Why is the Internet speed low? Or less than it should be! Internet speed over Wi-Fi is lower. Why does the router slow down?

Internet speed via Wi-Fi is a topic that has always been discussed, and will continue to be discussed, on various forums, in comments, etc. Very often they ask questions like: “why is the speed via Wi-Fi lower than via cable,” “ why is the speed through the router less”, “how to increase the Internet speed via Wi-Fi”, etc. Why does this even happen, where do these questions come from. I'll explain now.

There is Internet, which is connected directly to the computer. The provider promises speeds of, for example, 100 Mbit/s. When checking, the speed may be a little lower, but something like that. We buy a router, install it, and of course check the speed, because we read somewhere that the router slows down the speed. We check from the router via cable, it seems normal, the speed has not dropped much. We check when connecting via Wi-Fi and see that the speed is two or even more times lower than when connecting via cable. For example, on Wi-Fi, out of 100 Mbit/s that the provider provides, there are only 50 Mbit/s left, 40, or even less. It is clear that this does not suit us, and we are starting to look for a solution. And in search of a solution, we go to pages like this one.

If you want to see specific tips on the topic of increasing speed over Wi-Fi, then I will write about this a little later, in a separate article. But, I want to say right away that the tips that I will write about, and which can already be found on the Internet, as a rule, do not give any results in terms of increasing speed. Although, it depends on individual cases. And in this article I just want to tell you why it happens that when connected via a router, the Internet speed is lower than, for example, via cable.

Why does my Wi-Fi router slow down?

Every router slows down the speed. Some less, some more. As a rule, this depends on the price of the router itself. The more expensive it is, the more powerful it is, and the more powerful it is, the less speed will be reduced. Now I'm talking specifically about connecting via Wi-Fi. If the cable speed through the router is lower, then, as a rule, this is not critical. But over a wireless network, there are significant losses in speed.

Many are still interested in the numbers that are indicated on the box with the router, or in the specifications. There you can see speed information. For example: up to 150 Mbit/s, or 300 Mbit/s. And here the questions arise again: “why does my router support 300 Mbit/s, but my speed is 50 Mbit/s?” So, the manufacturer indicates the maximum speed , which in normal conditions never get it. The speed will always be much lower. And from the 300 Mbit/s that is written on the router, we often get speeds several times lower. But how much less the speed will be depends on the power of the router (mostly), and on a number of other factors, which I will now talk about.

Also, we must not forget that in addition to the router, we also have a Wi-Fi receiver in our network, in our laptop, tablet, smartphone, or. Which also supports different standards, and the speed at which it operates may be lower than what the router can produce. Speed is always determined by the slowest device on the network. For example: the router produces a theoretical 300 Mbit/s. But the adapter that receives the signal can operate at a maximum speed of 150 Mbit/s. And we already get a limit of 150 Mbit/s, since this device is the slowest on the network. Well, I will delve further into these nuances, I just wanted to explain why the speed suffers so much when connecting via Wi-Fi networks.

What determines the speed of a Wi-Fi network, and how to get maximum speed?

As promised, I will write in more detail about ways to increase speed in a separate instruction. And now, I will list the main reasons that affect the speed of a Wi-Fi network:

Wi-Fi router. Network standards (802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac) which it supports, what technologies it uses, and the power of the hardware itself. Typically, the more expensive the router, the higher the wireless speed.
Router software and Wi-Fi receiver on your computer. Very often, by updating the router firmware or adapter drivers on the computer, the speed becomes faster.
Interference. Interference can come from other neighboring Wi-Fi networks (mostly) and from household appliances.
Wi-Fi network power. It’s not news that near the router, where the signal is maximum, the speed will be higher than in another room, where the network signal is no longer so stable.
The number of connected devices to your network. If one device is connected to your router, then it will receive all the speed that the router can provide. If we connect another device and start downloading something on it, then the speed will already be divided by 2, and so on. In addition, all connected devices create a load on the router’s hardware, which leads to a drop in speed.
The type of internet connection your ISP uses. The fact is that if your provider uses the connection type Dynamic IP or Static IP, then the router will reduce speed less than with a PPPoE, L2TP and PPTP connection.
Router settings. Correctly setting up network protection, choosing the network operating mode and channel width, as well as changing the channel can slightly increase the speed.

