Slow internet connection on one computer is mainly due to hardware, software, configuration issues, and the location of the router. First of all, Restart your router and see. It is the basic solution to try when the internet connection gets slower.
Table of Contents
- Quick fixes for slow internet speeds on computers (Try these First..)
- Factors that affect slower internet connection speed and how to fix them.
- Distance between your router and the computer.
- Configuration issues of the router.
- The number of devices connected to your network/Wi-Fi.
- Limited hardware and software resources of your computer
- Many opened tabs in the browser
- Ads/malware/spyware or unnecessary scripts running in the background
- Issues with your ISP
- Your data plan is over or reached a speed limit
- Why is my internet speed different on different computers?
- How do I fix slow Internet on Windows 10 ?
- Do older laptops have slower Internet ?
Quick fixes for slow internet speeds on computers (Try these First..)
- Check Whether Your Data is Over or has reached its speed limit. If so, upgrade it or purchase a data add-on.
- Close all the unnecessary tabs in the browser and opened softwares which are not in use. Since memory plays a significant role when surfing the Internet, we should keep memory free as much as possible.
- Get your Wi-Fi router as close as possible. If you cannot take the router closer, use a Wi-Fi extender.
- Restart your router or modem. If it doesn’t work, just reset from the button in the router.
Factors that affect slower internet connection speed and how to fix them.
Distance between your router and the computer.
When the Wi-Fi router is getting away from the computer or laptop, gradually, the signal strength decreases.
According to www.openweb.co.za, the range of Wi-Fi routers that are operating on the traditional 2.4 GHz band reach up to 150 feet (46 m) indoors and 300 feet (92 m) outdoors.
Keeping the router as closer as possible is the solution to this issue. If the router could not be kept closer, you can use a Wi-Fi extender.
Configuration issues of the router.
Sometimes Slower connection speed occurs due to hardware and software defects of the router. Some of the issues are the improper establishment of the connection, outdated firmware, damaged hardware, and the power issues of the router.
As the first step Restarting the router a few times will be ideal. However, if it doesn’t work, the best solution is to reset the router and it will solve most of the software and configuration issues.
The number of devices connected to your network/Wi-Fi.
Since the bandwidth will be distributed among all the connected users, it will directly affect the slower connection speed. Mostly this occurs when you are connected to a public Wi-Fi with many users.
Trying a personal Wi-Fi router, mobile data, or a public network with less number of users can solve this issue.
Limited hardware and software resources of your computer
Even Though your ISP provides you with a high speed internet connection that exceeds the capacity of your computer, it will slow down your internet speed.
If your laptop/computer is with at least an i3 processor, 4GB RAM and Windows 8 or above will cause no issue for a speedy internet connection.
| System Requirements | PC | Mac/Apple |
| Operating System | Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 | MacOS 10.5 (Leopard), MacOS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) |
| Processor | Pentium-class (or equivalent), 450 MHz (800 MHz or greater recommended) | G3 or higher, or Intel Processor |
| Memory (RAM) | 128 MB (256 MB recommended) | 256 MB or higher |
| Free Hard Drive Space | 300 MB (500 MB recommended) | Ethernet card with Open slot or USB port |
| Ethernet port | Ethernet Card with Open USB port | Ethernet card with Open slot or USB port |
| Browser | Chrome 41.x* Internet Explorer 8.x* Firefox 2.x* | Chrome 41.x* Internet Explorer 8.x* Firefox 2.x* |
| Other | Sound card and speakers recommended | Sound card and speakers recommended |
Source www.rcn.com
Many opened tabs in the browser
Every tab you open consumes a considerable working memory (RAM).This can eventually lead to significant performance issues.
If you can change the way you manage opened tabs, you don’t want to change the browsers. You may have kept a tab open all day with Facebook running in the background; you can save memory if you change such behavior.
So it will boost your internet speed. Hope the Analyzed data from a small test included in the table below will be helpful.
| Time to load 10 pages | Peal CPU usage | Memory usage | |
| apple safari 5.1.7 | 25 secs | 66% | 429MB |
| Avant Browser 2012 (IE9) | 13 secs | 71% | 342MB |
| Avant Browser 2012 (IE9) | 19 secs | 81% | 442MB |
| Avant Browser 2012 (IE9) | 17 secs | 90% | 373MB |
| FlashPeak SlimBrowser 6.01 | 13 secs | 52% | 278MB |
| Google Chrome 21.0.1180 | 12 secs | 80% | 370MB |
| Green Browser 6.3 | 11 secs | 30% | 228MB |
| Internet Explorer 9 | 14 secs | 60% | 280MB |
| Maxthon 3.4.5 | 17 secs | 54% | 303MB |
| Mozilla Firefox 15.01 | 12 secs | 61% | 266MB |
| Opera 12.02 | 10 secs | 30% | 279MB |
| Pale Moon 15.1 | 12 secs | 81% | 288MB |
Source www.raymond.cc
Ads/malware/spyware or unnecessary scripts running in the background
If your internet speed is getting slower, it may be a result of malware or spyware symptoms. Other Than that, These viruses, spyware, and other malware may track your activities, attack your files and personal data, or even make an impact on your hardware parts.
Updating the Operating System frequently, keeping the inbuilt security measures up to date, keeping away from unsecured websites, and using good antivirus software are some measures that can be taken to minimize the threats from spam and malware.
Issues with your ISP
Suddenly, if a considerable number of users access the Internet at the same time, the ISPs will face many problems. So your internet connection will become unstable and slower.
This rarely happens when unexpected traffic accesses the system. In such a case, until the ISP improves with more resources, your Internet might not work as usual.
So going for a much more stable ISP is the only thing we could do from our side.
Your data plan is over or reached a speed limit
If your data cap is over or if its limit has passed, the speed of your connection would go down drastically. When you select your data plan, it must match your internet usage for the month.
If your plan reaches its capacity early, You may need a faster and larger plan. So first, check whether your maximum data cap is over or not.
If it’s over, try some data addons provided by the ISP. If it is not over yet, then start trying the other solutions.
Why is my internet speed different on different computers?
The main causes for different speeds in different computers are the location of the router and the hardware and software faults of your computer.
Changing the router location, upgrading the old hardware parts and accessories, and keeping all the software updated and optimized will solve most issues.
How do I fix slow Internet on Windows 10 ?
You can try several steps to fix the slow internet issue on Windows 10.
Managing DNS properly, Turning off background apps, disabling Windows and p2p updates, changing the Wi-Fi channel, disabling the LSO, and adjusting the bandwidth are some measures you can try.
Step by step guide can be taken from the below video within 9 minutes.
Do older laptops have slower Internet ?
Simply, Yes. The internet speed is slower on old computers than the latest ones. It’s all because old computers don’t have the latest accessories and parts which support the
latest networking technologies. For example, Older computers carry lower Wi-Fi variants, such as 802.11b/g, where the transfer rate is only 10Mbps.
Or, if your older computers are programmed to connect to 2.4 GHz speeds, they may not be capable of 5 GHz speeds.