A decrease in device performance is observed on almost any device, be it a personal computer, tablet or smartphone. This happens at the most inopportune moment and requires a lot of patience, because slow loading of the Internet or a complete denial of access takes a toll on your nerves. Why the Internet slows down on an Android smartphone, what to do in such situations and where to look for the “culprit” will try to explain the information provided.
The most logical explanation is failures in mobile communications. If your gadget works like a charm when connected to a fixed Wi-Fi network, it’s time to call the operator. To check the quality and speed of data transfer on a smartphone, there are applications that are free and available for downloading and online testing. The most popular are Speedtest, Ookia and V-SPEED. Working with them is intuitive, and the error is insignificant. Another question is - can you prove to your mobile operator that the measurements do not correspond to the tariff plan and the provider’s promises?
Internet slows down on Android tablet
If the Internet slows down on an Android tablet, the cause may not be network failures, but other factors. It often happens that the device’s operating system can no longer cope with the speed and volume of data transfer, is poorly understood and interferes with the use of all mobile access functions.
There are several rules for eliminating errors:
- Eliminate the presence of viruses on the device. Unlimited Internet gives you many opportunities to view, download or install selected software on your device. This is not always safe, especially when visiting unverified resources.
- Excessive “vigilance” of antiviral defense. Antivirus program settings can block the signal and also affect Internet speed. You should definitely exclude the possibility of such a phenomenon by checking the parameters and allowing the port in the settings.
- Abundance of applications in the system. There are a lot of applications, games and useful functions, purchased or downloaded on Google? When connected to the Internet, they will begin to “eat” traffic, battery, update and reboot. At first glance, they are harmlessly waiting for their turn; in fact, they work around the clock, indirectly affecting the performance of the device.
- There is a conflict in the operating system. It occurs when installing an incorrect update, independently “improving” the system, and unsuccessfully performed flashing. If you are just learning the basics of programming, you shouldn’t try to cram all the interesting functions and applications into your gadget yourself. If problems with the OS have already been detected, the best option All settings will be reset to factory settings. After this, it is advisable to install only the most necessary programs and one at a time, in order to notice possible inconsistencies and negative impact on the system.
The speed of mobile Internet can fluctuate throughout the day, for example, during peak hours it can drop to the point of impossibility. Natural disasters and anomalies are also not in the best possible way affect network parameters. It is not possible to correct such incidents on your own; it is easier to connect to the nearest Wi-Fi source and wait out the “storm”. If problems with mobile communications occur regularly, but the wireless Internet connection does not cause such problems, you may have to change your operator or tariff plan.
The main reasons why the Internet on your phone is slow
The connection to the router is usually stable and in a fast way getting internet. What to do if the connection on Android starts to slow down, the following recommendations will help you decide.
The main reasons for a poor connection:
- Leakage of traffic through other devices. If your router does not have a password, or the password has become known to the general public, this may result in slower data transfer speeds.
- Router breakdowns, cable breakdowns, and line problems. This weight is calculated “experimentally” and requires mandatory elimination.
- Connection failures can also occur if devices are incompatible with each other. In this case, it is better to configure the router manually.
If your Internet is slow on Android, various factors may be the reason for such situations. You should exclude possible system failures, check for viruses and excessively overloaded memory. If everything is fine with your device, and you receive a lot of complaints about mobile Internet errors, you will have to deal with your operator.
Every user often encounters Internet access problems, so-called slowdowns. Quite often the reason for this is factors that appeared on our side and which you can correct yourself. Why the Internet slows down and how to fix it – we’ll talk about this later.
Reason for Internet slowdowns
First you need to install possible reason so-called Internet slowdowns. First of all, go to the Internet speed measurement service and check it. We have already told you about this in our previous articles. We recommend using several services in order to get more or less accurate information about your speed. Also, to check the actual speed of Internet access, start downloading a large file from . If the speed corresponds to the declared one, then the problem may be with the computer, but if the speed does not correspond to the declared one, then for this you need to check the connection.
