How can I tell if someone is throttling my internet?
Internet throttling is where an Internet service provider deliberately reduces the speed of your Internet connection. This can be very frustrating, especially when you fully depend on having a fast and effective connection. But, how do you know that someone is throttling your internet?
Here are some ways to tell if your ISP is throttling your internet speed
1. Run speed tests at different times of the day: The simplest way to identify throttling is to conduct internet speed tests during different times of the day. Choose a constant speed testing site and perform a series of tests over several days, noting the results. In this case, if your speed results are consistently or significantly lower during the peak usage time say evenings and weekends, then your ISP is throttling.
2. Check if your issue is isolated: Before concluding that it is throttling, try to use other devices that are connected to the same wi-fi network and at the same time check if they are all slow. Also, ensure that you connect a device to your modem using an ethernet cable and use this connection to conduct the test. This will help to distinguish between a general home network problem and whether it is being caused by your ISP. If for instance, all your devices can only browse slowly at specific hours it is most probably that you are throttled.
3. Monitor streaming quality/buffering: When it comes to the identification of throttling, the usage of video streaming platforms is often a dead giveaway. Observe whether high-quality videos that are usually played, are lagging or being played in low quality during certain hours. This kind of change in quality often signifies that the ISP is throttling bandwidth solely for viewing video. While browsing and downloading may be normal, videos may be slow in comparison to normal speed.
4. Use throttling detection tools: Here are some throttling detection tools and browser plugins you can use to inspect your traffic and figure out if you are being throttled.
- NetBalancer - Show all the traffic on your PC and whether traffic shaping is slowing down the connection
- Measurement Lab - This site has characteristics of your internet connection quality for throttling and has measurement tools.
- Wehe – It is a browser extension that is used to test speeds to detect traffic shaping.
5. Check if you went over a data cap: A lot of ISPs that engage in throttling will only do so if you go beyond your monthly usage allowance. Go through the accounts to determine whether your data has a limit and whether you are close to, or have exceeded that limit each month. Having several rights around the cap is a great reason for speed throttling.
6. Compare with neighbors: Talk to your neighbors and find out if they too have issues with slow internet speeds during peak hours with a particular ISP. This can help tell whether it is an issue that is originating from the ISP as opposed to a problem with just that specific connection you are using.
7. Look at your bill or account history: Check if the ISP has hiked the price recently or added any new unknown charges by comparing your monthly internet bills. Features such as overage charges are also an indication that they might slow down speed once a specific threshold is reached.
8. Test during non-peak hours: If your internet speeds are still slow and remain so even during the late hours of the night or early morning when few people are using the internet, then throttling might not be the cause. This would lead to other connection issues that you would have to solve as follows:
The best evidence of ISP throttling is when your bandwidth is restricted in the evening when traffic is at its peak. Checking your speeds at different times of the day and ensuring that other neighbors are also experiencing the same problem will substantiate your argument that you are being deliberately throttled. If you affirm the throttling, take the time to complain to the ISP or change the provider if possible. Additionally, if you are suffering from throttling because of overage charges, switch to an unlimited data plan.
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