I have a situation where my husband's gaming PC is connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable. He insists that it's improving his gaming performance, which might be true. However, I've noticed that whenever he's using his computer, my WiFi connection on my phone and sometimes my laptop becomes painfully slow. This slowdown affects streaming, downloading, and even basic tasks like texting. I'm constantly switching to cellular data to avoid the lag. Is this slowdown because of the Ethernet connection, or could there be another reason behind it?
4 Answers
Check your internet plan too. If it's not very high speed, then any extra load from wired devices could start to affect wireless ones. And if his PC has a virus, it could be secretly using up bandwidth without a visible indication.
Your router might also be prioritizing his wired connection over wireless devices. If it's older or misconfigured, that can create issues. Make sure your router is set to handle multiple devices effectively. Sometimes, even doing a firmware update can help!
Exactly, settings on the router can sometimes cause major issues. I had to adjust mine to balance traffic better after noticing similar problems!
Have you tried running a speed test when he's on versus when he’s off? It could provide some insight into what's happening with your internet when he's on his PC. Sometimes a drop in bars on your phone can indicate weaker service due to interference or congestion.
I haven't thought of doing a speed test yet, but I’ll give it a shot next time! I just noticed that my phone shows lower signal bars when he's using the computer.
Your internet connection is shared across devices. If he's downloading or streaming something while gaming, that could eat up a lot of bandwidth and slow things down for you. Generally, gaming itself shouldn’t cause too many issues unless there are updates being downloaded at the same time.
Right! Unless he's doing something bandwidth-heavy like downloading games or using cloud services, gaming alone usually doesn't hog enough resources to impact others significantly.
Good point! He hasn’t noticed any odd behavior, but I’ll ask him to scan his PC just in case. We also pay more for our service package, so I hope that's not the issue!