Introduction
This article goes over some of the steps for identifying and resolving slow network issues. If you are experiencing these problems, try the initial troubleshooting steps below.
If possible, it's best to answer these questions first in order to narrow down what is useful for fixing the issue:
- Is the network connection slow on one device or all/any devices nearby?
- If it's only happening to one device, then we can narrow our search to device-specific settings and checks.
- If it's happening to all/any devices nearby, then gather this information and contact HD through submitting a ticket by going to https://support.uwyo.edu or by calling the help-desk at 307-766-4357: Collecting Network Information
- Is one application/site slow or every application/site?
- If it's only happening to one application, it's likely not a network issue, but rather a destination/routing issue for that specific application/site. A good resource to find out if this is the case is downdetector.com. This site can show if a site is down or experiencing disruptions in real-time.
- If it's happening to all sites and applications that need a network connection, then continue on to question 3 below.
- Is it slow while on WiFi only, or is it also slow with an Ethernet connection, or vice versa?
- Is it only slow for downloads, uploads, or is there high latency?
The best way of finding an answer to the last two questions would be to run a speedtest.
To start a speedtest go to https://speedtest.uwyo.edu. Then click the button that says “Go” to begin the speed test.
If your speeds are slow on WiFi and you have a port to plug in to an Ethernet connection, do so and restart the tests.
- If the speeds are much faster, then the issue is only related to WiFi and not the network as a whole.
- If the speeds are still the same, then gather this information and contact HD through submitting a ticket by going to https://support.uwyo.edu or by calling the help-desk at 307-766-4357: Collecting Network Information
Take note of the download speeds and upload speeds. Download speeds will determine the speed at which you can process data from the network. Upload speeds show the speed at which you are able to send data to the network, for example, the speed at which you can “upload” video to a Zoom meeting.
Also, take note of your ping and jitter in milliseconds. A high ping (+150ms) will make your connection feel laggy even if your download and upload speeds are fast. A high jitter (+30ms) will also contribute to lag.
Once you’ve determined your network speeds you’ll need to determine whether or not those speeds meet the requirements you have for processing data. Take Zoom for example, which will be a good reference point for many video conferencing applications.
Zoom:
For high-quality video: 1.0 Mbps/600kbps (up/down)
For 720p HD video: 2.6Mbps/1.8Mbps (up/down)
For 1080p HD video: 3.8Mbps/3.0Mbps (up/down)
For gallery view receiving: 2.0Mbps (25 views), 4.0Mbps (49 views)
| Note: after each recommended option, it's advisable to run another speedtest to verify whether the change has resulted in an improvement to slowness. |
1. Switch network connections
Try a different network if the device is on campus and has access to wifi (UWyo, UWyo Guest, Ethernet connection, etc
The following recommendations are specific to the device your using. Please the steps for your specific device below:
2. Check your applications
Sometimes certain applications are running updates or performing tasks that result in high network utilization which may slow down resources that would normally be available for other applications on your device. If there are update services running and consuming a lot of bandwidth, then waiting for them to finish should help improve your network speeds.
Windows users can use Task Manager. If you don't know how to use Task Manager, follow this KB article: https://uwyo.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1940/Portal/KB/Article/137503/Managing-Computer-Performance-with-Task-Manager
3. Check for driver updates
Windows devices will need to go to the support page for their device manufacturer and download the WiFi and network drivers for their specific device model. Linked here are the support pages for some of the most used PC brands at UW:
- Windows devices should try toggling the preferred band on the WiFi adapter to see if the slowness is a congestion problem:
- Start an ABR session. If you are unsure what an ABR session is or how to start one, follow this guide: https://uwyo.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1940/Portal/KB/Article/155122/Admin-By-Request
- Click Windows Key + R, then type devmgmt.msc in the pop-up textbox, and finally click CTRL + Shift + Enter. Click Yes on the ABR pop-up to continue.
