Let us begin with what we lack. According to a city audit report, a quarter of the residential blocks in the Big City do not have access to a decent fiber service. About a third of the less affluent neighborhoods, like the Bronx and East Harlem, cannot get a wired connection at home. Even today, about 12,000 New Yorkers have less than one broadband provider operating in their area. So on and so forth. What makes the situation graver is that New York City is designated as the ‘most connected’ metropolis in addition to being a digital haven and a center of commerce. Yet its network distribution woes tell an entirely different tale.
High-speed internet access is a right of every citizen if the city is to progress as a whole and carve its place in the future. New York municipality promises a fair internet supply throughout its zips to homes other than the advanced Upper West Side, but have not able to implement this goal fully. Due to this, there is a good chance that you, being an NYC resident, might experience certain problems with your internet connection. If that is the case, then you will find this post quite helpful. Following are some of the best ways to diagnose your faltering network and to troubleshoot it wisely.
Device & Website Check
The first step in dealing with slow internet speeds is to recognize the variable and confirm the issue. To do this, connect multiple devices at the same time to your network, and open multiple websites on these linked devices simultaneously. If the speed lag comes up in one particular website, then the problem might lie with the website’s server and not with your internet connection. Try reloading the site after a while, and once it comes back on, you are good to go.
Similarly, if one of your devices takes a long processing time but others are working fine, then the bug might exist in your device and not in the internet reception. Try rebooting the computer or tablet, and scan it for viruses to remove the roadblock. If, however, more than one device and websites are showing loading error, then it is safe to say that it’s a network problem, for which other steps will suffice. Thus, by narrowing down the complication, you will know exactly what to address and how.
Speed Test & Internet Plan Tally
The next step in diagnosing a slow internet connection is to run a formal speed test. There are many sites around the web like Speedtest by Ookla, which are dedicated to performing these evaluations. Choose the one that looks the most credible to you and test your network’s speed. Be sure to pause all streaming, gaming, and other heavy activities in the house and disable all devices to get a closer-to-reality result.
Once the results are in, check the calculated speeds against the promised speeds in your internet plan. It is natural to have some level of dissonance here since the location of ISP’s server could affect your reception. Meaning, the closer your provider’s node is to your home, the faster the network speeds you will eventually get. This geographical factor is hardly under your control, so simply keep it in mind. However, if the gap between the acquired internet speeds and the promised internet speeds is excessively much, regardless of the location, then it is time to call your ISP. Negotiate to upgrade your internet speeds, and if that does not work out, then switch to a better cable, fiber, DSL, or satellite provider. You don’t have to pay excessively for awful internet speed. Find one such provider here https://www.localcabledeals.com/Spectrum/Internet.
Router & Other Hardware Limitations
The alternative step to changing your internet provider is to review your network hardware. This includes a separate modem and router, or a dual gateway. Sometimes, you are aiming for higher speeds, nearing 1 Gig, as offered by Spectrum, Verizon Fios, and RCN in NYC, but your router is not advanced enough to translate such a fast bandwidth stream. Here you should consider upgrading your hardware to match the speeds you are going for. Internet service providers do give you the option of renting a well-suited router or modem, especially in the premium plans. Give that a go.
In case your internet plan speeds and your hardware complement each other, yet you face loading issues, in this case, try troubleshooting the equipment this way:
- Restart the gateway
- Remove any hurdle obstructing your Wi-Fi’s range, such as a wall or a refrigerator
- Increase your router’s signal strength by investing in a Wi-Fi extender
- Protect your router with a unique password and update its firmware
- Consult your ISP’s support for technical problems
Therefore, by following the aforementioned steps, you can easily diagnose the problems on your internet, and treat them to experience faster connectivity as advertised by the vibrant Big City providers.
