Why is My Internet Slow?

There are numerous reasons why you are reading this text before any pictures or ads pop up on the same page, but most of them have to do with your broadband provider. Your internet could be slow because your router or modem are out-dated, because the infrastructure around your house needs to be replaced, or simply because you have an old computer.



But picture this: You just bought a new top-of-the-line MacBook, your router and modem are straight out of the box, and you live in a new housing development in the heart of the city. You open that computer expecting the world to be at your fingertips. Within seconds you head to LoveFilm to watch the next movie in your queue, you click the watch button and then … you wait. And wait. Many who have what should be a perfect internet set up with top of the line machines and equipment still feel the pains of a slow broadband connection. Why?



As you most likely pay for your home broadband on a timed basis rather than a usage basis (i.e. you pay per month and not per GB) you can essentially use as much internet as you want without having to worry about paying any more or less than was agreed upon when you started your contract. This, however, is not the most viable payment option for many broadband providers as the more you use your internet the less money they are making.



That is why often many companies intentionally slow your connection speeds once you cross a certain usage threshold. This is a sort of traffic management system to slow down heavy users in order to reduce cost for providers, as well as reduce congestion for other internet users in the same area who can slow everybody down. Some companies even factor in usage caps and will charge you more once you go over a specified amount of data transfer. It is important to read any contract carefully before signing up to make sure that this is not how your internet provider works, as there are many other options that will simply slow you down rather than charge you extra.



There really is not a way around this, either you pay for mobile broadband at a per usage basis (which comes with its own set of problems to slow you down) or you buy "unlimited" broadband and subject yourself to caps, congestion, and traffic management. The best way for you to avoid being let down by the speed of your broadband is to adjust your expectations on how fast the internet is supposed to function. Hopefully in the near future the user will be able to conquer the full awesomeness of fibre optic broadband speeds, but for now your speed is restricted to average no matter how new your computer might be.