5 Reasons Why Your Internet Connection Speed is Slow

The biggest first world problem we face in any industry is internet connection speed. Whether it be while trying to send an email or tracking your fleets, nobody enjoys issues with their internet connection speed. Ultimately, slow internet is a huge inconvenience in our technology-driven society. But, with over 4 billion internet users in the world, everyone wants to know the same thing; why is my internet slow?

In the world of fleet management services, having a slow internet connection is a major issue that can severely slow down workflow. Many fleets are now managed on the cloud or through various applications that allow for dispatching, tracking, and form solutions. Manually managing your fleets and leaving a paper trail is an inefficient method with all the technology available, but slow internet connection makes it difficult to use this technology to its full potential.

I am no stranger to questioning the speed of my internet. The current internet plan I have at home advertises up to 1 Gb/s internet download speed, but the actual speed hovers around 30 Mb/s. At first, I thought the ISP was trying to give me the short end of the stick with slower internet until I realized that the keyword is “up to”. So theoretically the internet connection speed could be 1 Gb/s, but that is a pipe dream. The truth is, there are many factors that impact the speed of your internet and your maximum bandwidth will almost never be achieved.

Here are 5 factors that may be slowing down your internet connection speed:

1. Wi-Fi or Ethernet?

Look at how your device is connected to the internet, is it wireless or wired? It is important to understand how you’re connecting to the internet when considering your connection speed. Using Wi-Fi is standard for the average user, especially with most new products having wireless capabilities. However, even though Wi-Fi speeds have increased over the years, Ethernet connection still can reach up to 10 Gb/s with a Cat-6 cable. If your business uses desktop computers, consider using a Cat-6 Ethernet cable if you want to see a noticeable boost in internet speed

2. Spyware and Viruses

It is well known that viruses will slow down your computer, but it can also have a large impact on your internet speed. These viruses can run in the background and use the internet without permission, causing an increase in bandwidth usage. The result? Slower internet.

3. Hardware

Consider the type of network equipment you’re currently using. The router, ethernet cable, and computer hardware are all factors that should be considered. Using an old router is a great way to make sure you’re not maximizing your internet speed. Older routers have weak antennae and were made when Wi-Fi speeds couldn’t even come close to 1 G b/s. If you hate your internet speed and haven’t thought about a new router, it’s time to reconsider.

If you’re a fleet manager and have drivers on the field who use cellular data for internet connection, try to get an industrial LTE router rather than a 3G router. LTE routers provide a lot more speed and most modern devices have LTE connectivity.

Damaged equipment is also an immediate red flag, so fixing this would almost certainly result in boosted internet speeds. The hardware of the computer is something that many people don’t associate with internet speed, but having a weak processor, for instance, would slow downloading pages that require a lot of memory.

4. Router Location

Wireless technology is fantastic, but there is always a catch. You can’t expect to have a great internet connection if your router is located far from your devices. Each router has an optimal range, so staying within that range will help improve your connection speed. Although, if decreasing the distance between the router and devices isn’t an option, Wi-Fi extenders will help transmit a boosted signal to extend the coverage area.

5. Network Traffic

Having multiple users on the same server at once will reduce how fast the internet will run. The host server could be misconfigured or underpowered for how many people you have on it, which will slow down speeds for everyone. Ultimately, you can’t have too many users on a weak server and expect fast speeds.

Links

Opera Blogs: What factors affect your internet speed

The Beacon: How Do Internet Browsers Affect Internet Speeds

Thinkbroadband: Understanding Broadband Speeds