Last Updated on February 24, 2023 by admin
Who does not want the exact internet speed that has been paid for has been promised by their internet service provider? Xfinity internet provide you with the full speed that you are paying for and are true to their word. The plans they offer give you a choice of speeds so that you opt for whatever you prefer. Not all ISPs give you the speed they are taking your money for and often throttle the internet.
Internet Throttling
When your internet service provider (ISP) lowers your internet capacity or speed without informing you, this is known as ISP throttling. Internet throttling causes your ISP to serve you at slower speeds than it should be. Throttling is a technique used by ISPs to manage internet traffic on their networks, reduce bandwidth congestion, and enforce data limits.
We’ve all been in that situation before. Everything is OK while you’re watching your favorite show. Suddenly, for no obvious reason, the internet comes to a standstill, and your entire evening is ruined.
Why do ISPs control the speed?
The internet services providers need to control the internet speed to keep the traffic on the connection clear and smooth and to prevent it from any sort of congestion.
The most common reasons why your service provider controls the internet speed and might throttle the bandwidth are below:
Band Caps
Many ISPs have implemented bandwidth restrictions to address heavy bandwidth usage by subscribers. Every month, the system allows you a specific amount of data transfer, and if you exceed that allotment, you may be charged extra fees or have your subscription canceled. Some internet services providers utilize a system that monitors your data transfer and slows down your connection if you download or upload too much data. It may just be slowed for a few days in certain circumstances, while it may be slowed until your next payment cycle begins in others.
These data caps are stated in your contracts as well, therefore before you sign, you must go through them thoroughly. Sometimes your internet speed gets controlled before you even reach the cap, it is to prevent you from running out of your data and being overcharged for it.
Network and Traffic Congestion
ISPs employ bandwidth throttling to limit traffic when a network becomes overburdened with customers wanting to connect. As a result, all consumers in a given area have access to the network, rather than some having full access and others having none. When certain forms of data, such as huge files or torrents, consume too much bandwidth, ISPs might limit your internet. Your ISP may limit your bandwidth, even if you have already paid for it if your behavior is putting a load on their network.
Throttling balances all connections, ensuring that not only single residence consumers more network bandwidth than the other. If a large number of users attempted to connect at those rates, network packet loss would become a serious issue. Internet performance worsens when data packets flowing over the network are lost. When traffic is too heavy and too rapidly on the network, a large number of packets are lost. Cable companies ensure that packet loss is kept to a minimum by limiting Internet connection speeds, resulting in more constant service.
How to know if your ISP is throttling your internet?
You might not always be able to figure out if your and when your internet speed is being throttled since there is much reason that your connection might be slowing down. You can use the following methods to check if your internet connection is being throttled:
Internet Speed Test:
You can test your internet speed using various tools and you can compare it with your data plan and see if there is any difference in the speed. You can do it at different times of the day. However, it is to keep in mind that Wi-Fi connections are slower as compared to Ethernet connections. So while you are conducting a speed test be sure to do it on a device connected directly to the Ethernet.
Port Scanning:
A port is a connection point between your computer and another computer on the internet, such as game servers or messaging apps. ISPs keep track of port traffic and can throttle it if necessary. If you use these open ports for gaming, you can use a port scanner to do checks on selective ports to check for throttling.
Comparing Internet Speed:
You can use a VPN to check if the ISP is blocking your bandwidth. You can compare the loading speeds on the internet with and without turning on the VPN.
Conclusion
Internet is a useful tool in every individual’s life. We need high-speed internet to complete plenty of tasks every day and lagging internet can irritate the users.
