De ce fluctuează viteza internetului?

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Certain fluctuations are relatively normal for shared internet lines, but they should not be such that you are severely limited, making the connection nearly unusable. Almost all regular users use a shared line; having a private line would be very expensive, but aggregation must stay within acceptable parameters. First, measure the speed using one of the commonly available applications.

It is necessary to repeat the measurement multiple times (at different times of the day and night and during weekdays and weekends) so that the resulting average is truly indicative. Speed measurement applications are free and you don't need any installation to use them; you just need to visit a page that provides the measuring application. During the measurement, pay attention not only to download values but also to upload values; for online gamers, ping is also extremely important.

You don't need to write down the measured values; if you perform repeat measurements using the same program, the results of the past measurements will remain stored in memory. You can view them in the form of a graph or table to get a reliable overview. During the measurement, it is obviously important that the internet connection is not used in any other way while collecting the data (it doesn't take long, just a few seconds). Otherwise, the results would naturally be skewed, and the data transfer figures would not correspond to reality.

Program and application usage

If you leave unused programs running on your computer, this may be another reason why the computer slows down and you get the impression that the internet speed is low. Programs can be closed via the icon, but many programs start automatically again after a reboot. To prevent this, you can easily set it up—in the program window menu, find the Tools item, continue to Options, then go to EDIT and PREFERENCES. Find the item usually marked as LAUNCH AT WINDOWS STARTUP (or something similar). Here you can disable the startup of programs when the operating system starts and start them manually when you actually want to use them. This applies, for example, to communication programs (like Skype), which can occasionally significantly influence speed.

Aggregation and line overload

Aggregation, if it exceeds a reasonable limit, can also have a significant impact on speed. Aggregation is, in simple terms, sharing an internet line with multiple users. Why do providers use this method? Having a line just for oneself is a big and very expensive luxury, often unnecessary, so aggregation is commonly used. As a result, providers can offer a reasonable price to more customers, but if aggregation reaches higher values, they are more likely to note it somewhere in the fine print of the contract. The aggregation value (i.e., the number of users sharing one line) is always given as a ratio of 1:X, where the letter X is replaced by the number of users. A relatively acceptable aggregation is up to a value of 1:10; however, be cautious, as you can occasionally encounter values of 1:50 or even higher. It is clear then that during peak times, when the number of connected and data-transmitting users is at its highest (usually between 18:00 and 23:00), the connection speed drops significantly. Providers leave a backdoor open by stating in the contract that the speed is connected with the tricky word 'UP TO,' implying indirectly that the speed mentioned in the tariff is the maximum you can expect on the line, but this speed is certainly not stable. Therefore, check the aggregation in the contract, and possibly verify with the provider if they made any changes they 'forgot' to inform you about or cunningly informed you in such a way that you didn't even notice them. The solution might be to change the aggregation by the provider or change the provider (on your part) if it cannot be solved otherwise.

Router can also be to blame

The router can have a major impact on connection speed. If it is an outdated piece that belongs in the trash or, at best, a museum, don't try to come up with a rescue solution and get a new one. If you don't believe it can no longer handle the transmission of large amounts of data and the required speed is beyond its capabilities, study the documentation (if you have it kept) or perform a comparative test with, for example, a borrowed modern router that 'knows' and handles new technologies. If the difference is significant, then you simply buy a new one, problem solved.

Sometimes a router reset might be sufficient, but this is more a solution for a one-time issue. Before shutting it down, save the access data in case the router requires them again after the reset. The router can also overheat; haven't you moved it for some reason to a place where it doesn't have sufficient airflow for cooling? A cooling pad could be a solution, but if the required performance is beyond the device's capabilities, better replace it with a more powerful one. Various obstacles can also be problematic for Wi-Fi signal transmission; these obstacles can significantly weaken and limit the signal (metal reinforcements, meshes, walls, etc.). If the issues are with a mobile device, use it where the signal quality is sufficient, or solve the problem by changing the router's location or adding another transmitter.