Frustrations with Internet Speed: A Family’s Ongoing Battle

In early 2022, I ventured away from my family’s home to support a sick relative undergoing surgery. Upon returning five months later, I was met with a staggering discovery: the internet was incredibly sluggish. Initially, I suspected a problem with my personal computer, but after some investigation, it became evident that the issue lay with our internet service provider (ISP) or potentially the router itself. This was confirmed after months of frustrating experiences and numerous visits from technician teams.

Despite having a moderately fast connection when it comes to certain aspects like gaming, our household has been plagued by alarmingly slow download speeds, consistently registering at a disheartening 1.8 Mbps – and this has persisted for the last six months. Five visits from ISP technicians later, we still haven’t found a definitive solution.

Here’s a brief overview of what we’ve attempted:

• New Equipment: Right off the bat, we had a brand new modem installed by the ISP, yet it failed to make any difference.

• Direct Connections: We connected various laptops directly to the modem in hopes of improving the speed, but the dismal 1.8 Mbps persisted.

• Feedback from Family: Guests have pointed out slow video downloads, compounding our frustration and confirming that the problem is widespread.

• ISP Investigation: After the last technician visit, which included installing a new port at the neighborhood cable box and conducting thorough checks on the outside wiring and our network, we were left without answers. The technician assured us that throttling was not the issue, and we are, in fact, paying for much higher speeds.

To validate our connection problems, I took my laptop to a nearby library and experienced significantly faster download speeds – a stark contrast to what we are enduring at home.

Despite our ongoing struggles, the family member responsible for the internet service is hesitant to switch providers, as the sluggish speeds don’t seem to affect their personal usage. This leaves me in a bind, forced to either resolve this problem or frequently use the library for essential downloads.

We have ruled out any external interference: there are no miners, hackers, or others leeching off our network. Typically, the only devices connected are my computer, my roommate’s seldom-used laptop, and a couple of mobile phones. An attempted fix involved disconnecting a T-Mobile booster from the modem, but to no avail.

Once upon a time, our internet connection