Hi everyone, I built my PC about a year ago, and ever since then, my download speeds have been terrible. I’m talking about 0.12 mbps or slower whenever I try to download anything.
Here’s the weird part—when I run network speed tests, I consistently get download speeds between 623 mbps and 790 mbps. I’m using ATT Fiber and I’m hardwired into the router. Gaming, streaming, and browsing work just fine, so the slow speed only happens during downloads.
So far, I’ve restarted my PC, reinstalled my network drivers, and reset the router, but nothing has helped. I’m at a loss for what could be causing this. Any suggestions? Thanks!
You could try updating the BIOS on your motherboard or getting a PCI wireless adapter. If you’re connected via Ethernet, check if you have more than one Ethernet port and try using the other one. I had a similar issue where one port was much slower than the other. Also, make sure all your drivers are up to date—it might even be a BIOS issue.
This sounds like something you might want to check with your provider about. A few thoughts:
You’ve got solid internet for everything else. Could this be bandwidth throttling?
Try using a VPN and see if it changes. You could grab a free trial of ProtonVPN, run it, and try downloading something again.
Sometimes accounts get flagged for torrenting (even wrongly), or there could be an issue with your ISP’s setup. Once, I had a cable in my yard with water damage that caused random issues for a year. If it’s throttling or a bad connection, your provider should be able to help.
Also, try other modem ports if possible. If you’re on WiFi, use a WiFi analyzer to check for connection issues. This probably isn’t your problem, but just in case, adding directional antennas to your hardware might help. I’ve had good results with those.
@Clive
If you do get antennas and need to mount them away from the hardware, make sure to use shielded cables. Unshielded ones can lose a lot of signal.