Varied velocities across various platforms.
Varied velocities across various platforms.
I faced a similar problem recently. My laptop’s internet has slowed down after the latest update for about two days, while my girlfriend’s old PC still gets full speed. Both are connected via Ethernet, but switching to Wi-Fi didn’t help. Currently, it’s around 8.84mbps on the laptop and 118.66mbps on the PC (we have a 120mbps unlimited plan). I’m trying to figure out what’s causing this difference.
Is your router handling priority traffic properly? As a check, switch it off and observe the behavior. QoS often leads to unexpected issues. When it’s active, examine the laptop’s CPU usage during the test. Does it surge to maximum for every thread (e.g., 25% utilization)? If yes, then the problem likely lies in the laptop’s software configuration.
Consider using a different setup—either on the laptop or router—and remove the VPN to check if the issue persists. It might indicate a problem with the VPN service itself, causing your device to ignore it.
Check for any antivirus tools with built-in security features that might affect performance. Confirm you're connected to the appropriate network—whether 5GHz or 2.4GHz, using the correct access point.
I'm not familiar with QoS, I'll investigate further. My CPU usage stays below 55% during testing. No VPN used, only Windows Defender antivirus. I'm on the same network and confirmed that. Edit: I researched QoS but couldn't locate it in my router's setup menu—it wasn't listed. I own a Cogeco Technicolor DPC3848VM and should have shared my system details.
If you run tests on another device, check if the slow laptop is the exception or if the fast machine is the exception. If all devices lag but your PC is sluggish, the router may be faulty—consider updating firmware and resetting it. If only the laptop is affected, try connecting directly to the modem to rule out interference. When you've tried updates and troubleshooting steps, reinstalling Windows might be necessary. Let me know if you need more help.
The performance varies across devices. When downloading files, you see the highest speeds, but speed tests consistently report much lower rates. It seems your laptop might have a feature that limits downloads to a certain threshold.
Connecting to A/C power and adjusting the Windows Power profile to Max Performance should work smoothly. It seems like a browser-related problem. You might want to test with EDGE without any plugins as a starting point. If results differ, examine your settings and plugins. OEM power management tools could also be causing issues—consider uninstalling them and resetting the profiles to defaults, which usually helps laptops. If you're stuck, reinstalling Windows is an option, but only install base drivers and avoid extra OEM software since they can introduce problems. Good luck!