My PC appears to limit internet speed between 10 and 12 Mbits/s
My PC appears to limit internet speed between 10 and 12 Mbits/s
Recently, I switched internet providers and increased my speed from 20 Mbits/s to 100 Mbits/s, which should now deliver around 10-12 MB/s across all my devices. However, my main computer still maintains a speed of 10-12 Mbits/s and doesn’t exceed this limit. When I ran a speed test on Google, it showed 10-12, but when attempting downloads, the actual speed came out to about 1500 kb/s—matching my previous connection.
I’m using a new TP-Link Wi-Fi adapter, which supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz with a maximum of 433 Mbits/s. I also tested two other adapters, but the issue persisted. An Ethernet cable didn’t help either. I manually installed the driver for the USB network adapter that came with it; once connected, it automatically installs itself. The driver is present in Device Manager, so no old drivers are listed.
I reset the network settings, removed all Wi-Fi networks, restarted the computer, and reconnected—still no improvement. I also tried booting Windows from a different hard drive, but the problem remained. It’s worth noting that this was an older Windows installation, possibly containing residual files or drivers, which might affect stability.
I’ve followed several tutorials on resolving this issue, but none have succeeded so far. It appears something in my PC is limiting the speed to 10-12 Mbits/s. I also tested the adapters on another machine, and they functioned properly, so the problem isn’t with the hardware itself.
I’m unsure if any of these steps resolved the issue, but I’m still trying to figure out what’s causing the cap.
Make sure only one network adapter is active on the PC. Avoid having both wired and wireless adapters turned on simultaneously.
Examine the configuration settings of the network adapter on another computer that operates efficiently. Identify variations: check if there are any differences between wired to wired or wireless to wireless options.
Open Command prompt and execute "ipconfig /all" to view the details. Share the complete output so you can review the findings.
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THIS IS THE PC WITH LOW SPEED
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Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.5737]
© Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.
C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all
Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP-VIPF2QF
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Wireless LAN adapter Připojení k místní síti* 8:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #7
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 42-86-CB-45-CC-30
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Wireless LAN adapter Připojení k místní síti* 16:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #8
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 40-86-CB-45-CC-30
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi 4:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link DWA-171 AC600 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi USB Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 40-86-CB-45-CC-30
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2a00:102b:5000:b92:7e59:3fed:6fff:526(Preferred)
Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:102b:5000:b92:2dc7:75d3:3bed:a9f5(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::1bfe:6fce:851c:4ab0%25(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.142(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : pátek 11. dubna 2025 13:21:56
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : pátek 11. dubna 2025 15:21:56
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::7ef1:7eff:fe31:a354%25
10.0.0.138
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.138
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 390104779
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-29-4D-62-56-98-EE-CB-55-B9-54
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::7ef1:7eff:fe31:a354%25
10.0.0.138
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
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THIS IS THE PC WITH RIGHT SPEED
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Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.3803]
© Microsoft Corporation. Všechna práva vyhrazena.
C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all
Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP-GFIMAEN
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
Ethernet adapter Ethernet:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 98-EE-CB-55-B9-54
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Wireless LAN adapter Připojení k místní síti* 9:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 2A-EE-52-0B-E3-93
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Wireless LAN adapter Připojení k místní síti* 10:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 28-EE-52-0B-E3-93
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : TP-Link Wireless USB Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 28-EE-52-0B-E3-93
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2a00:102b:5000:b92:63e:d845:3110:273e(Preferred)
Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2a00:102b:5000:b92:3d81:71ac:aeba:b488(Preferred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::64a1:aae6:4fb6:a76c%3(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.147(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : pátek 11. dubna 2025 14:11:32
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : pátek 11. dubna 2025 16:11:31
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::7ef1:7eff:fe31:a354%3
10.0.0.138
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.138
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 405335634
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-2F-80-42-D5-98-EE-CB-55-B9-54
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::7ef1:7eff:fe31:a354%3
10.0.0.138
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
C:\Windows\system32>
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+ I this is the screenshot of drivers of adapters
https://imgur.com/a/GZVw938
View: https://imgur.com/a/GZVw938
Not observing any obvious issues through the ipconfig output.
There are several aspects that might require attention, but currently there’s no urgent matter.
For reference:
- Disable IPv6
- Switch DNS servers to Google at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
- Extend lease times from 2 hours to at least a week (168 hours). This may be problematic for certain networks but isn’t critical now.
- Keep the adapters plugged in; check if they’re connected via a USB port, possibly a back one.
- Try using a reliable USB extension cable to raise the adapter and improve performance. This can boost transmission and reception, and also help keep the device cooler.
- Small adapters often overheat, which is especially noticeable near failure.
Concerning the "low speed" PC and its adapter:
The D-Link DWA-171 AC600 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi USB Adapter uses Auto Speed & Duplex settings.
You can compare these with the settings on the PC that supports higher speeds.
Review all configuration options; most should remain unchanged unless there’s a specific need to adjust.
If you suspect any changes were made unintentionally, simply cancel them and report your findings.
Thank you for your response. The adapter seems to be functioning properly on another computer and with an Ethernet cable. Regarding the DNS for Google, the connection speed appears very slow across all browsers—Microsoft Edge, Google, Opera, etc.—so it might not be necessary to prioritize Google specifically. The adapter lacks settings for speed or duplex mode, and I’ve checked that as well.
Here’s the link to the image: https://imgur.com/a/i11IMK6
View: https://imgur.com/a/i11IMK6
Also, I disabled IPv6 without resolving the problem.
The USB is connected from the back of the PC, and I’ve tested every possible port.
I've updated my understanding now. The issue seems to occur only in certain browsers, though it works fine otherwise. Generally, the performance is good—like when I tried Steam or other launchers, the downloads proceed smoothly, so the problem lies specifically with browsers.
This might be a helpful direction to explore?
No, I don't rely on third-party antivirus software such as Avira.
Speed and Duplex: apologies - I drifted slightly off course.
The aim was to assess the wireless characteristics of the "correct" PC versus the "lower" one.
Value = Property. Correct?
Review each attribute and identify any discrepancies or unexpected results.
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Both devices rely on the router as their DNS server.
Google's DNS servers are a superior choice. Other alternatives exist as well.
Note (and you can easily discover more related links and explanations):
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-and-why...dns-server
Regarding USB connections, testing all ports would be part of troubleshooting.
Using a USB extension cable helps relocate the wireless adapter away from those ports, which can sometimes boost performance.
= = = =
Overall it seems the query has shifted to "why is speed slow only when using a browser?"...
Indeed: check the antivirus software if any.
You can also utilize Task Manager and Resource Monitor to monitor system performance during browsing versus idle time. This gives you an edge—one PC may be slower while the other performs well.
Focus on identifying processes running on the slower PC but not on the faster one, or vice versa. It could be an extension or an app launching at startup (Task Manager) or later via Task Scheduler when a browser opens.