that youYou must always trust a reliable and credible internet service provider to provide you with top-notch speeds. If the ISP never provides you with accurate speeds in the first place, you will always experience low bandwidth.
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