Why is the speed not the same? Five main reasons for low Internet speed

Internet speed via Wi-Fi is a topic that has always been discussed, and will 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 under normal conditions would never be obtained. 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 a Wi-Fi network.

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 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 in comparison with the currently most popular 802.11n, allows you to transmit information at a speed 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 the driver of your 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!

So we start by determining what operating system is on our computer. And that our computer meets the requirements for the normal operation of this operating system. To do this, hover over the Computer shortcut, right-click and open properties.

If you have a Windows 7 operating system, then for its normal operation you need the following computer parameters.

1. Processor with a clock frequency of 1GHz (gigahertz) or higher.
2. Random access memory (RAM) - from 1 GB (gigibyte) and above, but preferably, of course, starting from two.
3. Free space on your hard drive is at least 20GB, but preferably 50GB, because when updating the OS (operating system) it will increase in size and eat up disk space.
4. DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver version 1.0 or higher.
5. From my experience of using Windows 7 as an OS, I will say that these are the minimum tactical and technical data under which it is impossible to achieve high computer speeds. Seven, compared to XP, requires a lot of system resources to function.

Five Possible Reasons for Slow Internet Speed

As always, we follow the path of least resistance:

• We determine the computer parameters. To do this, we are guided by the above. The processor may not be able to cope with the flow of data, especially when downloading files from torrent trackers.
• If you use the Internet Explorer browser to access the Internet, then try replacing it with Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, I assure you that it helps a lot.
• Check to see if your computer is running automatic windows updates, an anti-virus system, downloading resources from the Internet, or open any programs. You can see this by opening the task manager: CTRL+ALT+DEL, where after deleting all tasks, it is advisable to restart web browser. Also check the processor load in the task manager mode; if it is loaded at 100%, then this indicates an overload of the OS (on desktop computers this can be seen by the constantly lit indicator of the OS operating processes), which means the provider has nothing to do with it.
• Install (if not) a utility on your computer to check the temperature of the main components of the computer. When the processor, motherboard, or video card heats up above acceptable standards, the computer freezes completely or partially. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor the processes occurring inside the system unit. I think a small AIDA64 program will be enough to monitor our hardware.
• The computer is infected with a Trojan virus, spam bot, or some other spyware. Which secretly turned off the protection from you and launched processes invisible to us.
  It can send spam, transfer your confidential data, email passwords to its owner, upload any files into the system and thereby occupy part of the access channel. The best advice for me was to download Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool from the official website and scan all local drives for viruses.

Thus, dear PC users, in my opinion, the above may be five main reasons for low internet speed. But what do you say about this, I think I will read it in the comments in the near future.

And for those who forgot to receive useful information

It happens that after purchasing and connecting a router, the user notices a decrease in Internet speed. Those. Simply put, the speed through the router drops and this happens not only when working through a wireless network, but also with a wired connection.

For example, when working directly, the speed was about 50 Mbit/s, but when connected through a router it drops to 40 Mbit/s. Moreover, a drop in speed on the router is not observed when connecting it to another provider. Why this happens and how to solve this problem - let's understand further.

Speed ​​testing

First you need to figure out whether it is on the router that the speed drops or whether the decrease is caused by other factors. Go to the website 2ip.ru/speed/ and click “Test”.

Speed ​​testing site

For your information, you can check the speed of your network on other sites (internet.yandex.ru, speedtest.net).

If, during repeated testing, the connection speed drops by 10-20% of the direct connection, then the router is to blame.

Another decrease in connection speed can be seen when watching IP-TV. If the speed decreases, the image may “twitch” or freeze, or may even disappear for 1-2 seconds. Why is this happening? Let's figure it out.

Reasons for slowing down

Decreased wireless network

Wireless Network Operation

When working over a wireless network, even when using the “newfangled” 802.11 n protocol, the connection speed may not be sufficient. Theoretically, speed indicators should be about 300 Mbit/s, but in practice you can “squeeze” about 75 Mbit/s. And if you connect a large number of wireless devices, the speed can decrease significantly.

We conclude that when working over a wireless network, the router always reduces the speed. But to what extent, it all depends on the hardware of the router itself.

Reduction in routing

The speed performance of the router directly depends on the communication protocol used by your provider. So, when working with DHCP or Static IP, the majority of routers show good speed characteristics, but already with the VPN protocol a decrease in speed can be observed and a significant drop can be seen when using PPTP. The WAN-LAN routing speed is to blame. The main reasons for the decrease in speed may be “weak hardware” or poor router firmware. It often happens that a router works worse with the factory firmware than with the updated one.

Router login

It also happens that the speed decreases due to the “weak” processor of the router itself (for example, with a 240 MHz processor it is generally impossible to work with the VPN protocol). Although it also happens that even on “weak hardware,” but with “successful” firmware, the router produces good speed performance.

You can get acquainted with the results of testing the operation of the main router models on a specialized website - www.smallnetbuilder.com.

Router testing site

Reduction on simultaneously open connections

It also happens that only one computer is connected to the router, and the speed drops. This may be caused by a large number of connections. After all, any program or process (even “hidden”) is capable of creating more than one connection, and this can significantly slow down the operation of the router.

The most connection-hungry program is the torrent client. This program, by default, has an unlimited number of connections. And a regular router “cuts” the speed if the number of connections goes beyond 100-200.

The problem can be solved by changing the torrent settings.

Torrent settings menu

Go to the torrent settings section, find the “Speed” parameter, there you can see the setting – Maximum number of connections, this number can be changed, set as many as you think is necessary for comfortable work on the network.

