Member Avatar for chound

Hi,
I use my wifi home network with 2 mobile phones, 1 iPad, 2 desktops, 2 laptops...
However only one desktop has slow Internet speeds.
I used speedtest.net in iPad and other desktops and it shows 4 Mbps ( my correct speed). But this desktop alone shows 1 or 2 Mbps or even less. I use avg free antivirus. And windows firewall. Full scans show nothing.
What to do?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by JorgeM

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical plan that expands on ’s wired-test idea and ’s cleanup hint, with focused steps to isolate whether the problem is the Wi‑Fi link, the router, or that one PC.

  1. Quick isolation — wired vs wireless: first plug the desktop into the router with a short Ethernet cable and run a speed test. If speeds recover, focus on the wireless adapter, signal, channels and power settings; if wired stays slow, the fault is on that PC (drivers, background apps or NIC hardware). (mcsnet.ca)

  2. If it’s wireless: use a Wi‑Fi scanner to check signal strength and channel congestion, try 2.4 GHz channels 1/6/11 or 5 GHz if available, move the PC closer for a quick test, and disable adapter power‑saving in Device Manager (Allow the computer to turn off this device -> uncheck). These steps commonly fix intermittent drops and low throughput. (acrylicwifi.com)

  3. If wired is slow (or wired test was inconclusive): hunt on the PC for bandwidth hogs and conflicting services — open Resource Monitor / Task Manager, do a clean boot to rule out third‑party services (per ’s suggestion), temporarily pause AVG only while testing, run a fresh Malwarebytes scan, and update/reinstall the NIC driver. Quick commands to try in an elevated prompt or to gather info:

    ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ping -n 20 8.8.8.8
tracert -d 8.8.8.8
resmon

    Use Clean Boot and Resource Monitor to narrow which process uses the link. (support.microsoft.com)

  4. Advanced checks: measure raw LAN throughput with iperf3 (server on another LAN machine) to separate internet vs local limits; verify the NIC’s negotiated speed/duplex (duplex mismatches cause big slowdowns); update router firmware and try a different LAN port/cable; if the NIC still misbehaves, test with a Linux live‑USB or a USB Ethernet/Wi‑Fi adapter to rule out hardware. (iperf.fr)

Order of checks that finds most problems fastest: wired test -> Task Manager/Resource Monitor -> clean boot / pause AV -> driver update -> iperf3 -> replace/test NIC. Re‑enable protection after testing and don’t leave AV disabled.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for chound

This doesn't happen all the time. It's more on and off

Member Avatar for mjdodd

Worth checking using some software like advanced system care that the slow machine is mean and clean and nt clogged up with old / redundant files etc, likewise registry clean too
M

Member Avatar for JorgeM

If this desktop has a wireless interface, make sure the connection is good. you can easily test this by using the ethernet port and plug it into the router directly. if the speed improves, its your wireless card, if it doesnt, something else on the PC.

Edited by JorgeM
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