If you are noticing that your Internet speeds have been slowing down, then it is possible that your ISP is throttling the connection. Throttling can happen for a variety of reasons, but one of the most common examples is when an ISP has reached its bandwidth limit and must slow down certain websites in order to provide everyone with fair access to the Internet. If you're constantly thinking, am I being throttled, then you must read this article till the end to know all the details.
What Is Throttling?
Throttling is when an ISP slows down your internet. This can happen in several ways. The first way throttling occurs is through "data capping." Data capping limits the amount of data you are allowed to use per billing cycle, which means that at certain points during the month, users will experience reduced speeds once they have reached their data cap.
Why Do ISPs Throttle Your Connection?
ISPs have many reasons for throttling your internet connection. But these are the top four culprits:
1. Forbidden Activity
When you use a lot of bandwidth during certain times, your ISP will slow down or block your connection to discourage the activity. However, it's usually not clear which applications/activities are forbidden because ISPs don't disclose this information.
2. Exceeding Data Caps
ISPs often throttle your internet speeds if you exceed their data caps. This is because they will charge you an additional fee for going over the limit (which may be either a flat rate or a usage-based one).
3. Network congestion
Sometimes you're just not getting the internet speed that you think you should be. And if your ISP isn't giving you what they promised, then it could lead to further problems with them throttling your bandwidth or limiting how much data can go through on a monthly basis.
4. Paid prioritization
It's a practice where ISPs charge companies or users for faster access to the ISP's subscribers.
How Do I Stop Throttling?
There are a few different ways that you can stop throttling. One way is to use a VPN service, such as Surfshark or NordVPN. These services encrypt your internet connection and reroute it through their own servers instead of the ISP's, which allows you to browse websites at normal speeds again because they don't have any speed limits on their own servers.
Another way to stop throttling is by using a proxy service, such as Private Internet Access or Hide My Ass Proxies. These services are very similar in that they encrypt your internet connection and reroute it through their own servers to allow you full access at speeds that aren't artificially limited by the ISP itself.
But, if your ISP detects your VPN, they may limit your speed (some VPNs can ignore this). Make sure you're utilizing the finest VPN for your purposes, since choosing the wrong one might exacerbate your internet throttling problems.
a) Data Caps
However, throttling caused by network congestion or data quota overages will not be alleviated by using a VPN. Your ISP controls the overall amount of bandwidth rather than a specific sort of data in these situations.
● If your data cap overages are causing throttling, you have four options:
● Lower your monthly consumption.
● More bandwidth can be purchased for a fee.
● Upgrade to a higher-capacity or unlimited-data plan.
● Change to a provider that doesn't impose data limits.
b) ISP Network Congestion
Whether you have internet service and are experiencing poor speeds during peak hours, consider the following options:
● Switch to a more powerful plan.
● During off-peak hours, use the internet
Keep an eye on your download speeds, especially if they are consistently sluggish. If you're not getting speeds that match your plan's claimed bandwidth, contact your ISP. You might not get the reaction you want, but you might strike it rich and earn a free upgrade.