How to organize a Wi-Fi network so that the loss of speed is minimal?

Regarding the Internet provider: if you have not yet connected to the Internet, and if possible, then choose a provider that uses Dynamic IP or Static IP connection technology. This will make it easier for the router, and setting up such a connection is much easier.

Selecting a router: if you want minimal loss of speed, you will have to spend money on a router. I advise you to buy a router that can operate at the frequency 5GHz(GHz), and support . The 5GHz frequency is now practically free, which means that there will not be much interference there. After all, basically, so far all Wi-Fi networks operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. And the new standard 802.11ac, even compared to the most popular on at the moment 802.11n allows you to transmit information at speeds of as much as 6.77 Gbit/s. This is of course in theory, with special equipment.

Devices you will connect to the network: as I wrote above, the speed also depends on the network clients. It is advisable that your devices are new, supporting the modern 802.11ac standard, or at least 802.11n. If this is a computer, then update your driver Wi-Fi adapter. I wrote about this in.

Check your Internet speed, share the results in the comments, and tell us if your router slows down the speed too much. Best wishes!

The World Wide Web today has become as integral a part of human life as television or radio. Every day, millions of people spend from 4 to 12 hours on it, and few people know what to do when the Internet speed is low.

What is Internet connection speed

Internet speed is the amount of information transmitted in one second. It is usually measured in bits, less often in bytes (for reference: there are 8 bits in 1 byte), although the latter seems more practical.

A quick Internet speed test can be carried out using the built-in Windows programs 8, to do this you need to go to the “Start-Run” menu or by pressing the key combination “Winows + R” and, in the window that appears, execute the command “ping ya.ru -t”.

This function allows you to exchange small data packets of 32 bytes with the ya.ru website. You can judge the speed of the Internet by the response time. For a fast connection, these indicators will be within 10–30 ms; more than 2000 ms are considered very bad. If your connection is unstable, you can simply minimize this window; this will not “eat up” a lot of traffic (about 100 kB per hour) and will help your connection to be “in good shape” and monitor its speed at any time.

Possible speed problems

Here is a list of the most common connection speed problems:

provider restrictions. The reason that the connection speed has become lower than stated may be: too heavy load on the network, reaching a certain amount of traffic, speed limits in different times days;
server restrictions. Not all sites have sufficient resources to maintain high speed when working with a large number of users;
the congestion of your communication channel with the work of background applications, such as updating Windows 8, downloading new virus databases, running Trojans and spyware, etc.;
lack of computer resources. Outdated hardware and the simultaneous launch of a large number of applications (including viruses that can work unnoticed) can cause low Internet speed, even if these programs do not use it;
incorrect configuration of network equipment. Network card, router, modem - any of these devices, if configured incorrectly, will affect the connection speed.

Video: low Internet speed - causes, diagnosis, elimination

Solving the problem

In order to increase the speed of your Internet connection if you do not have enough experience in setting up your computer, software or additional devices best choice there will be an appeal to specialists. If you want to understand for yourself how to find out the reasons for data transfer at a low speed, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most effective ways to solve this problem.

What to do if the Internet speed is low:

Please carefully read the contract for the provision of Internet communication services. Perhaps the reason for the low speed lies there.
Consult your provider's technical support service. People contact them many times a day with questions like “Why are my downloads slow?” and they know most of the reasons by heart.
install antivirus and firewall. If your computer is not powerful enough, it is better to use programs that are not too resource-intensive. For example, Avira Antivir and Outpost Firewall. The latter, in “learning mode,” will ask you for permission to provide network access to any program. This will help you find out which applications are using the Internet.
if you are using a non-standard operating system (beast, extreme, GameEdition, etc.), it is better to replace it with the original one. Often the reason lies in incorrect shell settings.

