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#012 Why Is My Internet Slow & How To Fix It

James Both

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#012 Why Is My Internet Slow & How To Fix It ?

We answer the question “ Why is My Internet So Slow?” and how to fix it with a few simple internet upgrades.

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This Episode Features: 

  • Why Your Internet Is Slow

  • How The Internet Gets To Your House

  • Understanding Cable Modems & Coax Cable Connections

  • Best Cable Modems

  • Best Mesh Wifi Routers

  • Other ways to speed up your internet

Podcast #011 - Why Is My Internet Slow & How To Fix It

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Why Is My Internet So Slow & How To Fix It Guide

# 1 Check Your Connections & Cords

Internet connections are susceptible to interference and even having the connection slightly unplugged or ajar can cause your internet to slow down. Maybe you knocked around your internet connection when you were installing a new TV, your kids pulled on the cords or your dog decided to chew on your cable cord while you weren't watching.

Check your coax cable connection into your Modem to make sure that it is securely connected and that the interior pin isn't bent or broken off. Sometimes it might take a small wrench to properly tighten your internet connection to your modem. Also check the cable for kinks, cuts or tears. Sometimes moving furniture can crush a coaxial cable and it will no longer work. A sharp bend or any damage to the insulation can also ruin the cable. After you've checked your coaxial cable coming into your modem you should check your ethernet cords connecting your modem to your internet router.

Ethernet cords are easily damaged, and you should check the cord for any tears, or sharp bends. If you suspect that the cord might be damaged it's best to replace it. The connections on ethernet cords can also be damaged and it's a good idea to make sure that there are no missing pins and that the ethernet cord is securely connected to the back of the router. Even having the plastic connector broken or bent on an ethernet cord can prevent you from getting a good internet connection. If you need a replacement cord I recommend nylon covered ethernet cords that offer additional protection and durability.

#2 Check Your Outdoor or Home Connection

This is more common than people think, but your internet connection can be disrupted before it even gets to your home. Tree branches, animals, neighbors and telecom employees can inadvertently disconnect or damage the wires that bring the internet connection to your home.

It's a good idea to make sure there are no tree branches interfering with your telecom line, or that an animal didn't chew through the insulation. Inspect your house to see where the coaxial cable comes into your house and verify visually the line isn’t damaged coming from the pole. It's also a good idea to check the box on your house for the connection. Oftentimes critters will make a nest or home in the box and chew through the insulation. It's also possible that a neighbor or telecom employee disconnected your connection when turning on the service to a neighbors home.

#3 Upgrade Your Wifi Router

Yes, you'll have to spend a little money, however, when I upgraded my router and modem my internet speed increased almost 3x instantly. Most people lug around a wifi router for years never thinking about it, but in 5 years the amount of data on the web has increased exponentially. Older routers were never built to handle the increased data loads and traffic and can cause poor performance.

If you are considering getting a new wifi router I recommend a mesh gigabit internet router like Eero or Google Wifi. Both of these systems are built with the latest technology and are managed with software to continually improve their function overtime, so they will stay fast longer with updates than other wifi routers. I personally have an Eero system in my home and it has performed flawlessly for a couple years. In my house I get well over 140MBS I get 70 Mb/s of internet speed halfway down the block from my house. In my testing of wifi routers I have found Eero and Google Wifi the easiest to set up, and provide great coverage and speed.

#4 Get A Separate Modem and Wifi Router

This might not seem obvious but getting a separate wifi modem and router can drastically increase your internet speed. I always recommend that people get their own internet modem and wifi router vs relying on the one provided by the cable company.

Oftentimes the internet cable company equipment is outdated, cheap and a huge drag on your internet speed. All cable providers will let you use your own modem and wifi router but they don't want to advertise this to you because they can earn hundreds of dollars from you renting you their old poor performing internet equipment.

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Another secret that internet providers don't want you to know is that they can throttle your internet and share your bandwidth with other customers slowing down the speed of your internet when you use their equipment. Many internet companies that advertise free wifi network connections or hot spots are actually using consumers in home equipment to provide hotspots for people walking down the street. The cable company equipment does this automatically and will essentially split your internet connection with people walking down the street and there is nothing you can do about it unless you get your own equipment. Most people will see a 50-100% internet speed increase by getting a high quality cable modem and wifi router. I recommend the Arris 3.0 Surfboard internet modem which is what I use in my home with speeds up to 1.4 Gigabits/Second or the Netgear Nighthawk Cable Modem. Then pair the cable modem with a high quality mesh wifi router like Eero or Google Wifi.

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#5 Get A Mesh Router

If you have good internet speed when you're in the same room as your wifi router but get slow internet speed in other parts of your house it's probably time to upgrade to a mesh router like an Eero or Google Wifi mesh system. Yes there are other internet range extenders out on the market. But I have found most internet range extenders to be unreliable, difficult to setup and they offer only limited additional range or marginal increases in speed. This is because they are trying to extend a signal that was never meant to be extended. Wifi Mesh networks are designed around providing comprehensive mesh wifi network coverage throughout your home which makes them better at providing fast reliable internet throughout your home. The best best thing about wifi mesh networks is that if you have a dead spot in your home, you can fix it by getting another mesh network node / wifi range extender.

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