There are cases when directly, even with a large number of connections, speed indicators were normal, but when connecting a router they decreased. It should be taken into account that with a direct connection, your computer was connected to the provider’s router and it often happens that this router is much more powerful than your home one, and it can easily cope with a large number of connections.

How to solve a problem

If you are sure that the drop in speed is due to your router, then there are several options for solving this problem. We will not consider the option of replacing the router with a more expensive model.

Option two. If possible, change your provider. With protocols such as DHCP or PPPoE, even the weakest hardware can produce good results. Your provider started working using the VPN protocol and the speed immediately dropped, which means you need to change either the router or the provider.

A separate problem is the reduction in speed when working over a wireless network. After all, the further you are from the access point, the lower the data transfer speed.

The intensity of the wave decreases with increasing distance, and is proportional to the square of the distance. It is necessary to take into account reflections from various “conductive” surfaces, the presence of diffraction on metal reinforcement in the walls - all this leads to a significant decrease in speed indicators.

You can set the router to a slower protocol (802.11 g). This should relieve the router's processor load when there are a large number of connections. At the same time, there is no need to change anything in wireless devices.

Protocol replacement option

There is another option for adjusting the speed of the router; it is often recommended to be used on thematic forums. If your connection is DHCP, then DNS addresses must be specified explicitly.

Option for setting DNS addresses

The realities of modern life are such that nowadays people have become very dependent on the Internet, because everything is on it: work and leisure, as well as constant communication with loved ones, friends and colleagues. It is not surprising that as soon as the data transfer speed becomes very low and the user’s normal operations begin to take too much time, then the eternal question “What to do?” The first thing that comes to a person’s mind is to blame the provider. And in such a situation, of course, he is right, but only half. Because to effectively solve the problem, it is necessary to identify the true reason why the data transfer speed sometimes drops when working on the Internet. Below we detail the main reasons why the Internet speed has dropped and give specific recommendations on how to act.

Why is the Internet slow?

There are only two possible answers to this question:

1. Malfunctions of the provider’s equipment;
2. Problems with the user himself.

The user cannot influence the first reason. Even if some network equipment fails or starts to work incorrectly, the company providing communication services already knows about the failures and takes all the required measures to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

But the second category of reasons, for example, failures in a PC or router, can only be influenced and corrected by the owner himself. Therefore, at the first signs of a poorly functioning Internet, it is most advisable to first analyze the condition of your equipment.

Internet browser problem

The first thing you need to do when solving the problem of why the Internet speed suddenly became slower and pages in the browser open at a very low speed is to test its performance in another Internet browser. If you find good and fully functional work in another browser, a simple reinstallation of the familiar, but problematic browser should help.

Traffic congestion

The most common reason why Internet speed is low is simple overload of the user’s Internet channel. It is recommended to check whether software updates are being downloaded on one of the many gadgets at home, or whether a torrent client is running that is trying to save a large file or archive in the device’s memory. You should also pay attention to some of your household members playing an online game or watching a movie in high quality, because they simply take up almost all traffic resources. Also, for example, when downloading from a torrent, the speed may drop if the number of people sharing the file becomes significantly less than the number of people downloading the same file.

Computer overload and malware

A very important criterion that affects the speed of work on the network is the possible overload of the PC, or it is simply very weak with outdated hardware.

It is necessary to perform several sequential actions:

1. Launch the “Task Manager”, for example, by calling the context menu from the taskbar and clicking on the line with the appropriate name;
2. Analyze the load level indicated in “%”. If you have tasks consuming more than 90 percent, you should find out the purpose of the process and, if possible, terminate any unnecessary tasks;
3. The list may include processes activated by malicious applications. It is required to carry out a full scan with an anti-virus utility with a preliminary update of its database.

To accurately verify that the user’s PC does not meet the modern requirements, you simply need to compare its operation by connecting to the Internet using a modern tablet or laptop. This is exactly the technique that IT specialists use.

Malfunction of PC cooling systems

Suddenly, after a short period of work after booting the computer, the Internet speed may disappear due to an excessive increase in the temperature of various computer components. You can install an application to measure the degree of heating of PC parts. If problems with overheating are detected, it is necessary to urgently debug the cooling system, including complete cleaning of the accumulated layer of dust.

Router failure

Often the router malfunctions. It is recommended to simply restart it. Sometimes nearby Wi-Fi access points create interference. You need to try changing the channel in the device settings and using trial methods to select the most optimal channel for the location conditions of the user’s router.

You also need to look at the characteristics of the device. Sometimes the router's bandwidth does not match and is significantly lower than what is supplied by the ISP over the wire. It is recommended to study the accompanying instructions for the router and, if necessary, replace it with a more modern and powerful one. To make sure that the narrow link in the chain is the router, you should simply connect the PC to the network directly with a cable (bypassing the router). If the data transfer speed during the connection is satisfactory, you can directly draw a bold conclusion about the problematic device.

If all of the above options do not lead to success, then you can consider the reasons due to the fault of the provider, for example, what to do if the Internet data transfer speed from Rostelecom has dropped.

Why is Rostelecom's Internet speed low?

RTC subscribers often receive numerous complaints against the provider. And this is not surprising, since the “army” of users of this Internet provider is one of the largest in Russia. Especially in the evenings on holidays and weekends, the provider’s servers are overloaded, which immediately affects the quality of customer service. Unfortunately, only one thing can be recommended here - this is to reschedule your time working on the global network to another time.

It happens that the speed decreases significantly after changing the tariff plan. For example, after the end of the promotional period, Rostelecom sometimes transfers the subscriber to a different plan.

If it is impossible to eliminate the reasons, you need to contact the technical support of the provider, for example, if it is RTK, then at “http://rostc.ru/service/kak-pozvonit-operatoru-rostelekom/”.