Internet speeds are changing a lot and becoming unstable.
Internet speeds are changing a lot and becoming unstable.
We recently secured a 25/25 fiber connection through Spectrum Enterprise. After installation, we've observed significant speed changes during periods of moderate network activity. Is this typical? With dedicated fiber, I expected less impact from heavy usage. Our office has roughly 15 employees, all using OneDrive for business for file syncing. Beyond that, most traffic is email and standard web browsing. I'm trying to determine if the issue lies with our network or the ISP because they claim we're exceeding capacity.
Confirmed. Would you like a method to track how your router's WAN interface is used? It would be useful to see activity during different parts of the day. 15 Mbps should suffice for 25 users if they’re mainly sending and receiving small files via email and OneDrive. Are there any streaming sessions going on? Do smartphones connect to the network? Once regular internet use begins—especially for personal purposes—it becomes necessary to have more capacity. Check if they offer an asymmetric plan; 25/25 works well for online hosting. If it’s just client access, a 100/10 allocation could be better. They might also provide a bursting option where usage can exceed limits and extra charges apply (the drawback is unpredictable bills). You’re likely bound by a contract, but dedicated bandwidth isn’t essential for clients. A business-grade cable modem could deliver more performance at a lower cost (though not fully dedicated).
Consider the router's limitations as well. Routers have a maximum capacity before they become overwhelmed and begin dropping packets. A $200 model may suffice for home use even with heavy bandwidth demands, but after 15 active users the packet rate quickly rises, regardless of total bandwidth. Applications running on the web—particularly those hosted through Citrix or RDS—require extremely high packet throughput. I believe your problem stems from exceeding the router's capacity, not just bandwidth saturation. Check both WAN utilization and CPU load on the router for a clearer picture.
Thank you for your feedback. It seems we thought a stronger fiber link would help, which aligns with expectations. Our router should perform adequately as a USG-Pro-4.