It will help to roughly determine the problem - ping. If you know the address of your DNS server, then ping it; if not, then ping the address of Google's DNS servers. To ping, open the command line and enter the command:
ping –n 100 8.8.8.8
This way you will issue a command to exchange packets with the specified remote device. If 100% is received, that is, all 100 packets, then everything is fine with the connection, the Internet speed itself is underestimated by the provider itself, or by your devices. If the packets are not transmitted in full and there are lost packets, then the reason for the brakes is a problem on the line.
Why is the Internet slow on a laptop or computer?
The most common cause of problems with Internet access on a laptop is a problem with Wi-Fi access; we will describe the solution to the problem below.
Why does video on the Internet slow down at normal speed?
It's possible that you're having trouble playing videos online because your computer isn't powerful enough and doesn't have enough resources to play videos properly. Most often this happens when you want to watch a high-resolution video in HD format (720p or 1080p). If your computer has weak parameters, then it needs to be upgraded.
Why does the Internet slow down in the evening?
The Internet can slow down most often in the evening, when the Internet comes online large number users and at the same time the lines and the Internet channel cannot withstand such a load, then the overall speed of the users begins to fall. The problem can only be solved by a collective request from users, so that the provider either increases its external Internet channel speed (if this is the reason), or extends an additional line to the “problem area”.
Why is the Internet slow through the router?
An equally common problem with Internet slowdowns is the router. To determine whether a router is causing low speeds and freezes, you need to measure the Internet speed when connecting through it, and then connect the network cable directly to your computer or laptop. If the speed is normal without a router, then that’s the reason.
Check all your devices that are connected to the router, it is possible that one of your family members is downloading something from the Internet.
Why does the Internet slow down via Wi-Fi?
Another cause of Internet problems is the Wi-Fi network itself. That is, there may be a Wi-Fi device on the network with exactly the same name as yours, or the Wi-Fi channel you are working on is overloaded. In this case, it is recommended to rename your Wi-Fi network and install a different communication channel.
Perhaps one of the most common problems of Internet users. Just yesterday, your computer quickly loaded interesting Internet pages, but today the page loading time is comparable to an eternity. There may be several reasons why the Internet works this way, and now we will tell you about them. I would like to immediately say that there are many services on the Internet that check the real speed of your Internet connection. If, after checking, the speed indicators match your tariff plan, then read this article.
First, you need to understand that the Internet is not only your browser(Chrome, Mozilla, Opera, Internet Explorer etc.) with which you browse websites. Mail programs, Skype, ICQ and many other programs and their updates run from the Internet, which go online and most often automatically download updates for themselves. If the browser does not work or works very slowly, and all other programs, one way or another, related to accessing the Internet work normally, the reason is clearly in the browser. Try installing another one. If the new browser works quickly, but the old one continues to slow down, you should turn to its settings. It happens that they get lost or someone, sitting at your computer, either knowingly or unknowingly, reconfigured it in such a way that the connection is lost. The first thing you need to do is look at your Internet connection settings in your browser settings - if there is a problem, then it is there. For example, the checkbox for accessing the Internet via proxy server, which you never had, or vice versa, if you have a proxy server, this checkbox is unchecked.
If all programs slow down when accessing the Internet, then consider the following options:
1. Check to see if your system is updating. If automatic updating is set in your system settings, which is most often the case, then the system can start updating at any time, download a huge amount of information and, given the initially low Internet speed, do this for a very long time, slowing down both your connection to the Internet and operation of all other programs. To prevent this from happening, we recommend that you disable automatic system updates and run updates manually when it's convenient for you.
2. Carefully read the agreement with your Internet provider (this is the one to whom you pay money). There may be restrictions on data transfer speeds if you exceed a certain monthly traffic limit set by your ISP. tariff plan, or something else that the provider kept silent about when concluding the contract. If there is such a limitation, you should either change your provider, or perhaps switch to a different tariff plan.
