Sometimes a suddenly slow internet is the universe’s way of telling you to go play outside. On other occasions it’s the same universe’s cruel joke to disrupt your productivity.
On a more serious note, a slow internet connection may sometimes be the fault of the internet service provider (ISP). Sometimes though, the culprit is simply the user.
It may be your Wi-Fi
Most internet connections with plans are pretty fast. The same can’t be said for Wi-Fi. In truth, wireless Wi-Fi reception is much slower than other connections. Before you assume you aren’t getting the speeds you pay for, make sure your expectations are correct. Try and download a small file (like music) or run a speed test from a computer that’s hard-wired, and compare the results. If that machine provides the speeds you expect, you have a Wi-Fi problem. If that’s happening in a part of your home prone to bad reception, move somewhere else.
It could be the server
Just because a speed test reveals your connection is capable of certain data rates doesn’t mean you’ll always get them. For example, if your connection provides 25mbps downstream, the server you’re connected to has to provide the same speed upstream just to you. Remember that you’re not the only one connecting, so that’s a lot of bandwidth. Major sites do have large amounts of bandwidth and can match your speeds on numerous occasions, but many simply cannot. This doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with your connection, but that the server you’re connecting to just can’t match your speeds.
Did you leave the torrent on?
Since we tend to love to download a lot of things these days, remember that the larger the torrent you’re downloading the more it takes from the bandwidth. So your connection might tend to slow down while working if you’re downloading that 8GB Blu-ray movie as compared to downloading an 800mb music album. Of course a torrent isn’t the only thing that bogs down your connection. Lots of other apps may be running in the background and slow things down, either briefly or a long time. Apps often automatically update themselves. Be sure to check on everything capable of utilizing your connection in the event a slowdown occurs.
Your router is sleeping on the job
Routers are tiny little computers that manage your network. Sometimes they require a bit too much and may cause problems. That’s why many routers require a regular restart. Sometimes you can easily fix this problem, but other times you may just have a bad router. Unfortunately, routers often don’t fail by completely dying. Rather, they’ll stop working well and you won't notice immediately. If your router is becoming a problem, perhaps you’ll need the help of your local tech support company.