Have you ever noticed reduced speeds while streaming videos on Netflix, downloading torrents from uTorrents, or playing games like Warzone and PUBG? The sluggish internet speed and long loading times are not because of any inconvenience or network issue but because of the ISP throttling your bandwidth on a particular site.
The repeal of net neutrality has empowered the ISPs to interfere with customers’ bandwidth without letting them know. ISP throttles your bandwidth Browsing the web with throttled bandwidth causes great frustration among the users.
This unfair practice isn’t good at all and needs to be stopped. Fortunately, there are ways for getting around bandwidth throttling and browsing the internet at full speed. But before exploring that, it is best to have a sound understanding of what is bandwidth throttling.
What is Bandwidth and Bandwidth Throttling?
Bandwidth is the maximum capacity of the wireless communication network that sends and receives a particular amount of data from your device to the computer network within a specific time. Usually, any connection with more than 25Mbps is considered a fast speed. If you have an extended family with 5-6 users, the average speed should be 200-300 Mbps.
You often might face reduced bandwidth because of the number of users connected to your network, but it’s not like that every time. In reality, your ISP mainly controls your bandwidth. Thus, if you ever experience low bandwidth, it means your ISP isn’t delivering what they promise and might be throttling your bandwidth.
Bandwidth throttling is the deliberate slowing down of your speed by your ISP. It is purposefully done to decongest the network or optimize the traffic. Some ISPs restrict the users’ traffic involved in high-bandwidth consuming activities like downloading torrents or streaming videos in HD quality. Your ISPs can throttle your bandwidth on any device, service, and website that you’re using.
If you ever doubt about your internet speed being slower than expected, then it’s high time that you perform a speed test. But make sure that you’re not streaming a video or torrent software that might be consuming much of your bandwidth before you run a test.
How Does ISP Throttle Your Bandwidth?
Whatever you do on the internet is not hidden by your ISP; your ISP monitors and tracks your internet traffic. To do so, they use filters and deep inspection techniques that throttle your bandwidth during activities that take too much of the bandwidth. These filters efficiently detect the high bandwidth usage activities and limit your bandwidth even if you’re subscribed to a high data usage plan. They do so because your actions result in more load on their network.
Bandwidth throttling is a necessary, and rigid practice ISPs adopt to manage and decongest the network traffic. But at times, ISP even throttles your bandwidth when it fails to fulfill the speed-related promises made to the customers, and there are various reasons for it. Some of the reasons that compel the ISPs to implement such unfair practices include:
Here are the statistics about which ISP mostly throttling users bandwidth reports.
- If a users’ monthly bandwidth limit reaches the data cap so, most likely, your ISP might throttle the bandwidth.
- To regulate the network traffic and to mitigate the network congestion.
- ISPs have various pricing packages, so they throttle the bandwidth to encourage users to pay a hefty amount to get better speeds.
ISPs even claim that they throttle the connection to improve their services, but it isn’t like that. You need to stop it.
Is There Any Way to Prevent Bandwidth Throttling?
There are various known methods to prevent bandwidth throttling but using a reliable VPN provider is the best and the most obvious. Though VPNs are regarded as the best anonymity tool that allows users to enjoy anonymity and privacy over the web, they are best in preventing speed throttling uses.
When using a VPN, all your network traffic is routed via a remote private server before reaching the open internet world. It does so by hiding your IP address and encrypting the data traffic. When you’re using a VPN, your ISP won’t know about your online activities because of encryption. Hence, you can easily bypass the ISP filters and software that detects high-bandwidth activities on the internet.
Many users avoid using a VPN to prevent bandwidth throttling because of a common myth that a VPN might slow down their internet speed. However, it’s true but not completely. A VPN while establishing a connection with a VPN server and encrypting the data traffic takes time, but it’s pretty negligible. The best VPN for throttling ensures that the VPN won’t take much time and affect your speeds.
If you want to know more about bypass throttling, follow this link.
Why Does My ISP Throttle My Bandwidth?
It is already known that your ISP purposefully throttles your connection, and there are reasons for it. Your ISP might throttle your bandwidth because:
- Paid prioritization
- Network congestion
- Excessive streaming or gaming
- Downloading torrents
- Following any regional laws
- Due to the repeal of net neutrality
- Non-payment of bills
Whatever the reason, bandwidth throttling is not fair, and users need to use tools like a VPN to get rid of it completely.
Is Your Mobile Data Affected With Bandwidth Throttling?
ISP can throttle your bandwidth on any device so, if you’re a mobile, you can be at significant risk. The primary purpose of throttling the bandwidth when using mobile data is to force Android or iOS users to buy plans with higher data caps.
What’s the Difference Between Data Caps and Throttling?
Data caps and throttling might sound similar, but they aren’t. A data cap is the limit or monthly allowed data that an ISP assigns to the users. The ISP engages in data capping when the user reaches the maximum data capacity before the month ends. While throttling is the intentional act by the ISP to limit the internet speed at which the device is performing any activity. Data caps can be why ISP might throttle your bandwidth and experience slow internet speed.
Does the Government Enforce Bandwidth Throttling?
Unfortunately, many authoritarian regimes where the state regulates the internet uses throttling techniques to monitor and control the users’ internet usage. It is of great importance when the country goes through high political crises and tensions. A report revealed that during 2019 14 states found the government enforcing bandwidth throttling on the users. The worst aspect is that the users are not aware of these happenings and are kept aside from accessing the free internet world.
Name the Services Where ISP Throttles Your Bandwidth?
Your ISP might throttle your bandwidth while using various streaming services and websites. Here are the services where ISP purposefully throttles your bandwidth because you’re using excessive bandwidth and might be causing congestion within the network:
- YouTube
- Twitch
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
- Stream
- uTorrent
If you want to use any of these services without affecting your internet speed, then do make sure that you subscribe to a reliable VPN provider in the first place.
Final Thoughts
Bandwidth throttling is a sneaky practice that frustrates the users and prevents them from enjoying a hassle-free gaming, streaming, or torrenting experience. Downloading a reputable VPN provider is the best way to avoid bandwidth throttling. It hides your online activities from the ISPs and ensures that you surf the web anonymously and privately. So, use a VPN and enjoy browsing the web at ultrafast speeds.
