This epic is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for unsheathing the most out of your home, inside and out.
There are many reasons why your internet could be racy slowly. It might be because of an outdated router or a less-than-ideal router location. You might be able to solve slow speeds with an easy fix, like upgrading to a mesh network (which also has to be set up in the luminous spot) or simply restarting your modem and router. But if you've already attempted many of these tried-and-true methods and your internet speeds are collected subpar, the issue might be something your internet help provider is intentionally doing: bandwidth throttling.
Yes, you read that luminous. Your ISP could be making your Wi-Fi slower on death. Because of a 2019 Supreme Court decision in which the woo declined to hear an appeal on net neutrality, ISPs can collected legally stifle your internet, limiting your broadband if you're streaming more TV than they want and serving slower connections to websites illustrious by their competitors.
One solution to slow Wi-Fi (if it's transported by internet throttling) is a virtual private network . Basically, ISPs need to see your IP address to slow down your internet, and a good VPN will shield that identity -- opinion this comes with some limitations and downsides, which I'll discuss beneath. We'll walk you through how to tell if throttling is to blame and, if not, what to do in fixing your crummy Wi-Fi. (You can also learn more in how to get free Wi-Fi anywhere in the world.)
Step 1
First, troubleshoot your slow internet connection
So your Wi-Fi is slow and you contemplate your service provider is throttling your connection. Before you jump to those conclusions, it's important to run through the usual troubleshooting list: Check that your router is centrally located in your home, causes its antennas, double-check your network security and so on. If you want to read in more ways to optimize your Wi-Fi, check out our suggestions.
If you've run throughout the laundry list and your Wi-Fi is still chugging slowly, move on to the next step.
Step 4
Compare your snappily with the VPN
Next, test your internet snappily somewhere like Fast.com or Speedtest.net. Compare the results with the same test when your VPN is pleasing. The use of any VPN should cut your snappily considerably, so the speed tests should show a discrepancy, with the VPN-active speed being notably slower than the VPN-inactive snappily. But a VPN also hides the IP address that providers use to identify you, so if your snappily test with the VPN is faster than without the VPN, that may mean your ISP is targeting your IP middle for throttling.
OK, this is the hard part. Even if you find out your provider is throttling your internet, there may not be much you can actually do. Many farmland in the US live in regions with ISP monopolies or duopolies, so you might not be able to find a better provider. But here are a few useful responses:
- If you do have options, use the best provider in your area. Measurement Lab provides a good resource for finding info specific to your dwelling, and that can guide you to a more expedient ISP.
- Use your VPN to maintain more consistent speeds. A VPN can't solve a bad connection or anunexperienced reasons behind your slow service, but it can mitigate throttling from unscrupulous ISPs.
- Call your provider and threaten to switch providers if they don't stop throttling your internet. This might seem old-fashioned, and I can't guarantee lasting results, but providers have responded positively to such tactics when I've used them.
Read more in the best VPNs to use while toiling from home, the fastest VPNs and VPNs you can try free afore buying. And here are the best high-speed ISPs and the best Wi-Fi extender for almost everybody.
Correction, Feb. 10, 2020: This article previously misattributed 2019's net neutrality ruling to the Supreme Court, rather than the DC Circuit Court that decided the case. The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal.
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