Is My Internet Being Siphoned? A Mystery of Sudden Slow Speeds
Have you ever experienced a drastic drop in your internet speed, leaving you wondering if someone is siphoning your connection? That’s exactly the predicament I find myself in, and I need your insights.
For the past nine months, I’ve enjoyed reliable CenturyLink fiber internet at my home in the Pacific Northwest, consistently averaging around 950 Mbps for downloads and a decent upload speed. Recently, however, this reliable connection took an unexpected nosedive, dropping to a perplexing 4 Mbps. This isn’t just an isolated incident; the speeds fluctuate erratically. One moment it tests at 20 Mbps, the next at 100 Mbps, and occasionally as low as 1.5 Mbps—all while my upload speeds seemingly remain unaffected, sometimes registering as high as 900 Mbps.
After noticing this alarming issue, I reached out to CenturyLink for assistance. A technician was dispatched to my home, running multiple diagnostic tests and assuring me that there should be no issues. He replaced my modem, the Optical Network Terminal (ONT), and even installed fresh Cat6 cables. Despite these efforts, the situation remained unchanged. We tested with a direct Ethernet connection, which showed even worse results than my Wi-Fi connection. Throughout the process, the tech asked repeatedly if I might be using a VPN. As someone who isn’t particularly tech-savvy and barely understands what a VPN is, I assured him I wasn’t using any such service. He left, baffled, and I found myself contacting tech support again, only to hear the same thing: “Everything looks fine,” and “Are you sure you’re not running a VPN?”
To make matters more concerning, I’ve recently encountered CAPTCHA prompts while searching on Google, warning me of suspicious activity. This raises an alarming question: is someone else accessing my network? Could there be some covert setup, or am I simply missing something vital?
Unfortunately, my lack of technical expertise leaves me feeling a bit lost in this situation. I’m reaching out to the community for assistance. If anyone has experienced something similar or has insights on what might be happening, I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Update: As a side note, I’m using Macs for my devices. I haven’t resolved this dilemma yet, but thank you all for your suggestions! I’ll be sure to keep you updated, though it’s currently 4 AM and sleep is calling.
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