How to tell if AT&T is throttling you?
Some internet providers such as AT&T Internet have been known to throttle user bandwidth: throttling refers to the deliberate slowing down of internet speeds by the ISP. They do this especially when there is a lot of traffic on the networks, to reduce traffic.
Throttling is worse when you experience slow loading and frequent buffering on videos.
But the question is how one can come to know that he or she is being throttled by AT&T?
Here are some tips.
Check Your Speeds Regularly
The easiest way is to run an internet speed test from time to time. Always perform the speed check on a trustworthy site such as Speedtest.net or Fast.com. The actual Internet speeds you get, as a customer, should or should not be far from what your plan promises. Although the speeds should generally be slightly lower, if they are consistently and significantly lower, then you may be suffering from throttling.
For instance, you subscribe to a 100 Mbps package from AT&T, while Speedtest gives you readings of 10-30 Mbps or even less. This strongly indicates that you are being throttled. But perform the speed tests at different times of the day to capture the normal traffic congestion. The name of the game is steady and slow or in other words a consistently low speed.
Examine Your Data Usage
Open your AT&T account and check your data use in the last month. The carrier may slow down internet speeds on the internet depending on the frequency of use once a specific amount of data has been used. For AT&T, that “congestion” data limit was 250 GB per month for DSL customers and 150 GB for fiber/cable users.
So if you are approaching those limits and experience slow speeds, throttling could be the cause. As for the data caps, AT&T said that they have removed the 250/150 GB limits for some clients, but it is not stated for all plans. You should also check your data usage if your speeds have gone down considerably.
In addition to that, one should always look out for signs of throttling.
There are some telltale signs AT&T is throttling you besides reduced speeds
- Sites with videos, such as YouTube or Netflix, begin to buffer more often or are unable to load in high definition.
- Web pages take considerably more time than before to load.
- Files download and upload processes take much more time than they should.
- There is more delay or break in the continuity of video calls and conferences.
- Gaming and live streaming have become almost impossible due to high latency
If the viewer experiences buffering, lag, or delays across multiple sites or services it will mean that AT&T has throttled for network management after the usage of a certain amount of data.
To get a more accurate result, the test should be taken at different times of the day.
It is important to note that your speeds decreasing during those hours is not necessarily an indication of throttling. After working hours when everyone is at home using the internet to stream videos network traffic increases. Your speeds will be affected. But then recover at off-peak hours like early in the morning when the power demand is low.
So make sure, that you check your speeds during the day time most of the time. If AT&T is throttling you, the internet performance should be poor all the time of the day. Everyone’s speeds coming back up but yours remaining low is evidence of throttling.
Testing with a VPN
Some users have reported that speeds only get back to normal when they use a VPN, which conceals traffic from the ISP. If that is the case, then it is a clear case of throttling based directly on your usage rather than traffic shaping. VPN may help bring back speeds, but throttling could start again once you exceed a monthly usage cap. However, VPN testing assists in affirming the ISP throttling accusations.
Contact AT&T
If your speeds are slow all the time, you should discuss it with AT&T. Do not directly ask or address them as if you know or assume they are throttling. Just state that you are getting a much lower speed as compared to what you expected at any time of the day. Their reps can review your account usage and network traffic within your region to tell you if throttling is taking place. If so, you are in a position to negotiate for either an increase in the amount of data allowed by the plan or for a different plan altogether.
It does take time on lengthy customer service lines. But to make AT&T aware of constant throttling problems is to address them sustainably. Their public announcement to no longer enforce hard data caps makes it easier for them to solve complaints of throttling now.
Consider Switching Providers
If AT&T is unwilling to provide satisfactory remedies for confirmed throttling, it is high time to consider other telecom companies. Especially if their throttling interferes with your use of high bandwidth services that you are subscribed to like streaming media or online gaming.
Just be aware that even other large ISPs have been caught throttling specific usage such as video streaming when their networks are congested. Still, competitive pressure can force AT&T to invest in infrastructure and cease throttling if they stand to lose even more subscribers over it.
Use Alternatives When Throttled
If you can make sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that AT&T is throttling your connection though, you do not necessarily have to take slow internet speeds until the issue is resolved. One of the short-term solutions to mask traffic and avoid throttling is to use a VPN service.
Another way could be connecting your computer directly to an unlimited mobile data plan on your smartphone to attain full speeds while connected to your home WiFi. So just make sure not to go near mobile data caps. Those alternatives are instrumental in making sure that throttling does not hinder your internet usage.
In Conclusion
Suffering from throttling at the hands of AT&T is enough to ruin your internet service experience until such a time when the problems are fixed. But now you are equipped with several tips that can help you conclude whether your ISP is indeed throttling speeds at some time or after a specific amount of data consumption. If throttling is confirmed through speed tests and usage limit checks, then it can be reported to AT&T and the necessary solutions can be discussed. The throttling workarounds you have here allow you to have some reasonable internet performance when it is required. Be attentive to speeds and do not have any qualms about speaking up in regards to all the throttling issues.
Upgrade to faster, more reliable AT&T Fiber Internet today! Call us at +1 844-905-5002 and get connected with speeds that keep you ahead.