- Once Device Manager opens, click on Network Adapters > Right-click the WiFi adapter (note: the name of the adapter will depend on your device, but will almost certainly be whichever is labelled WiFi in the name) > Click on Properties.
- Once the Properties pop-up opens, click Advanced > Preferred Band > select the highest band available on your device (in this case, the highest would be 5GHz, but if you have 6GHz, select it first) > click Ok. After this, retry the speedtest to see how this changes the device's network performance. Selecting a higher band as the preference may help deal with congestion that you may be experiencing if it was sticking to a 2.4GHz band.
- Note: if you are far away from an AP then you may not see a boost in performance due to the shorter range of 5GHz and 6GHz bands compared to 2.4GHz.
- If your device is portable (like a laptop or tablet), try moving to a different location. The nearest Access Point (AP) may just be congested from too many devices being connected to it. The AP may also just be down currently, and the device is too far away from the nearest working AP to get a strong WiFi signal.
Further troubleshooting:
Even if your building meets the latest wireless standards and wireless access points your device might not be capable of meeting the requirements in order to use the latest standard. If the device can only connect to a 2.4GHz frequency then we would expect download speeds around 80 to 90Mbs. If the device supports 5Ghz, your connection speed depends on the wireless access points in the building and the capabilities of your device.
If the device is capable of using an 802.11ax frequency or “Wifi-6” then you can expect download speeds of 500Mbs.
Other buildings which may be using less capable frequencies such as 802.11 AC, may produce download speeds around 200 to 400Mbs.
2. Check your applications
Sometimes certain applications are running updates or performing tasks that result in high network utilization which may slow down resources that would normally be available for other applications on your device. If there are update services running and consuming a lot of bandwidth, then waiting for them to finish should help improve your network speeds.
Launch Activity Monitor to view network traffic.
Note: Activity Monitor is available by searching using Spotlight, or from the Finder Menu -> Go -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor
3. Check for driver/Mac OS updates
Mac devices will update drivers through updating your MacOS version. You can check this by following these steps:
- CMD + Space and type System Settings and hit Enter.
- In the General tab click Software Update.
- If an update is found, click Update Now.
- Mac device users should hold the Option key and click on the WiFi icon on the menu bar. This will show you advanced options for testing your WiFi connection. Click Open Wireless Diagnostics, click Continue when the Wireless Diagnostics app opens and wait for it to return with information about any issues. This will give you an idea of what the issue is with your connection and some potential fixes.
- If the device is portable (like a laptop or tablet), try moving to a different location. The nearest Access Point (AP) may just be congested from too many devices being connected to it. The AP may also just be down currently, and the device is too far away from the nearest working AP to get a strong WiFi signal.
Further troubleshooting:
Even if your building meets the latest wireless standards and wireless access points your device might not be capable of meeting the requirements in order to use the latest standard. If the device can only connect to a 2.4GHz frequency then we would expect download speeds around 80 to 90Mbs. If the device supports 5Ghz, your connection speed depends on the wireless access points in the building and the capabilities of your device.
If the device is capable of using an 802.11ax frequency or “Wifi-6” then you can expect download speeds of 500Mbs.
Other buildings which may be using less capable frequencies such as 802.11 AC, may produce download speeds around 200 to 400Mbs.
Check the cable your using for the Ethernet connection. On the cable itself (the jacket), there should be printed text saying either CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, etc. This information will tell you what speeds you'll be capped at; for instance:
- CAT5: 100 Mbps max
- CAT5e: 1 Gbps max
- CAT6: 10 Gbps max
If possible, try a cable with a higher number labelled on the cable to narrow down if this is the issue.
If the issue is not resolved by replacing the cable, try a different live network port to narrow whether this is the bottleneck for your network connection.
If the previous steps did not fix the issue, then gather the information in the link below and contact HD through submitting a ticket by going to https://support.uwyo.edu or by calling the help-desk at 307-766-4357: Collecting Network Information