Yes, your neighbors or someone else could be piggybacking off your connection, so check out all the devices connected to your network. There could be another culprit you might not have considered. Your internet service provider (ISP) could be throttling your speed.
Change your password
How can you stop neighbors from using your wireless internet? If you notice a device connected to your network that you don't recognize, change your password immediately. This way, that device will be disconnected from the network and will be asked to enter the new password.
ISP throttling
Internet providers can throttle your speeds, causing a slow connection. We'll go over throttling briefly here, but you can get a more in-depth look at the subject in our guide to network throttling.
Installing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the best way to stop internet throttling. By installing a VPN, your traffic will be routed through an encrypted tunnel, hiding your traffic and destination server from your ISP. This means you can use a VPN to bypass throttling based on the website you access.
Using a tool like PingPlotter enables users to determine if saturation is being caused by their internet service provider, a wireless network, or bad hardware on the local network. PingPlotter also will show users where they're experiencing packet loss between their device and their ISP.
Spyware and viruses can definitely cause problems, but your Internet connection speed can also be affected by add-on programs, the amount of memory the computer has, hard disk space and condition, and the programs that are running. Two of the most frequent causes of poor Internet performance are spyware and viruses.
But if you experience extremely slow speeds along with other symptoms on this list, chances are you have a hacked router. Your speeds could be slow because the hacker seized your full bandwidth for the following: Botnet activity. Distributing malware to other networks.
A WiFi jammer can be small and portable, but it still needs to be within range of the network to cause interference. If you see anyone near the wireless access point with a device that could be a jammer, such as a high-powered antenna or a portable radio, this could be a cause for concern.
In theory, Wi-Fi signals are capable of passing through walls and other obstacles relatively easily. However, in reality, some walls are thicker or use reinforced concrete and may block some of the signals. Materials such as drywall, plywood, other kinds of wood and glass can be easily penetrated by wireless signals.
You should contact your provider and tell them what issues you are having. If you have been collecting a history of your speed test results then share them with the provider to help them understand the problem and provide proof that the speed is inadequate.
Your internet may just be running slowly and you can't do more to fix that than restart your modem and router or call your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Alternatively, you may be saturating your internet connection with too many connected devices doing too much for your internet connection to handle.
After all, there's a lot that could be going wrong -- like 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 right spot) or simply restarting your modem and router.
Can too many devices slow down or crash your wi-fi router? Routers can handle anywhere from ten to 150 devices at once, and overloading the router with wireless devices should not crash it, but they will most certainly slow it down.
End-user hardware issues
For example, if you are using an older router, it may lack the capacity to keep up with modern speeds. Additionally, a poorly configured Wi-Fi connection may be slowed down by interference, making it difficult for you to realize the connection speeds you are paying for.
Network congestion, exceeding a data cap, and paid prioritization are some of the main reasons for throttling. One of the best ways to detect throttling on your network is to run an internet speed test using a VPN.
A VPN can help you bypass bandwidth throttling in certain situations. Bandwidth throttling occurs when someone intentionally slows down your internet speed. Anyone with administrative privileges over the network, which reduces the available bandwidth, is engaging in bandwidth throttling.
There is a new developer option to toggle the throttling off for local testing (under Developer Options > Networking > Wi-Fi scan throttling).
Also known as data throttling or bandwidth throttling, internet throttling is legal if your ISP expresses the possibility of limiting your internet speed in the fine print of your contract. The exception is if your ISP falsely advertised unlimited data but went on to place a cap on your service.
To throttle someone means to kill or injure them by squeezing their throat or tightening something around it and preventing them from breathing.
Chances are you may have experienced network or bandwidth throttling. Network throttling is when your Internet Service Provider (ISP) intentionally limits your internet speeds to imitate low bandwidth conditions.