If the above measures do not have an effect, try changing the settings of your equipment, namely your router.

Perhaps the whole point is in the passage of the signal through the router; very low speed in this case may be due to the following reasons:

Your neighbor’s router operates at the same frequency as yours;
quantity open channels leads to either slowdown or interference with the operation of the device;
the signal level does not allow you to reach the maximum speed;
The router is using outdated hardware or software.

Changing the channel in the router

One of the reasons for low Internet speed via wifi may be overload of the router channel being used. If there are several wireless networks in your area with similar settings, it is likely that your routers are using the same channels, which is causing the network to slow down.

To change the router settings you need to go to its control panel. To do this, you need to enter 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in the address bar of your browser; it is usually located at this address.

Photo: changing the channel of the Wi-Fi router

There we look for menu items whose name will include the word “channel”, you need to set the channel to auto-detection, in this case the device will independently search for a free frequency.

Number of simultaneous connections

It is also worth paying attention to such a parameter as the number of simultaneous connections (Current Connected Wireless Stations numbers or something similar). The security level of your home wireless connection is often too much to stop skilled hackers.

To achieve this, router manufacturers have provided another protection option - limiting the number of devices. If you use a constant number of wireless devices, feel free to indicate their number, everyone else simply will not be able to connect.

Measuring the speed of wifi connection

If suspicions about the reasons for the decrease in speed fall on the router, there is an easy way to confirm or refute them. To find out what your outgoing (incoming) Internet speed is today, there are many Internet resources, such as: www.bravica.net, www.speedtest.net or NetWorx, DUTrafic programs.

Photo: Internet speed measurement service

For example, in order to check why there is a slow connection on a laptop, you should first disable all programs on it that use the Internet. Next, you need to take measurements on a wireless device using one of the methods indicated above. After that, connect it using a cable and repeat the procedure. If the speed differs by more than 10%, then the router really reduces it.

Ways to increase speed

Reducing the number of connections.
Setting up auto-detection of the data transmission channel.
Replacing the router with a device that uses a more modern connection protocol or flashing the old one (today the 802.11ac protocol is considered the most modern).
Connecting a more powerful antenna to the router will give a better signal in areas with interference and improve data transfer speeds.
If your provider uses the VPN protocol and there is an opportunity to change it, do this by choosing one that uses the DHCP or PPPoE protocols (on a static IP address).

Internet speed from providers MTS, Megafon, ByFly, Beeline, Ukrtelecom is reduced

Most wireless and sometimes cable Internet providers limit the speed. The problem is this: access to the World Wide Web is carried out through the same channels as communication, which is why good signal The network speed will still be low.

As for cable providers, the problem is the same - to prevent network congestion, they set internal restrictions, often without the consent of customers. There is only one way to combat this - complaints and persistent demands.

Let's take a closer look at the mobile Internet speed limits of different providers.

MTS

Depending on the tariff plan, 50 or 100 MB per day can be provided without a speed limit; everything provided above is limited to a speed of 64 kbit/s. There are monthly tariffs - 3,4,6,20 or 50 GB. Once the limit is exceeded, Internet use is blocked.

Video: how to increase Internet speed

Megaphone

Offers monthly tariffs without limitation of reception speed with maximum traffic of 70 MB and 3,7,15,30 GB. Once this volume is exhausted, access to the service is blocked.

ByFly

This is a cable operator. Its service packages start at 1 Mbit/s and end at 50 Mbit/s. However, it should be remembered that wired Internet also experiences difficulties in areas where there are no fiber optic lines and with the stated 1-2 Mbps, the actual reception speed will be 512 kbps, and the upload speed will be 256 kbps.

