For many of us, the smartphone is the main means of accessing the World Wide Web, so the speed of the Internet on a mobile device is very important. However, at times, the speed of the mobile Internet can be significantly reduced, which is reflected in slow loading of pages in the browser, downloading files, or delays in video and audio playback. Situations like this can arise for a number of reasons, such as a misplaced home router, problems with a public Wi-Fi network, or problems with your telecom operator.
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Slow Internet - incorrect organization of wireless communication in the home network
Inappropriate placement of your home router is one of the common causes of unstable or weak wireless signal. The Wi-Fi signal range is approximately 150 m in unobstructed terrain and 50 m indoors. Large physical objects (walls, doors, floors, large closets, etc.) can block the signal, so if you are at a great distance from the router, for example, in the furthest room or outside the house, the signal strength is significantly reduced.
You should not place the Wi-Fi router in niches, closed cabinets or behind any bulky (thick, wide) objects.
The strength of the Wi-Fi signal can be checked by the icon in the status bar on your smartphone - if it is “full” completely, it means the signal is strong and the low Internet speed has another reason, and if it is “empty”, the signal is weak. Try moving closer to the router and your internet speed should increase. If the signal is still weak, then you have placed the router in the wrong place.
In addition, the Wi-Fi signal level can be checked using various applications. The closer the signal level is to zero, the better, for example, a value of -43 dBm is better than -57 dBm.
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How do I configure my router to use WPA2?
WPA/WPA2 setup:
- Connect your computer to one of the NETGEAR router's four LAN ports using an Ethernet cable.
- Select Wireless Settings from the Settings menu in the left navigation bar. ...
- In the Wireless network section, enter the network name in the Name (SSID) field.
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Internet slows down - overload in Wi-Fi network (change channel)
Another reason for slow internet may be congestion on the Wi-Fi network. Routers transmit a signal over a specific local channel, however, if your neighbors' routers use the same channel, network congestion occurs and, as a result, everyone's Internet speed drops. This can be a significant problem, especially in multi-unit buildings where a large number of routers are located in a relatively small area. In such a situation, it is worth using utilities that scan nearby Wi-Fi networks and determine the channels they use. This way you can figure out which channel is least used in your environment and adjust your Wi-Fi accordingly.
In the cases indicated in the screenshots below, you should select channel 11, 12, 13 or 14 to configure Wi-Fi:
And in this case, channel 11 is overloaded:
Unfortunately, we were unable to find such an application for iOS; here are links for Mac and Android:
- WiFi Scanner for Mac (Mac App Store)
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3G or LTE doesn't work well
Why doesn't my iPhone connect to Wi-Fi in the subway?
As already noted in the first paragraph, this may be due to a number of reasons. Also, do not forget about distributing the load on the Network throughout the day, since traffic within a cell can be compared to automobile traffic. Data transfer speeds can decrease significantly when users finish their workday, and improvements can be observed during quiet hours, especially at night. In any case, to understand the feasibility of improving the quality of your Internet connection, you need to make test measurements of the time required to transmit data packets within the network.
Slow Internet on iPhone - household appliances can interfere with the Wi-Fi signal
Microwave ovens, wireless doorbells, telephones, and other equipment may interfere with signals from 2.4 GHz routers. Most modern routers support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies.
In the latter case, the wireless signal is less susceptible to interference, so it is better to change the router settings to operate in the 5 GHz band. But first, make sure that all your devices support this frequency. Routers that do not support dual or triple bands will not be able to switch between them, so you need to choose one frequency. If you do decide to stick with the 2.4 GHz band, make sure the router is located away from devices that may cause interference.
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SIM card not inserted
In this case, it is clear that you will not have the Internet. There are two options:
- In the first case, it is simply broken and needs to be replaced.
- The second option is that the contacts of the SIM card itself have oxidized.
Oxidation can easily be removed on its own. To do this, remove the SIM card using a simple paperclip or a special key, which is located in the smartphone box.
After removing the SIM card, clean the contacts with an eraser. If you don’t have a washing machine at hand, you can lightly scrape the contacts with the same paper clip or needle. After that, we insert it back, if the message still appears, then the SIM card is broken and needs to be changed. We take our passport and go to any nearest office of your mobile operator.