3. And most importantly, check your computer for viruses! Very often it is viruses slow down your Internet access, because they send spam en masse from your computer or pump large volumes of information. To do this, firstly, you need to have licensed antivirus, which has daily updates (without this, the antivirus is a completely useless program that only boots your computer), secondly, run a deep scan of all disks of your computer, since scanning in the background does not always allow you to catch viruses at the input. Thirdly, even if your antivirus didn’t show anything, it’s worth downloading some free utilities to scan your computer; there are a lot of such programs on the Internet.
If the Internet is slow occasionally, for example in the evening, and flies the rest of the time, most likely the provider has a weak channel or outdated equipment that cannot cope with the load at peak times. There can only be one piece of advice here: think about changing your provider.
This category also includes periodically occurring radio interference that disrupts the signal of your Wi-Fi router. For example, near your home there is some military facility or factory or something else that broadcasts signals at frequencies close to the frequencies of your router. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to deal with this, but there are some ways described in the article - Causes of a poor wireless signal. Well, maybe just switch to a wired Internet connection and use wires the old fashioned way.
Today Wi-Fi is available in almost every apartment, so many people actively use this technology every day. But the speed of the wireless network is not always high and stable. It is because of this that in this article we will look at common causes of slow Wi-Fi, and also figure out what to do to solve these problems.
Determining the cause
The main reasons for slow Internet on a laptop via Wi-Fi:
- Use of old equipment and outdated modes.
- Using outdated or clumsy drivers for the wireless module.
- Work via 3G/4G modems.
- Tariff limits and restrictions.
- Incorrect placement of the router.
- Impact of a third-party router on the wireless channel.
- Network hacking.
- Channel width.
- Using programs that reduce speed.
- Outdated router firmware.
Below we will try to deal with each of these problems and decide what to do if Wi-Fi is slow.
All the basic instructions for improving data transfer speeds with a good signal are here:
Reason 1 – Wi-Fi protocols and frequency range
There are many Wi-Fi standards (802.11 b/g/n/ac). The last two are considered the fastest. The 802.11n mode is supported by almost all routers and laptops in the standard 2.4 GHz band.
Theoretically, it transmits data at speeds of up to 300 Megabits/sec if the equipment is equipped with two antennas, and up to 150 Megabits/sec if the device has one antenna. In practice, these figures are 3 times less, but even this speed is enough for many devices at the same time.
In the extended 5 GHz band, 802.11ac can be used.
If you have an old router and a module on your laptop, it’s understandable why the Internet is slow. It is better to replace the network equipment and set the speed modes to IEEE 802.11n or ac.
Find out selected Wi-Fi standard you can in the router settings, or simply by opening the current connections and properties active network, where the maximum indicator will be displayed in the “Status” column (depending on the mode, you will see 54, 150 or 300 Megabits/sec).
Reason 2 – Drivers for Wi-Fi module
Sometimes the Internet on a laptop does not work well due to the use of old or clumsy drivers for wireless adapter. Manufacturers of network cards will improve drivers, so it is necessary to update them periodically (preferably on the websites of equipment manufacturers). If you download firmware yourself without third-party software, then you need to compare the driver versions and their release date.
Check to see if your adapter needs an update! Go to “Device Manager”, find the item network adapters. Right-click on the hardware and you will see the “Update Driver” option.
Reason 3- 3G/4G modems
Some routers work with 3G/4G modems, the default settings of which are to automatically select the network mode. It is because of this that the router can provide low speed, and the Internet does not load pages well via Wi-Fi. To fix this, you need to install the modem software on your laptop, run it and set in the settings (network priority) only 3G or only 4G.
