Experiencing sluggish connection while navigating the web.
Experiencing sluggish connection while navigating the web.
Hello, I'm not sure where to start with the right details, but let me share what I've noticed. I've experienced slow loading times for regular web browsing and video streaming like Netflix, HBO, and YouTube. This problem seems to have started after I left my PC on overnight about a week ago—this isn't the first time I've done that. I don’t have any background applications running. Since switching to Gigabit internet from Fios, everything felt fast for downloads, uploads, and web use. I’ve reset the modem and router too. My internet is great when downloading games or playing them, but only my web browsing is struggling now. Some people suggest hardwiring the PC or switching ISPs. Could you help me figure out what might be causing this?
I've been using Chrome for some time now. However, I chose to switch to the Opera GX client because many of my friends use it. Still, the problem remains. Regarding DNS servers, I'm not sure what they are or how they work.
Consider testing with Brave, LibreWolf, or any other Bowser browser. This is mainly to see if it affects the browser itself. Regarding DNS, it translates human-readable names like www.sometsite.com into machine-friendly addresses (such as 77.12.34.56). If this process is slow or fails, your browser may struggle to load pages because it can't find the files. This could explain why game downloads work well but browsing feels sluggish. It's not unusual for ISP-provided DNS to be unreliable; you might try Cloudflare DNS (primary: 1.1.1.1, secondary: 1.0.0.1) or Google DNS (primary: 8.8.8.8, secondary: 8.8.4.4).
To configure these, you can set them on your router (if allowed) or directly on your PC—especially useful for testing. For Windows users, refer to this guide: https://www.windowscentral.com/software-...windows-11
If this doesn’t resolve the issue, please describe your experience more clearly. Ask about your connection type (Ethernet or WiFi), network size, whether other devices share the same problems, and if you’re also experiencing slow video streaming on platforms like YouTube or Netflix. Specify whether delays occur during page loads, scrolling, or playback of videos. Also mention any troubleshooting steps you’ve tried, such as pinging your router, checking packet loss, using speed test sites, etc.
Thanks for the advice! Until now, changing browsers and adjusting DNS didn't resolve my issue. However, when I try to revert to automatic DNS, my computer won't connect until I restart the PC (just a reminder). Regarding your questions:
- My device uses Ethernet.
- I have at most two devices on the same wireless network—my smart TV and my girlfriend's laptop. After switching to Fios Gigabit, they shouldn't interfere.
- For services like YouTube and Netflix, thumbnails might be missing, but titles usually show. Once I start a stream, it automatically sets the quality to 480p/360p or even 160. Not great if I go up to 720, but it will buffer in about 15 seconds.
- For movies, the quality isn't terrible compared to YouTube, though buffering is frequent until the page refreshes.
- I haven't tried troubleshooting yet; I'm not sure where to start.
Begin by checking your internet connection using just one active device. If it works smoothly, the problem might lie with the bandwidth sharing on your network. If your router supports Quality of Service (QoS), consider adjusting that setting.
Ok, if the same issues are happening on your gf's laptop and the TV then it is most likely ISP related problem (or with the gear they provided). If not, then the problem is most likely on your end, be it software / windows related or hardware (faulty network card, bad cable etc.). Let's try diagnosing it now, assuming the issue is on your end. Open up command prompt (WIN+R, type: cmd, hit enter) 1) For starters check the link speed, copy & paste the following: wmic nic where netEnabled=true get name, speed You should get an output that looks something like this: ^ This is a 10 Gb/s link speed. Just divide the result with 1000000000 (9 zeroes) to get Gb/s. If it is 1 Gb/s or higher you are good. If it is less then you aren't using that fiber to its full potential. Causes could be: bad ethernet cable (try with another one), windows bugs, bad network card or its driver , bad settings somewhere, slow router or switch. 2) Check for packet loss between your PC and the router. First find out the IP address of your router, inside command prompt type in: ipconfig You might have more than one adapter, since you've said you are using wired connection it will most like be named something like Ethernet... you aren't interested in wireless, virtual etc. Default gateway is what you are looking for: Then it is time to ping your router, but pinging it 4 times (default value) doesn't tell you much in terms of packet loss. So I suggest pinging it 1000 times, this will take ~20 minutes to complete so type in the command and take a break: ping -n 1000 <insert default gateway IP address here> # for example: ping -n 1000 192.168.122.1 The output will look like this: And after a while, when it finishes you will have statistics like this: You are interested in "Lost", for wired connection and when pinging inside your LAN this should be 0 Also, Max shouldn't go into double digits and Average should be 0-5ms. If you are having packet loss or wild latency then causes could be: bad ethernet cable (try with another one), windows bugs, bad network card or its driver, faulty router or switch. 3) To eliminate windows quirks or driver for windows issues run a live Linux OS from a usb stick. Download Ventoy: https://www.ventoy.net/en/download.html Download a Linux distro ISO of your choice, for example Manjaro KDE: https://manjaro.org/download/ Follow Ventoy getting started guide: https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_start.html You should now have a bootable usb stick with Linux distro of your choice on it, you don't need to install it just run it from the stick. Try browsing, and if the issues are gone... welp it is time for you to do a clean Windows install.