Let's face it, the internet is everywhere. If you don't have internet in your home, you can stop reading now. If you do have it, are you getting what you pay for? There's a way for you to find out, and how to fix it.

If you have multiple devices including smart televisions, smartphones, smart appliances, etc., you could be really pushing your current system to its limits. You'll especially notice when watching streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and more.

[Quick note: Mbs=megabits per second, or a rate of data transfer. The bigger the number, the faster the speed of your internet]

Internet packages range from 25 Mbs to 100 Mbs and more, but depending on your equipment, you may be getting only a fraction of that. In a quick test I did the other day  using the site SpeedTest.net, My 50 Mbs internet service was actually only delivering about 5-10 Mbs. I called my internet service provider to ask why, and he gave me two suggestions to figure out what's going on. It could be a result of your cable modem or your wireless router. I found the source of my slow-down using two steps:

  • 1. plug a computer directly to the modem and test speed (you may have to restart your computer for it to reconnect to the internet).
  • 2. retest speed when modem is connected to your wireless router

If your speeds are much higher when plugged directly to your modem, the problem will most likely be your wireless router. My router was quite old, since I never gave it a second thought. There have been quite a few new versions of wireless data transfer over the past few years which dramatically increased the ability to stream data. I went to a local store, purchased a new wireless router and voila, my speeds increased to match what I'm paying. You can upgrade your wireless router for a very modest cost, mine was around $50, and well worth the investment to avoid buffering headaches.

If your speeds don't increase when connecting directly to the modem, your problem may be your modem or the line leading to your house. Contact your internet service provider regarding a replacement modem or testing your line leading to your house.

Hope this helps, and happy streaming!

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