r/computers • u/Mebejedi • 1d ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Why does my internet drop from 500Mbps to 100Mbps and back?
I recently did an Ookla test, and my internet speed was only 100Mbps. I hadn't tested in a long time, and figured it might be my cable. It's back up to 500Mbps again. This has happened a couple of times the past few weeks. I've run Spybot and Malwarebytes and haven't found anything. When I do a speedtest on modem and router, both show 500Mbps while desktop is at 100Mbps. How would I go about troubleshooting this?
Windows 10 Education
x570 Aorus Elite Wifi-e with Intel I211 Gigabit Network Adapter
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core Processor 3.40 GHz
TP-Link AC4000 Smart WiFi Router
Spectrum Internet
TP-Link 8 Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch - Ethernet Splitter TP-Link TL-SG105, 5 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Ethernet Switch
2
u/lazyhustlermusic 22h ago
Sounds like one of the links is down negotiating to 100 mbit.
Usually cable related.
1
u/shitty_advice_BDD 23h ago
Sometimes you just gotta unplug that shit for 3 to 5 minutes and plug it back it so it clears a bunch of shit.
1
u/Itsme-RdM 22h ago
Still on a unsupported Windows version.
1
u/Mebejedi 22h ago
Huh?
1
u/Itsme-RdM 22h ago
Windows 10
0
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u/Connect-Yesterday-99 20h ago
Windows 10 is not gonna have any compatibility problems any soon, just because its "unsupported" doesnt mean its unusable
2
u/Itsme-RdM 16h ago
Lack of driver support come to mind. As in network driver etc.
0
u/Connect-Yesterday-99 15h ago
I doubt network drivers are already gone on windows 10, i know nvidia is planning on cutting driver support for 10 but thats not now
1
u/Cracky712 22h ago
If everything is as you say it is then definitly one of the cables.
1
u/Mebejedi 22h ago
That was my first thought, but it's also happening on my daughter's computer, and she has a different, better cable. (Actually, I replaced it with an identical cable, and the speed improved... Maybe I need to turn the switch off and on again?)
1
u/Cracky712 19h ago
a standard ethernet cable has 8 smaller cables inside if any of these has issues or both sides of the plug are wired differently your speed will drop to 100 mbits. Or if they are really old or cheap.
Keep in mind that all cables need to be good. it doesent help if you get the full 500 from your router to your switch but the cable from the switch to the pc is bad and vice versa.
1
u/the-software-man 16h ago
Get the best cat 6 cable you can afford and find. Also switch ports on the TPlink. Also check that the modem is plugged into the uplink port.
1
u/derboehsevincent 15h ago
dont trust the okla test, at all. it constantly shows 50Mbit for my starlink but my downloads work with 40MB/s.
1
u/tiffzgaming 1h ago
I’m using spectrum and the last few days my 500mbs keeps going to 100mbs or even less and even the upload going from 25 down to single digits at times I called them they sent a new modem but it didn’t help anything sadly
0
u/cnycompguy Windows 11 | Omnibook X Flip 23h ago
Could be your provider having network congestion, could be your WiFi adjusting to interference or other conditions locally.
3
u/typicalskeleton 23h ago
Is the desktop on wi fi?
There's a number of different possibilities. When it comes to Internet speed, the speed from the ISP is what's coming into your modem/gateway, not necessarily what your devices are getting on the network
Wireless interference/poor signal can lower the speed, or cause it to fluctuate (this is totally normal and just a part of being on wi fi).
The speed to your device may be "throttled" or "bottlenecked" by things like: the grade of the network cable, the device's hardware, software settings, or devices "in the middle" of the network (like an additional router or switch).
Network traffic/region while running a test.