Troubleshooting Internet Woes: A Family’s Struggle with Slow Speeds

In early 2022, I left my family home to support a relative during a surgery. Upon my return five months later, I was greeted with an unexpected and frustrating surprise: the internet was painfully slow. Initially, I assumed the issue originated from my own computer, but soon discovered that the problem lay somewhere deeper within our family’s internet service setup.

For the past six months, our internet download speeds have been capped at a dismal 1.8 Mbps despite our subscription to a much higher plan. This baffling situation has led us on a rollercoaster of technician visits and endless troubleshooting, yet we remain at a standstill. Here’s a summary of our journey thus far:

• New Equipment: We began by requesting a replacement modem from our ISP, which was promptly installed. Unfortunately, the upgrade made no discernible difference in speed.

• Testing Multiple Devices: To isolate the issue, we connected various laptops directly to the modem. Each time, we were met with the same slow 1.8 Mbps download speed.

• Family Feedback: Recent visits from family members highlighted the problem further, as they struggled with slow video downloads critical for their work.

• Technician Visits: After five technician appointments, one of the senior technicians informed us that he had installed a new port at the neighborhood cable box. He also thoroughly inspected our wiring and internal network but could not identify the source of the slowdown. He ruled out throttling by the ISP, which added to our confusion, particularly since we’re paying for a significantly higher speed.

• Contrasting Speeds Elsewhere: To compare, I took my laptop to a nearby library, where I experienced significantly faster download speeds. This indicated that the problem was indeed localized to our home connection.

Despite the confusion, our family has yet to consider switching providers, mainly because the cost isn’t a concern for the family member who covers the bill. Yet, as a frequent user, I find myself frequently reliant on the library to download necessary files.

Anomalies: Strangely, while speed tests occasionally display acceptable speeds, any attempt to download, upload, or stream instantly plummets performance across all devices. We have also noted sporadic electrical wiring issues at home, though these have never affected our internet before. Thankfully, our cable TV remains unaffected.

Overall, we’ve now found ourselves entrenched in this complexity, feeling