Why Don’t We Get the Advertised Internet Speeds?

By: answerout

As our society becomes more and more reliant on the internet, it is important to have a fast and reliable internet connection. Unfortunately, many people do not have access to high-speed internet, which can limit their ability to work, learn, and connect with the world. In today's digital world, the importance of internet speed cannot be overstated. Whether you are working from home, streaming a movie, or playing online games, a fast and reliable internet connection is essential. 

There are many connections like Spectrum Internet® which offer high internet speeds, but the question is, do we really get the exact speeds that are mentioned in the advertisement? The simple answer is No, you don’t always get the same internet speed. There are various factors that affect the speed of your internet connection. 

Reasons behind a slow internet connection 

Many factors can slow down the internet speeds for consumers. The reasons behind a slow internet connection are mentioned below. 

Service Provider Can be Away

If you are far away from your service provider's hardware, your signal may be weak. If you are in the middle of the city, you will get a faster internet connection, but if you are in the countryside or away from the city, then you can face slower internet connections.

Fault At Your End 

A service provider may not necessarily provide slow internet intentionally. Instead, there can be an issue in the hardware of the end-user. If you still have an old modem that cannot cope with the modern internet speeds or a Wi-Fi connection that is poorly configured, then it’s not the service provider's fault. Before complaining to your service provider, make sure everything is fine from your end.

Data Throttling 

If you have reached a certain amount of downloading data, your service provider may have intentionally slowed down your internet speed. It is quite possible even if they have offered "unlimited" downloading.

Internet data throttling has been a controversial issue for many years. Throttling is when your internet service provider (ISP) slows down your internet connection because you've used up your data allowance for the month. This can be a major issue for people who need to use the internet for work or school.

ISPs say that data throttling is necessary to manage network congestion. However, many people believe that it is an unfair practice that punishes people for using the internet.

The debate over data throttling is likely to continue for many years to come. In the meantime, we encourage you to educate yourself on the issue so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not it is something you're willing to tolerate from your ISP.

Line Congestion

The line coming from your internet service provider provides internet to many other customers like you. As all the people use the internet, so there can be congestion. If your neighbors are watching HD videos or playing online games, then you are likely to have a slow internet speed.

Number of Devices Connected

We all know that the more internet users are, the slower the internet speed is. Thus the number of connected devices is also an important factor to consider. If you have a large number of people who are connected to the internet, then you can expect slow internet speeds. If someone at your home is streaming HD videos or someone is playing online games, then it is obvious that you will suffer slow internet speeds.

Issues in the Server 

It is not always true to say that the internet service provider is providing slow speeds. Sometimes it depends on the servers from which you are downloading. It also depends on the routers between them. For example, you are sitting in the US and trying to download something from a website that is in Europe, and you are facing slow internet. It may not be your internet service provider's fault. Instead, it is possible that the website has a poor connection or maybe there are some issues in the routers between the European servers and you.

Time Problem 

There are specific hours during which the load on the internet is very high. During peak hours, many people are using a shared internet connection. It can be the cause of the slow internet speed you are getting.

You can check the timings in your area when you get better internet speeds and try to use your internet connection during those timings. However, if you face speed issues during peak hours it is very natural and you can see a difference, once the time has passed. 

Wrapping Up

After checking and making sure that everything is going fine from your end, you can ask your internet service provider to explain the difference between expected and given internet connection speeds. If he does not give you a valid reason or provide you with the internet speed you are paying for, try switching to another service provider. And, before signing up for a new service provider, discuss and make sure that he satisfies you with his internet connection speeds.