Have you noticed your internet slowing to a crawl at the worst times, making streaming, surfing, and even basic web browsing a choppy, frustrating mess? Your internet service provider may be secretly throttling your speeds.^1
This comprehensive insider guide will teach you how to spot throttling and implement proven methods to bypass restrictions and restore your full internet performance. No technical expertise required!
Here‘s what I‘ll cover:
- Easy ways to identify ISP throttling yourself
- Why your ISP restricts speeds and differences in throttling methods
- Powerful solutions including VPN setup, router settings, and mobile configurations
- Global perspective examining various country regulations on the issue
- Extra pro tips to guarantee you stay two steps ahead
Let‘s get you back up to max internet speeds!
Detecting Throttling – How to Know If It‘s Happening to You
Internet providers use sly behind-the-scenes throttling to intentionally slow down customers in a variety of ways:
- Lowering bandwidth speed maximums^2
- Introducing extra latency that delays connectivity^3
- Hampering specific types of traffic like streaming video or gaming^4
This lets them optimize profits while pretending to offer faster advertised speeds.
The good news? Throttling can be detected with ease. Here are quick ways to test if you‘ve been affected:
Use Speed Tests Before and During High Traffic Times
Run internet speed analyses on sites like Speedtest.net during both peak and off-peak internet usage hours:
- Peak hours causing maximum network congestion: 7PM-11PM daily
- Off-peak with lighter traffic: 11AM-4PM and 12AM-9AM daily
If speeds drop over 50% between off-peak and high-traffic times, throttling is likely occurring during the busiest internet hours.
Do a Speed Test With and Without a VPN
Connect to a free or paid virtual private network (VPN) service to mask your identity, then compare speeds:
- Record a speed test disconnected from any VPN
- Connect to a trusted VPN like CyberGhost, Norton or Hotspot Shield
- Run a second speed analysis through the active VPN
Massive speed improvements through the VPN indicate your ISP specifically throttles based on user activity profiling and traffic analysis. A quality VPN prevents this by hiding what you do online.
Check for Other Throttling Symptoms
Besides solely measuring slower speeds, keep an eye out for other network issues pointing to throttling:^5
- Increased buffering when streaming video content despite high internet plan
- Difficulty smoothly playing online games and voice chat suddenly cutting out
- Failure of large downloads from sources like torrents and file sharing sites
- Pages stalling to load web content and images
If these sound familiar, you may be getting throttled!
Why ISPs Limit Your Speeds
Internet providers slow down customers for both technical and unethically profit-driven reasons:^6
Control Network Congestion
When neighborhood traffic exceeds available local bandwidth capacity, ISPs claim they must throttle users evenly to prevent complete network outages. Think of this as a forced compromise during peak hours.
However, many major ISPs have been accused of lying about the regularity of congestion to justify general throttling.
Discourage High Data Consumption
ISPs closely monitor user behavior to target and throttling heavy bandwidth activities like:
- Streaming lots of HD video
- Downloading large files via torrents
- Playing online video games for extended periods
This strongarms customers into upgrading to premium unlimited data plans for improved performance.
Promote Business Interests
Some ISPs now own their own streaming platforms, so they sabotage speeds on popular services like Netflix and Hulu they view as competition. Prioritizing company profits over customers is unethically common.
Differences Between Throttling and Data Caps
While both techniques limit performance, it helps to understand two key differences in how ISPs enforce them:^7
- Data caps are usage restrictions clearly spelled out when you first sign up for a monthly internet plan. Go over your cap and throttling kicks in.
- Throttling happens secretly in real-time based on an ISP‘s own triggers – you experience speed drops without warning explanations why.
Caps give you desired speed until exceeding your allowance while throttling slows your traffic speed itself as companies desire.
Now that you know precisely why you‘ve been throttled and can confirm it happening, what solutions will prevent your ISP from limiting performance?
Regain Full Speeds with a VPN
The most widely recommended method to bypass ISP throttling utilizes virtual private network (VPN) software to take back control of your connectivity.^8
Here’s why a VPN is the ultimate tool to beat throttling:
- Encrypts your internet traffic so ISPs can‘t analyze activity
- Masks high data usage like streaming, protecting you from targeting
- Hides your identity and prevents speed limiting based on your behavior
With no visibility into WHAT you do online, your ISP loses all ability to restrict your connection speeds!
Choosing the Best Throttling VPN
With tons of VPNs out there, make sure to select one offering:^9
✅ Ironclad 256-bit AES data encryption so no throttling triggers are visible
✅ Unlimited monthly data allowance without any ISP alignment
✅ Apps to configure throttling protection across all devices – desktops, mobiles, consoles, streaming boxes
✅ Enough servers near your location to retain low natural latency
Based on technical capability shielding users from ISP limits, top recommendations include ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, StrongVPN, and NordVPN.
Setup is dead simple – download a VPN app on your computer, mobile, or right on your router if it supports such configurations.
