GNOME.org

The internet seems slow

If you are using the internet and it seems slow, there are a number of things that could be causing the slow down.

Try closing your web browser and then re-opening it, and disconnecting from the internet and then reconnecting again. (Doing this resets a lot of things that might be causing the internet to run slowly.)

  • Busy time of day

    Internet service providers commonly setup internet connections so that they are shared between several households. Even though you connect separately, through your own phone line or cable connection, the connection to the rest of the internet at the telephone exchange might actually be shared. If this is the case and lots of your neighbors are using the internet at the same time as you, you might notice a slow-down. You’re most likely to experience this at times when your neighbors are probably on the internet (in the evenings, for example).

  • Downloading lots of things at once

    If you or someone else using your internet connection are downloading several files at once, or watching videos, the internet connection might not be fast enough to keep up with the demand. In this case, it will feel slower.

  • Unreliable connection

    Some internet connections are just unreliable, especially temporary ones or those in high demand areas. If you are in a busy coffee shop or a conference center, the internet connection might be too busy or simply unreliable.

  • Low wireless connection signal

    If you are connected to the internet by wireless (Wi-Fi), check the network icon on the top bar to see if you have good wireless signal. If not, the internet may be slow because you don’t have a very strong signal.

  • Using a slower mobile internet connection

    If you have a mobile internet connection and notice that it is slow, you may have moved into an area where signal reception is poor. When this happens, the internet connection will automatically switch from a fast “mobile broadband” connection like 3G to a more reliable, but slower, connection like GPRS.

  • Web browser has a problem

    Sometimes web browsers encounter a problem that makes them run slow. This could be for any number of reasons — you could have visited a website that the browser struggled to load, or you might have had the browser open for a long time, for example. Try closing all of the browser’s windows and then opening the browser again to see if this makes a difference.