Beeline

This company today provides both mobile and wired Internet services. In the latter, the speed varies from 10 to 100 Mbit, there are tariffs with a speed limit upon reaching a certain traffic threshold, and there are also without it. Mobile Internet differs only in the amount of traffic provided within a certain tariff. The declared speed is up to 256 kbit/s, the real one can drop to 32 kbit/s, it all depends on the network load.

Ukrtelecom

Provides services like wireless internet using 3G technology, which provides speeds of up to 7.2 Mbit/s, and cable fiber-optic connection, the speed of which can be up to 5 Mbit/s without traffic limitation.

Reduced Internet speed can have a variety of reasons, from banal website restrictions to interference with the operation of your equipment and work through a wifi router strangers. The first step to identifying this problem is to constantly monitor your Internet speed using any of the means suggested above.

If you are convinced that there is an underestimation, begin to act according to the plan proposed above:

calls to the provider's technical support;
setting up or changing software;
reflashing or replacing equipment.

Internet speed is less than it should be according to the conditions for the provision of Internet traffic - this is more the norm than a pathology. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon, let's look at it in order and find out the possible reason for the low connection speed.
Low Internet connection speed depends on many factors

Low performance does not mean a violation of contractual relations. Many factors not related to the provider can affect the final values. And don’t rush to ask him a question: Can you determine? Let's get this straight first.

Differences between real Internet speed and advertised speed

First, let’s try to figure out what low Internet speed is, or what a common phrase is that slows down the Internet. Without taking measurements, there are several aspects here:

Psychological. Subjective perception related to negative attitude to the operator (for example, the speed of the Rostelecom Internet connection is constantly dropping). Especially psychological aspect manifests itself during intensive, exciting work on the network, then it seems that the performance is not enough;
The traffic used does not meet the requirements. Or real speed information exchange is insufficient, or expectations were higher. This also includes errors in converting Mbit to MB (i.e. the operator indicates in Mbit/sec, but traffic is counted in MB, 1 MB = 8 Mbit);
Physically low Internet speed. Implied at the final application stage.

Some programs show the speed immediately in KB/sec or MB/sec.

Before you complain about low speed Internet connection, check if you are downloading files by any program

What makes up the Internet speed on the final application?

In order to draw conclusions, you need to know the Internet speed. First of all, you need to understand what it consists of (at the level of the final application). Without getting into the intricacies of protocols and exchanges, blockwise, for understanding:

Restrictions set by the provider (connected tariff plan). Please note that the seller does not indicate the minimum figure, but the maximum - “up to...”;
Speed, workload and priority of information processing on the server with which the exchange is taking place;
Capacity characteristics of channels, channel equipment and congestion;
Bandwidth characteristics of your equipment (routers, network cards, computer, etc.);
Network settings operating system, utilities and applications;
Applications, services, and utilities running on your computer. Primarily using network resources (antiviruses, firewalls), including virus programs.

Some factors act as limiters (no matter what characteristics the components have, performance is determined by the slowest: tariff, channel overload, many errors in the router protocol, etc.). Some fill part of the traffic (antivirus update, high channel speed, but less packet speed due to errors, etc.).

Disabling the firewall will result in uncontrolled network traffic.

It is not recommended to disable Windows firewall

When enabled, you can set which programs are allowed to use the Internet.

Through the Windows Firewall, you can prevent certain programs from accessing the network

Taking measurements

Inspecting a home is a simple procedure. Any speed test can be used: online check or using a downloaded program. For reliability, it is better to use neither method. Before taking measurements, it is recommended to exclude the influence of factors that you can control yourself (stop applications using the network, place the device in an area of reliable WiFi reception, etc.).

There are many services to measure the speed of your Internet connection.

Meter indicators

When measuring, the following values are obtained:

Incoming. This is the meaning incoming traffic, this figure is indicated in the tariff plan;
Outgoing. This is the outgoing traffic value. Typically the rate is lower than that of the incoming one;
. The time it takes for network packets to be transmitted between you and the server. Those. taking into account errors in the channel, workload and other things. A reading of less than 60 ms is desirable.

