Internet Download Speed Fluctuates: 4 Underlying Reasons [Explained]

What is the “Internet download speed fluctuates”?

Have you ever experienced such a situation where you are downloading a file at incredible speed and then slower in the next?

Maybe your network connection is worse somewhere in the house.

Let’s discover possible reasons in this article. 

Why does my internet download speed fluctuate so much?

Why does my internet download speed fluctuate so much?

Type of connection

Sometimes, you realize that download speed not matching internet speed due to the type of connection you choose.

• DSL: It uses a copper wire for broadband transmission. The connection can handle up to 3Mbps.

• ADSL(Asymmetrical Direct Subscriber Line): It also uses a copper wire for broadband transmission but with fast download speed low upload speed. It will be a challenge for people who often do video calls, use cloud storage.

ADSL connections

• Cable connection: It uses coaxial cables to transmit signals, therefore, high-speed is a result. However, many families would share coaxial lines, resulting in slow internet speeds, especially during peak hours.

• Satellite: Data is sent into the atmosphere, where satellites receive it and relay it to its intended destination. Although this is a typical sort of connection, it is significantly sluggish because of the enormous distances involved. Although the link can reach internet speeds, it can be affected by poor weather and other factors.

Satellite connections

• Fiber: Fiber connection is able to accommodate enormous volumes of data due to fiber-optic cables. That’s why it is considered the fastest type of connection

Which type of connection are you using? If possible, switch to fiber or cable if you don’t want to experience download speed fluctuation.

Router 

Even you get 1Gb internet download speed but you also can get slow speed due to the location of your router. Keep in mind that there are some potential signal blockers right in your house and you need to avoid placing your router near them. Those blockers are microwaves, radios, walls, and other obstructions.  

Potential signal blockers of routers

Besides, the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channel is used by the majority of routers. The channel is congested, and if other individuals are utilizing overlapping channels, the bandwidth is reduced, which might cause your internet connection to go up and down abnormally.

In addition, the modem/router may have data packet size settings that limit the amount of data you may consume at once. Your download speed is being fast and then slows down, that’s can be a limitation. Check that your device is not set to a value less than the Maximum Transition Unit.

Throttling

More than likely your ISPs throttle the network connection. Its purpose is to control network traffic and alleviate network congestion. Also, ISPs can throttle connections if they exceed a data use restriction in a given time frame.

As a result, your download speed is up and down due to the throttling.

Internet throttling

Malware

What is malware? Malware is deleterious software that is intended to harm or destroy computers and computer systems. The term "malware" is an abbreviation for "malicious software." Malware examples include viruses, worms, Trojan viruses, spyware, adware, and ransomware.

Malware is deleterious software

If malware penetrates your computer software or programs, you may notice changes in internet speed. Some viruses can even launch numerous browsers in the background, causing internet connections to drop. Thus, even 1Gb download speed internet, you still experience slow speed.

Why Is My Internet Slow at Night? 

Your Internet download speed fluctuates at night. It’s not unlikely to get slow speed the whole night but many internet users reported that they experience poor internet performance at night from 7 to 11 pm. 

That time, a speed internet test will tell you whether your speed is consistent with what you expect from your internet service. The most potential reason for this case is the number of devices connecting to a single network. 

Slow internet at night

When you are playing a bandwidth-heavy online game, maybe your sister is streaming a Netflix movie. Sharing bandwidth with too many devices will reduce the internet performance for each device. 

You can reduce the number of devices you utilize at this time or upgrade to a better internet connection such as gigabit internet download speed internet packages.