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<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align:center" id="tag-2"><strong>What is download speed?</strong></h2>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">First of all, it’s good to learn about Internet download speed meaning and why it is important to our Internet experiences. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">To put it simply:</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Download speed refers to the speed or the rate at which an Internet connection can transfer digital data from a server to the user’s devices.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Similar to upload speed, it’s measured in Mbps (megabits per second). </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">In fact, a large percentage of common online activities require downloading Internet data.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">They can be in the form of text, audio, videos, etc. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Things like surfing websites, downloading files, watching videos on YouTube, streaming music, playing online games, and more all need data downloading. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Without good Internet download, it’s frustrating to enjoy our favorite online activities, especially ones involving downloading a large amount of data.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">So what is a good speed?</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Move on to the next part to find out!</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Download speed is important" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_2.jpg" style="display:block; height:427px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Download speed is important</em></p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align:center" id="tag-18"><strong>What is a good download speed?</strong></h2>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Do you know that streaming content in high definition (480p) on Netflix requires a speed of at least 3 Mbps? </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Watching in high definition (1080p) and ultra-high definition (2160p) needs the minimum speeds of 5 Mbps and 25 Mbps, respectively.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">However, to stream an HD video on multiple devices, you’ll need 25-100 Mbps.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">For simultaneous online gaming, streaming, and downloads on nearly unlimited devices, the needed requirement is at least 500 Mbps.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Also, though playing games, in general, doesn’t need a very fast speed, some types of games still require a high-speed connection. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Refer to the following table:</p>

<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:640px"><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">Types of game</td>
			<td style="text-align:center">Required download speed</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">FPS games</td>
			<td style="text-align:center">&gt; 30 Mbps</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">MMO games</td>
			<td style="text-align:center">3.5 Mbps</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">RTS games</td>
			<td style="text-align:center">3 Mbps</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:center">RPG games</td>
			<td style="text-align:center">2 Mbps</td>
		</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">As you can see, while RPG games only require a minimum of 2 Mbps download speed, you’ll need at least 30 Mbps to enjoy FPS games smoothly.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align:center" id="tag-44"><strong>How slow is your Internet connection?</strong></h2>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">If you notice frozen videos, buffering videos, dropped calls, or it takes very long to load web pages, …, your Internet connection is likely to be sluggish to use.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">What should you do in this case? </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Well, the first thing you should do here is to run some speed checks.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">It’s to determine how slow your connection is and find out if your connection speed matches the Internet package that you are paying for.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Of course, it seems like no problem occurs if your current speed matches your Internet plan. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="A sign of slow Internet" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_3.jpg" style="display:block; height:426px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>A sign of slow Internet</em></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">However, what if the results you get are quite lower than your Internet Service Provider (ISP) advertises or upload and download speeds are not the same? </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Will you doubt the service quality of your ISP or your mobile carrier? </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Will you call them right away and ask  “<a href="https://gospeedcheck.com/article/why-is-my-download-speed-so-slow-but-upload-fast-565" target="_blank">why is my download speed so slow but upload fast</a>?”</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Wait a minute!!! </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">That might not be their problem since a bunch of factors can affect your WiFi performance. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Keep reading on to learn common causes for poor Internet connection and know “<a href="https://gospeedcheck.com/article/why-is-my-download-speed-suddenly-so-slow-111" target="_blank">why is my download speed suddenly so slow?</a>”</p>

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align:center" id="tag-63"><strong>Why is my download speed suddenly so slow?</strong></h2>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><a href="https://gospeedcheck.com/article/why-is-my-download-speed-so-slow-following-are-the-reasons-541" target="_blank">Why is my download speed so slow</a>?</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Do you know that your WiFi signal strength is affected by a wide range of factors? </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Yep, that’s true!</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">As compared to the wired network like an Ethernet cable connection, the wireless Internet is susceptible to different things. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">This is because WiFi signals are transmitted through the air. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Following are the top common reasons for slow WiFi connection that you should know. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Let’s see if there are any of them causing your WiFi signal to be weaker than it should be:</p>