Possible reasons for slow Internet speed (lower than stated)

The Internet speed should be one, but in fact the measurements are different, much lower. What are the reasons why Internet speed has decreased? We have provided a list of things that affect the speed of network traffic. Let's divide the factors into two groups: temporary difficulties and problems.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Temporary difficulties do not depend on you and are associated with objective factors:

Internet speed drops in the evening. In the evening, the load on data transmission channels increases due to the end of working hours and a large number of users accessing the network. As a result, the channel capacity cannot cope and each specific user is allocated less bandwidth in the channel;
Traffic limitation by provider. This may be due to work being carried out on the equipment or in the channel. As well as changes in tariff plan, errors of the service provider, etc.;
Problems on the server with which the exchange is taking place. This can be found out by going to another resource.

Problems, some of which are being fixed:

Long physical communication channel to the provider’s equipment;
Malfunction, incorrect configuration of the final equipment;
Suboptimal operation of the user's software and network devices;
Unauthorized activities, including malicious code, unnecessary software, access by unauthorized users, etc.

The list of running processes can be seen in the “Task Manager” on the “Processes” tab.

"Task Manager" will show all running processes in the system

Methods for troubleshooting problems when the Internet speed is lower than stated

In order to increase Internet speed, you need to determine the reason why the Internet on your computer is slow. Next steps(partially depending on the reason) allow you to increase Internet speed:

Change the tariff plan towards increasing Mbit/sec, or volume, if the drop occurs due to exceeding the traffic volume limit;
A program for limiting Internet speed on a computer. If you have a home network, using the program it is convenient to distribute to which devices how many resources to allocate, time restrictions, volumes and other parameters;
Monitoring Internet traffic on a computer. Establish traffic control if the tariff is not unlimited, since when the volume limit is selected, the speed will drop;
Set a password for the WiFi router. This will avoid unauthorized connections to equipment and consumption of limits;
Analyze the operation of applications. Disable unnecessary applications and services. Disable automatic application updates (update yourself as needed), or set the update time;
Scan devices for presence malware(viruses). It is recommended to monitor anti-virus protection and regularly update anti-virus databases. This will reduce the risk of computer infection and, accordingly, affect the performance of the network;
Check the limitations of network equipment, change or configure if necessary. It may turn out that the devices are slow or not configured;
Analyze providers' offers. In our country there is more than one offer for connecting to the World Wide Web. It is possible that another service provider has faster speeds.

Now you know why the Internet speed is lower than advertised. Ask questions to the experts.

It's no secret that the Internet occupies one of the most important places in our lives. Without it, it is difficult to imagine many things that have become familiar to us. With its help, we communicate on social networks, make video calls, download movies and TV series, play, pay our current bills, study, work. To satisfy all cognitive needs, a fairly high-speed access channel is required.

How to restore Internet speed.

Today, the average speed of access to the World Wide Web for residents is major cities reaches 100 Mbit/s. We are all so used to fast connections that we get nervous when something goes wrong. And modern websites are not nearly as lightweight as they were 10 years ago. For what reasons can Internet speed drop? What can be done to increase it again? Let's look at the answers to these questions together.

All possible reasons can be roughly divided into two groups: due to the fault of the provider and related to your equipment. No matter how honest the provider is, the Internet speed can become much lower than advertised or even disappear completely. various reasons. However, you should not rush to call technical support, since the problem may lie in your equipment.

IMPORTANT. If, in the case of the provider, absolutely nothing depends on you, then if your router or network card is not working correctly, you can correct the situation yourself. Therefore, all advice will relate specifically to your network equipment.

Incorrect operation of network equipment

If you use a Wi-Fi router at home, then very often the problem may lie there. Some of the most popular reasons for its incorrect operation are overheating, dust getting on the chips, and firmware failure. What to do in this case?

