Troubleshooting Internet Woes: A Family’s Frustration with ISP Speed Issues

In early 2022, I embarked on a journey to support a sick family member undergoing surgery, leaving my home for five months. However, upon my return, I was met with a perplexing situation: our family’s internet speed was atrociously slow, capped at a mere 1.8 Mbps. Initially, I suspected a problem with my PC, but soon I discovered it was a larger issue entwined with our internet service provider (ISP) and our home network.

For the past six months, we’ve experienced frustratingly sluggish download speeds, particularly for video streaming and online activities. Despite the ISP technicians visiting our home five times, there has been no resolution. Here’s an overview of the situation:

• New Modem, Same Issue: After the first visit, the ISP installed a new modem, but this did not enhance our connection.
• Testing Different Devices: I connected separate laptops directly to the modem, only to find no improvement—our speeds remained at the dismal 1.8 Mbps.
• Family Concerns: When relatives visited, they voiced their frustration about the slow internet affecting their work, further highlighting the problem.
• Technical Visits: During the last visit, a fifth technician informed us that he installed a new port at the neighborhood cable box and meticulously checked the external wiring. Despite these efforts, he couldn’t determine the cause of the slow speeds, and he didn’t believe that the ISP was throttling our connection.
• Comparative Testing: For further verification, I took my laptop to a nearby library, where I experienced significantly higher download speeds, confirming that the issue lies within our home setup.

With no clear solution in sight, we feel increasingly frustrated by the repetitive calls to the ISP. Despite my growing urge to switch to a different provider, a family member who pays the bill is hesitant because the slow internet does not personally impact him. This leaves me in a bind, seeking a resolution or resorting to frequent trips to the library for downloads.

Our home network is not overcrowded; there are no miners, hackers, or bandwidth leeches to blame. The only devices connected are my computer, a seldom-used laptop, and our phones. A T-Mobile booster previously connected to the modem was unplugged by a technician, yet this change yielded no improvement.

Interestingly, despite our slow day-to-day experience, speed