Every internet user is always on the hunt to find the best internet service provider out there who delivers their end of the bargain. Xfinity internet deals for an instance, is a go-to option for internet consumers due to the reliability and affordability of plans along with an assurance of receiving what is promised. However, not every area gets covered by this ISP, and people when going through the trouble of slow internet with other providers, all while paying hefty amounts every month question that do internet service providers tamper with connection speed.
We are here to answer that for you. In the simplest of terms, yes they do tamper with the connection speed, but to know why and how; keep reading
When ISPs tamper with speeds, it is referred to as internet throttling. It is when your internet service provider lowers your internet capacity or speed without informing you, this is known as ISP throttling. Internet throttling causes your ISP to serve you at slower speeds than it should be. Throttling is a technique used by ISPs to manage internet traffic on their networks, alleviate bandwidth congestion, and impose data restrictions.
How to know if the connection is being tampered with?
It is not very easy to find out if your connection speed is being tampered with and is getting throttled. Since the majority of throttling takes place at the protocol level, they may limit your video streams to a reduced resolution while maintaining your overall bandwidth limit. However, if all of your high-bandwidth usages are throttled individually, it’ll be difficult to hit your maximum bandwidth.
There are several tools you can use to check if your internet is being throttled. The following are the most reliable ones,
- The YouTube Test
- Internet Health Test
Types Of Speed Throttling
The bandwidth-shaping process isn’t the same for everyone. Some ISPs limit bandwidth during particular periods of the day, such as after work or any peak hours of the day. Others limit your data when a daily or monthly quota has been reached or maybe even when you are reaching your data caps.
While the first two types are widespread, they are often evident and are usually spelled out in your subscriber agreement.
The more devious traffic-shaping techniques, on the other hand, slow certain web services and protocols, worsening your experience without slowing down your overall internet speed. And because this type is more difficult to detect and establish, numerous broadband providers have gotten away with it for years.
How Do ISPS tamper with Connection Speed
Internet service providers use a slew of routers to manage connection speeds and to tamper them with. The ISP’s technology keeps track of exactly how much data is transmitted to and from your internet connection.
Stop Your Connection From Being Tampered
If you do not want your internet service provider to be tampering with your speed, you can revert to the following ways;
- Keep track of how much data you use each month. If you’ve hit your data limits on a capped plan, you may usually avoid the problem by keeping a closer eye on your consumption in the future or switching to a plan with more data allotment. However, if your data is intended to be “unlimited,” there may not be a simple solution.
- Change your internet service provider. Some ISPs have a reputation for slowing down their customers, and practically every ISP has a different data cap in their terms. If you’re frequently getting throttled, you may consider switching to an internet service provider with a much greater bandwidth cap.
- Make your concerns known to government officials. If none of these options work for you, your only real option is to try to persuade your politicians and FCC officials to push for a more open internet. You can join the battle against predatory throttling and content prioritization by filing a comment to the FCC expressing your concerns or congress representative.
Conclusion
It is evident to us that the internet service providers do tamper with the connection speeds for the aforementioned reasons. However, it is still not legal to do so in many states but since it cannot exactly be proven or confirmed so that is where they sneak out from.