Connecting to your closest server takes just one click, immediately locking down your connectivity from ISP restrictions!
Optimize Mobile Devices to Stop Throttling
Along with a VPN, additional tweaks to your phone and tablet provide layered protection against ISP speed manipulations when mobile:
Configure APN Settings on Android
Altering your access point name (APN) on an Android obscures traffic type from your cellular carrier, preventing throttling triggered by bandwidth profiling:^10
- Go to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network > Access point names
- For each APN, add “*dun” to the end (example: "VZWINTERNET.DUN")
- Restart your device
Note for iOS/iPhones – due to closed platforms, APN changes cannot be made to bypass throttling. Use a VPN!
Enable Background Data & Limit Battery Optimization
- Check Settings > Connections > Data usage > Unrestricted data > Allow background data
- Disable Battery optimization and Deep sleep under App settings and Device care
This keeps your traffic active to stop throttling timers and data savings techniques imposed while mobile apps run in the background.^11
Windows Throttling Avoidance Tweaks
Besides leaning on a VPN, adjusting two Windows settings helps reduce ISP throttling susceptibility:
Turn On Metered Connection
- Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi/Ethernet
- Toggle Metered connection ON below your connection
Marking your network as metered stops Windows from prioritizing large, high-bandwidth traffic like OS updates. This saves bandwidth cues used by ISPs to identify throttling candidates.^12
Lower Delivery Optimization
- Visit Settings > Update & Security > Delivery Optimization
- Change the dropdown to "Restrict Delivery Optimization"
With lowered delivery optimization, less Windows update bandwidth strains your connection. Useful for gamers and video streamers!
Bypass Throttling by Changing DNS Servers
Your computer converts website names into IP addresses using a DNS server. ISPs often manipulate DNS to trigger throttling when you access high-traffic sites and services.
Shuttle traffic through open DNS servers outside your ISP’s control avoids this manipulation:
Use Google Public DNS
- Visit Control Panel > Network & Internet > Network Connections
- Access adapter Properties and select Internet Protocol Version 4
- Switch DNS server to Google‘s public 8.8.8.8 address
Google DNS won‘t impact security but prevents DNS-based throttling tricks.^13
AdGuard DNS Filters
For ad-blocking AND anti-throttling, AdGuard‘s DNS routes your traffic through filtering servers:
76.103.130.130
76.103.130.131
Easy to configure, blocks ads and stops manipulation!
Most Throttled Apps and Services
ISPs aggressively target throttling based on the type of high-bandwidth traffic you generate. Specifically:
Video Streaming Sites
YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Twitch and other streaming platforms consume incredible amounts of data ISPs want to restrict. Expect resolution capping, buffering wheels, and error messages galore.
- 720p resolution stream: 3GB per hour per user
- 4K streaming: 7GB per hour per user!^14
A 2019 study found ELIMINATING throttling led to 84% faster streaming speeds.^15
Online Gaming & Consoles
Real-time interactivity of online games utilize substantial bandwidth – up to 125MB per hour. Latency and lag spikes ruin the experience.
ISPs like Rogers, Bell and Cogeco in Canada have admitted to targeting Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and other gaming for throttling.^16
File Sharing & Torrents
Uploading and downloading large files with BitTorrent tap out connections. Trickle speeds force users to cancel transfers.
VPN tunneling for gaming, streaming, and P2P sharing defeats the most common app-based throttling your ISP imposes simply based on your usage type and profile.
Global Snapshot – Throttling Laws by Country
The state of regulations prohibiting or requiring disclosure of ISP throttling differs substantially across the world:^17
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Laws since 2018 mandate ISPs accurately represent broadband speeds attainable for customers. Throttling without transparency faces governmental penalties.
🇨🇦 Canada
Despite official denials, recent 2022 investigations revealed widescale throttling of video streaming and file transfers by providers like Bell Canada and Rogers. Stricter regulations await.
🇦🇺 Australia
No formal throttling protections yet exist. However, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) established network responsiveness guidelines for healthcare and educational traffic prioritization during peak hours.
🇺🇸 United States
The US abolished net neutrality protections in 2017 allowing unlimited ISP throttling. Current FCC rules only require visibility into how much median consumers get compared to advertised speeds.
In general, strong governmental oversight and network neutrality laws offer the best long-term shielding against shady ISP throttling practices. But whether legal protection exists or not, the solutions outlined here empower YOU to overcome limitations.
Final Thoughts
ISP throttling causes endless frustration as providers secretly limit our connectivity speeds for profit. This insider guide reviewed proven methods detecting throttling plus configurable solutions for restoring your full internet performance again.
I encourage you to regain buttery smooth streaming, surfing and downloading through encrypted VPN tunneling across all devices types. Support internet freedom by hiding your activity from corporate gatekeeping!
Best of luck maximizing your speeds and defeating sneaky ISP throttling practices. Stay powered up!