<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Far distance to the router</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Building materials and physical obstacles</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Too many devices using the network at the same time</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Router position</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Wireless interference</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Unrebooted router</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Your devices can’t handle advanced WiFi speeds</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Older routers</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Others…</p>
	</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Let’s jump into the details!</p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-93"><strong>Far distance to the router</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">WiFi signal originates from the router and travels through the air to your devices within a certain range. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">That means the farther the distance, the weaker the WiFi signal and the slower the network speed. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">If your devices are too far from the router, then, of course, they won’t get the full signal strength as well as the fast Internet speed. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Similarly, if you run tests to check WiFi speed at a place that is quite far from the router, then you will likely get poor results.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Being far from the router may lead to a slow download speed" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_4.jpg" style="display:block; height:359px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Being far from the router may lead to a slow download speed</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-103"><strong>Building materials and physical obstacles</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Materials like concrete and metal are among the biggest reasons for “<a href="https://gospeedcheck.com/article/speed-test-results-89" target="_blank">why is my download speed not what I pay for</a>?” </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">It’s because your WiFi signal is transmitted through the air and has to pass through brick, concrete, metals, and other materials to get to your devices. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">They can be considered ''blockers'' that block or interrupt your WiFi signal.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">In short, the more walls and physical obstacles the WiFi signal has to travel through, the weaker it will become.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Your WiFi is easily blocked by physical obstacles" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_5.jpg" style="display:block; height:386px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Your WiFi is easily blocked by physical obstacles</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-114"><strong>Too many devices using the network at the same time</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Many devices connected to your WiFi network at a time also cause a huge decrease in WiFi speed.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">It’s a problem especially if you’re joining in bandwidth-heavy activities like streaming Netflix, downloading large files, or online gaming. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Well, if you check WiFi download speed at hours when your internal WiFi traffic is overloaded, then you will find your test results are much slower than usual.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Avoid testing download speed during peak hours" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_6.jpg" style="display:block; height:384px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Avoid testing download speed during peak hours</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-123"><strong>Router position</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Placing your router in low positions such as on the ground or the bottom of the shelf or behind other furniture can directly hinder the WiFi connection. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">It’s really hard for your WiFi signals to easily penetrate if the router is placed at low positions. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Instead, you should put the router as high up as possible to help extend the broadcasting range of your wireless signal. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">You can run speed checks to see if the change of router height and position can help improve your WiFi performance.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Router position affects WiFi speeds" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_7.jpg" style="display:block; height:391px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Router position affects WiFi speeds</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-133"><strong>Wireless interference</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Wireless signals are all around us. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Electronic devices, WiFi routers, cell towers, satellites, and more are the sources of wireless signals. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Though the WiFi signal is supposed to not have the same frequency as these other devices, the radio noise can still cause interference.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Besides, there are devices and appliances running on the frequency range of 2.4 GHz, which is close to or at the same 2.4 GHz WiFi band. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">They can be </p>

<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Bluetooth devices</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Microwaves</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Cordless phones</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Neighbor’s networks</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Concrete and masonry walls</p>
	</li>
	<li dir="ltr">
	<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Thick timber walls</p>
	</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Wireless interferences" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_8.jpg" style="display:block; height:403px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Wireless interferences</em></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">As a result, there are times when the frequency of these devices can overlap with the frequency of WiFi signals. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">When that happens, the data transmitted via a WiFi connection is likely disrupted. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Well, when you have many things running on the same frequency range, then the WiFi signals can’t be strong and travel as fast as they should be.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-160"><strong>Unrebooted router</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Most electronic devices and equipment are not made to run continuously and your router is no exception. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Also, after using for a long time, your router may not function as effectively as before.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">So, if it’s been a while since the last time you reboot your router, this might be the reason causing your WiFi speed to get sluggish. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Try restarting your router and run a speed check again to see if your WiFi download is improved or not. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Rebooting your router should happen anywhere from once a month to once a day, depending on its age and condition.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Sometimes, a simple reboot is what you need to do to help it return to peak performance. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">So simple and easy, right?</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="You should reboot your router regularly" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_9.jpg" style="display:block; height:361px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>You should reboot your router regularly</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-173"><strong>Your devices can’t handle advanced WiFi speeds</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">According to <a href="https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/why-is-my-internet-so-slow" target="_blank">HighSpeedInternet</a>, slow download speed might not lie in the Internet connection, but in the devices you use. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">If they are outdated and unable to process today’s Internet speed, sluggish WiFi can be expected.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">In actuality, your PCs, smartphones, and tablets, each one has different speed capabilities. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">The WiFi speed you experience is just as fast as the speed that your device can process. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">That means no matter how fast the router is, it can’t go faster than your device’s speed.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Poor Internet download speed" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_10.jpg" style="display:block; height:426px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Poor Internet download speed</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-185"><strong>Older routers</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Using an older router might be one of the reasons for lowering your WiFi speed.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">The routers that age for more than 5 years might not be able to fully support high-speed Internet. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Hence, you should consider upgrading your router if you are sure that it’s the big cause of poor WiFi.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="You should replace your old router" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_11.jpg" style="display:block; height:422px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>You should replace your old router</em></p>

<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify" id="tag-194"><strong>Other causes</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Along with things mentioned recently, there are still other reasons for “<a href="https://gospeedcheck.com/article/speed-test-results-89" target="_blank">why is my download speed slower than what I pay for</a>”. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Well, if your device has too many unnecessary programs running in the background, then slower-than-actual download speeds are expected. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Do you know that these programs not only consume your Internet bandwidth but also the CPU power?</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Besides, viruses and malware can be the cause. </p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify">Sometimes, problems with the services of your Internet providers are also the reason behind a slow Internet connection.</p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:justify"><img alt="Virus and malware may also cause slow Internet speed" src="http://gospeedcheck.com/filemanager/data-images/Why-is-my-download-speed-SUDDENLY_12.jpg" style="display:block; height:376px; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:640px"></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="text-align:center"><em>Virus and malware may also cause slow Internet speed</em></p>
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