Struggling with Slow Internet Speeds: A Family’s Frustrating Experience with Their ISP

In today’s digital age, a reliable internet connection is essential for everything from work and education to entertainment and communication. Unfortunately, my family has been grappling with a persistent issue that has left us baffled and frustrated. For the past six months, our internet download speeds have been stubbornly capped at a dismal 1.8 Mbps, and despite numerous attempts to resolve the problem with our Internet Service Provider (ISP), we’re still without a solution.

The Dilemma Begins

The saga began in early 2022 when I temporarily left my family home to care for a sick relative undergoing surgery. Upon my return five months later, I was shocked to find that our internet connection had deteriorated dramatically. Initially, I assumed the issue was with my computer, but further investigation revealed that the problem lay with the ISP or possibly our router.

Attempts at Resolution

Our frustration mounted as we attempted to resolve the situation through various means. The ISP quickly provided us with a brand-new modem, but the change made no significant impact. Even connecting different laptops directly to the modem yielded the same disappointing download speed.

Family members visiting our home frequently complained about the sluggishness of video downloads, which only added to our frustrations. After five visits from technicians, one even claimed to have completely installed a new port on our neighborhood’s cable box and verified the integrity of the external wiring. Despite thorough checks of our entire network, no clear cause for the abysmal speeds could be identified. Perhaps most disheartening was the assertion from one technician that our ISP was not throttling our speeds, yet we were paying for significantly higher performance.

In an effort to diagnose the issue further, I took my laptop to a nearby library, where I experienced significantly better speeds. This solidified my suspicion that the problem was localized to our home network.

Unraveling the Mystery

We have ruled out various potential culprits. Our network is relatively simple: there’s typically only one computer (mine) connected, along with a rarely-used laptop and our phones. Previous suspicions about unauthorized access were laid to rest after a technician unplugged a T-Mobile booster, but it hardly made a difference.

Once upon a time, our internet was reliable and fast. However, a senior technician from the ISP lamented that we were now experiencing speeds reminiscent of the dial-up era. Despite numerous assurances from the technicians that they would