This can be done using a special small program “Terminal”, in which you need to enter the command:
- AT SYSCFGEX=”03″,3fffffff,2,4,7fffffffffffffff, for 4G;
- AT SYSCFGEX=”02″,3fffffff,2,4,7fffffffffffffff, for
After entering, you must press Enter. An example of switching the modem to 4G mode is shown in the picture below.
But before choosing one mode or another, you need to test each of them on your laptop. This will allow you to determine the fastest one, since in each area and mobile network, 3G and 4G speed indicators can differ significantly. This is also affected by network congestion and the distance of the provider's base station.
Reason 4 – Tariff limits and restrictions
Many Internet providers set tariff limits. For example, at many tariffs, operators offer Internet traffic in the form of packages of 12–30 GB (without speed limit), after which the speed drops to the minimum value established by the tariff. At the same time, there is a restriction on downloading torrents. Therefore, all this affects the data transfer speed.
To bypass the restriction on downloading torrents, you need to install the Vidalia utility on your laptop and set the following settings in the torrent client:
Reason 5 – Incorrect placement of the router
How to position the router correctly and other tips, see here:
Often a drop in Internet speed is associated with various obstacles between the router and laptop (walls, household electrical appliances, furniture, etc.). This common reason why Wi-Fi is slow on a laptop or phone. For example, a microwave oven greatly affects the signal quality. It operates on the same frequency as the router, so it creates a lot of interference for it. In addition, if the router is located outside the home, then the signal will be affected by running cars and other equipment.
Therefore, you need to place the router on open place, and it is advisable to install it as high as possible, approximately in the middle of the apartment or house. In this case, you need to use external antennas and set the maximum signal strength (100%) in the router settings.
Reason 6 – Impact of a Third Party Router
A router located, for example, in next apartment, can also reduce Wi-Fi speed. This happens because both devices are using the same channel and Wi-Fi has become slow.
You can get rid of this problem by searching for channels that are not affected by your neighbor’s router. You can also use Wi-Fi Stumbler or Wi-Fi Analyzer utilities for this.
However, as practice shows, the best way out From such a situation there will be a transition to the 5 GHz band. It's more free than 2.4. Of course, provided that you have a dual-band router.
Reason 7 – Network Hacking
Your router's speed may slow down due to a wireless network hack. While you are wondering why Wi-Fi is slow on your laptop, attackers are actively using the traffic at this time. Even schoolchildren are now breaking weakly protected networks.
Therefore, you need to secure your network from this problem by choosing the most reliable security standard, WPA2-PSK, and setting a complex password (of numbers, letters and symbols).
Reason 8 – Channel Width
As practice shows, many users experience slow Wi-Fi on their laptop due to the use of a 20 MHz radio channel width. This is not enough for a high-speed network. Even if you use the latest model of router, the speed will be slow until the width is set to 40 MHz in the router settings.
If the router operates in the 5 GHz band, then you need to set the channel width to 80 MHz. In this case, you must enable the WMM function. To do this, you need to check the appropriate box in the device settings. Then you need to save the settings and restart the router.
Reason 9 – Using programs that reduce speed
Constant use of VPN, online applications, torrents and other software reduces data transfer speed. The laptop takes a long time to load Internet pages via Wi-Fi, and opens files slowly during automatic Windows updates.
You can solve this problem by removing applications that actively use Internet traffic from startup and disabling automatic updates of the operating system. You can also use QoS for this, which will allow you to set priorities over programs.
Reason 10 – Large downloads and viruses
Slow Wi-Fi on a laptop may be due to viruses. In addition, the operating system may be overloaded with running programs, so the PC does not have enough system resources (RAM, processor power, etc.). As a result, the device’s power to transmit and receive a Wi-Fi signal may not be enough. The solution is to use antivirus programs and utilities to free up system resources.
I will highlight one more reason. Slow Internet on laptops via Wi-Fi may be due to old software router. Need to download from the manufacturer's website new firmware and install it on the router.
