There are many things that can cause your Internet connection to slow down. Your first check should be to make sure any cabled connections are secure and that nothing has been changed in your setup. If you are running a speed test on any external website please ensure your computer is directly connected to your modem and shut down any programs running on your computer other than your browser before launching the test.

Sluggish performance can also be caused by large file downloads either on your own computer or another computer connected to your home network typically using P2P applications such as BitTorrent, uTorrent, etc. Check the running applications on your computer to see if this may be the cause of slow Internet connectivity.

One of the most common problems is spyware and/or adware running in the background. You should have anti-virus software installed on your machine especially if you or others in your household download files and programs. Spyware and virus programs work in the background while your computer is running and they can slow your Internet connection along with your computer’s overall performance.

Northwestel offers two free computer scanning tools to help you identify the health of your PC. These tools are the Northwestel PC Health Check and Online Scanner. They are available at www.nwtel.ca/protection-plus.