If, even after the reset, the Internet speed is low when connecting through a router, there is only one way out - buy a new device. If you live in an apartment, you can get by with an inexpensive device; it will serve you for many years.

Browser not working correctly

If you notice a drop in Internet speed when working through a browser, this may indicate that it is time to clear the cache or install new version. If you use the application very often, then over time the system accumulates large number temporary files, which can significantly slow down your work.

After clearing the cache, check if the situation has changed for the better. If the Internet is still slow, try resetting your browser or using another program. Sometimes very in an effective way will install the updated version.

Considering how much a user does online today, it's not surprising that your Internet connection may not be fast enough to simultaneous execution several resource-intensive tasks. For example, if you watch a broadcast of your favorite match or series on high quality on a TV or computer and at the same time try to download something voluminous, it may happen that either the video will slow down or the download speed will decrease significantly.

ADVICE. This will be especially true if your tariff plan does not provide the most high speed. In this case, you should decide what is more important for you at the moment, and, if possible, turn off the excess load on the Internet channel.

CPU and memory load on the computer

If your computer is used to its maximum, it will directly affect the speed of all applications. Therefore, even if the connection speed is high, it will visually seem that the Internet is working very slowly. How to check if your computer is overloaded?

To do this, you need to simultaneously press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete. This utility displays how much the processor and RAM resources, as well as the hard drive, are loaded. Ideally, there should be a small reserve of power left.

But it may happen that some parameter is loaded at 100% or close to it. In this case, the overall performance of the system will drop significantly. Check which processes are putting the most stress on your system and disable them. In some cases, only a complete restart of the computer can help.

Sometimes the system is overloaded due to viruses getting onto the computer. If you have such a suspicion or the list of running processes displays the names of programs that you did not install, scan your system for viruses. This can be done using the built-in Windows Defender, and a third-party antivirus program or a regular antivirus scanner.

Conclusion

Internet speed may decrease not necessarily due to the fault of the provider; it may also be a problem with your equipment. Therefore, before you call technical support, check that everything is working as it should. In the comments, please indicate which of the tips helped you fix the problem.

Why is the Internet speed slower than it should be via Wi-Fi?

If you do not have a computer, but only a Wi-Fi router to use the Internet exclusively for smartphones and tablets, then try restarting all devices. Including router and connected smartphone or tablet. If there is no result, then you can try resetting the router to factory settings. This is very easy to do, since in most cases there is a small button on the back of the router itself called “RESET”.

It must be pressed with some thin object and held until all the indicators on the router flash (usually about 5-10 seconds).

After these manipulations, your router will be reset to factory settings.

When connecting, you will need to look at the password on the router case.

If this procedure does not help, then you can ask your neighbors to check the router. Now, fortunately, routers are installed in almost every apartment.

It is also worth considering that not all Wi-Fi receivers support high connection speeds. It may very well be that your smartphone can communicate via Wi-Fi at a much lower speed than the provider provides. In this case, it is worth testing your smartphone when connected to another Wi-Fi source.

Now let's move on to the computer.

If you connect the cable directly to the system unit, and the Internet speed remains very low and does not correspond to the declared speed, then you should not immediately become angry with the provider.

The fact is that at the moment the computer can consume a large amount of traffic without even being noticeable to the user. This is especially true for operating system updates. Windows systems, which downloads files in the background and very often the computer owner does not even know about it. Also, traffic can be consumed by all kinds of torrents, Internet radio and other programs. How to check this is described on the page

Therefore for more precise measurements You need to make sure that your computer is not consuming traffic. It’s even better to take measurements in safe mode.

This is where the capabilities of the average Internet user usually end. And to further search for problems, you need to contact specialists or your provider. But we hope that these simple recommendations They will help you bring your Internet speed closer to the desired one and your problems will end there.

Now you can check your Internet speed again

Best regards, team. We are glad that you are with us.