My dears! If you know other ways that will help “speed up” the speed of data transfer “over the air”, be sure to write! Let's share our experience and discuss this topic!
Almost every apartment in multi-story high-rise buildings has high-speed Internet access using GPON or FTTB technology with speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second. Private sector also tries to keep up, even via ADSL the average access speed is 5-8 Mbit/sec. But unfortunately, not everyone is happy with the speed provided. People often ask me to figure out why the Internet slows down and sites open slowly. There are actually a lot of reasons and they are very diverse. But in this post I decided to collect only the most specific and common reasons why the Internet works slowly in 90% of cases and ways to eliminate them.
Yes, this is the most common reason. One of my friends butted heads with the technical support of the provider for a long time and bombarded them with complaints about the low speed. As a result, it turned out that his Avast antivirus in fact did not work, skipping everything, and on his computer he had a web proxy module through which gigabytes of traffic were sent.
Therefore, as soon as you notice that sites are slowing down, even small videos take a very long time to load - first of all, check at least the system disk with a good antivirus. My recommendation is the free DrWeb CureIt! , which does not require installation.
But checking with an antivirus alone is not enough - you also need to check Windows for the presence of advertising (ad-ware) and spyware (spy-ware) modules that interfere with the normal loading of sites and the Internet begins to slow down due to the fact that a large amount of advertising is loaded first, and only then everything else. Antivirus programs do not always cope with this task, and therefore we download another utility - AdwCleaner.
It is completely free and perfectly removes a lot of different infections. And in general, make it a rule to work on the Internet only if you have good anti-virus protection, otherwise you can pay for it, at best, with the stability of the operating system, and at worst, your payment card details or accounts on social networks will be stolen.
2. Installed programs
The Internet may be slow due to the operation of some programs. For example, due to file sharing programs uTorrent or DC++. Even if you don’t download anything yourself, you can distribute the downloaded information to other members of the file-sharing network by quickly loading the outgoing channel.
The reason may be such popular programs as Skype, Mail.Ru Agent, Viber, as well as popular online games such as WarFace, World of Tanks, Minecraft, etc. They can automatically access the global network and download updates, which, by the way, weigh a lot. Make sure they are completely disabled and are not downloading updates.
3. Windows updates
Another factor that can affect the speed of Internet access is automatic updating of the Windows operating system - be sure to check if the update is running at a time when the Internet is slow.
In general, Microsoft's operating system update mechanism should not significantly affect the speed of the Internet channel. But this is in theory, but in practice the opposite often happens. This is especially noticeable when a slow tariff is connected. This is why I would recommend turning off automatic Windows updates and running it manually if necessary.
4. Web browser
We should also talk about the web browser, as it can also be the cause of slow Internet performance.
The fact is that many users like to open several dozen tabs. As a result, the browser simply eats up a huge amount of RAM and it is no longer the connection with the provider that starts to slow down, but a specific program, and sometimes the entire computer. Therefore, to begin with, close all tabs, leave one and check the speed. If nothing has changed, then update the program to latest version. I would also recommend completely disabling all extensions. Doesn't help? Try another browser, fortunately there are many of them - Opera, Firefox, Yandex.Browser, SRWare Iron, etc. If everything works fine with another browser, but the one you are used to using is slow, then try removing it completely and installing it again.
5. Router malfunction
Home WiFi routers are, in fact, the same computer, with its own operating system, only simpler and less productive than a home PC. And since this is a computer, it can also be glitchy. Try rebooting it first. Doesn't help? Then you can try resetting the router to factory settings using the Reset button.
But keep in mind that after the reset, the device will be pristine and will need to be configured again using the connection parameters of your telecom operator. If you don’t know how to do this, it’s better to call a qualified specialist. Otherwise, you risk being left without any connection at all.
P.S. Unfortunately, there are also cases when nothing depends on you and the problem is no longer on your side, but on the provider. Therefore, if none of the above tips helped, call the technical support of your telecom operator.