Why is the internet at home slow? Thorough elucidation of three causes

No matter how much you buy a new Wi-Fi router, it doesn't make any sense if your home internet connection is slow.

"Internet speed is slow" "Communication is interrupted during a web conference" ──. Have you been suffering from such troubles lately? The root cause of the increasing feeling that the Internet is slow is the increased communication load on lines and Wi-Fi. The number of video services with high traffic such as YouTube has increased, and the opportunities to meet with colleagues at web conferences have also increased. It is not uncommon for the whole family to access the Wi-Fi router from a computer or smartphone at the same time. The old communication environment built many years ago can no longer handle this situation. It is necessary to prepare a new communication environment suitable for the present era. [Visual commentary] Why is the internet at home slow? Easy-to-understand photos of the three causes

■ Is the internet line slow?

There are three main reasons why the internet communication speed is slow. One is that the internet connection is slow. Users of old megabit-class optical lines should review their contracts. Nowadays, high-speed optical lines with a maximum communication speed of 1 gigabit / second (Gbps, 1 billion gigabit) have become the standard, and services that increase the amazing speeds of 10 Gbps and 20 Gbps are appearing one after another. Nowadays, giga-class optical lines are commonplace.

■ Is the Wi-Fi router standard old?

The second reason for the slowness is that the Wi-Fi router standard is old. The maximum communication speed of Wi-Fi 4, which was mainstream until 6 or 7 years ago, is 600 megabits / second (Mbps, mega is 1 million). On the other hand, the maximum communication speed of the latest standard "Wi-Fi 6" is 9.6 Gbps, which is about 16 times that of Wi-Fi 4. Currently, Wi-Fi 6 compatible routers can be purchased for less than 10,000 yen. Users of older routers before 4 want to consider buying a new one.

■ Is the standard of the Wi-Fi handset okay?

The third cause is the case where the Wi-Fi handset of a PC or smartphone becomes a stumbling block. If the Wi-Fi standard of the handset is old, no matter how much you buy a new router, you will not be able to take advantage of its performance. This is because if the standard of the router and the handset are different, communication will be performed at the speed of the old standard. In addition, the indoor environment in which the router and handset are placed is also important. If the distance between them is long, it is difficult for radio waves to reach, and if there is a bearing wall made of metal or reinforced concrete in the middle, the radio waves are likely to be attenuated. In such a case, the communication environment can be greatly improved by making good use of the repeater. (Nikkei PC21