Internet slows down - you are connected to a slow network
One of the most obvious reasons for slow internet speeds is being connected to a slow network. On a home network, Internet speeds can be affected by other applications and devices that share bandwidth. Internet speed is affected by streaming movies, downloading videos, or installing operating system updates, which can be done by your relatives, friends, or neighbors using your Wi-Fi hotspot.
When using a public Wi-Fi network, internet speed may vary. There are a huge number of public Wi-Fi networks to which a mobile device randomly connects. The connection can be maintained even if you are in range of another network. That is, if your favorite coffee shop offers excellent Wi-Fi, this does not mean that you will connect to this network every time.
In this case, you can specify priority Wi-Fi networks in the settings of your iPhone or Android smartphone. This way, the device will always connect to the selected wireless networks and only as a last resort to other free Wi-Fi access points.
To have your iPhone or iPad automatically connect to the selected network, go to Settings → Wi-Fi, select the network and set the Auto Connect switch to On. Accordingly, the Off position will prevent the device from automatically connecting to this Wi-Fi network.
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How to Use Cloudflare DNS on macOS
Step 1: On your iMac or MacBook, go to System Preferences -> Network . Select the network on the left to which the device is connected and go to the Advanced .
Or you can simply open System Preferences and enter DNS .
Step 2: Go to the DNS . Click the "+" button under DNS Servers and enter the Cloudflare DNS address: 1.1.1.1. Click the “+” icon again and now enter 1.0.0.1.
Weak Internet - you are using a slow VPN service
Cybersecurity experts recommend using a VPN when connecting to free Wi-Fi networks. Such services encrypt the connection between your smartphone and the access point, preventing data interception. However, not many people know that VPN applications can affect Internet speed, especially free ones. If you see slowdowns, try disabling your VPN temporarily and see if the situation changes.
Most of the best VPN providers have paid apps for iPhone and Android that offer faster speeds than free alternatives and are also more secure.
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Measuring connection speed
This operation can be performed using specialized software. As an example, let's take Speedtest, which can be easily downloaded from the official AppStore. This service is also available as a web page https://www.speedtest.net. The instructions are quite simple:
- launch an application or open a web resource;
- click on the “Press” button;
- wait for the scripts to finish running and evaluate the indicators, which for comfortable operation should be at least 10 Mbits.
Mobile Internet on iPhone slows down – poor 3G / 4G (LTE) coverage
Most mobile device owners prefer to use Wi-Fi rather than mobile Internet in order to save money and battery power. 4G is positioned as high-speed mobile Internet, but this is not always true. Signal strength can be affected by various factors, such as the distance to the nearest cell tower, where you are (outdoors or indoors), and even weather conditions. In some cases, you will have to return to slower 3G Internet, and in some cases you will be left without it altogether.
For example, you live in a large city and constantly use the 4G LTE network. Accordingly, in the iPhone Settings in the section Cellular Data → Data Options → Voice & Data, you set the LTE (4G) option, but over the weekend you went to the outskirts of the city, where the 4G signal is very weak. In this case, you need to switch your iPhone settings to work with 3G or 2G.
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Browser selection and configuration. Clearing cookies and accumulated cache
Standard web browsers, presented in iOS (Safari) and Android (Google Chrome), although they have already become familiar tools, do not always cope with the load 100%. The reason for this is that the sites are not optimized for sites overloaded with advertising and pop-up banners. The problem can be solved in several ways:
- A radical change in preferences . At least programmatically, a new browser will help “speed up” the Internet, capable of optimizing and adapting web pages for viewing on mobile screens. For iOS, either “DuckDuckGo” is suitable, and on Android “Opera Touch” or “Reactive Phone” will handle the task.
- Changing settings . If passwords saved in the browser and data synchronization are more important than optimized content, then to speed up the Internet, it is recommended to go through at least the settings tabs.
You will have to edit the settings for Safari in the Settings of iOS, but the Google Chrome options are already opened through the gear inside the browser.
It is advisable to activate the sliders associated with automatically closing tabs after a week or month (the best way to get rid of accumulated cache), blocking pop-ups and even cookies, and even displaying a list of frequently visited resources. Additionally, it is recommended to clear the history and accumulated data about visited resources, autofill and downloaded files.
