ELI5: why is my internet slow

Your internet is slow because too many people are trying to use the same internet pipe at the same time, or your pipe isn't big enough for what you're doing.

Imagine your internet is like a water pipe that brings water to your house. When you’re the only one using water, like when you're just filling a glass, the water flows quickly.

• But what if your whole family is using water at the same time? One person is showering, another is washing dishes, and someone else is watering the garden. Now, the water might come out slower because everyone is sharing the same pipe.

• Too many devices: If you have many phones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs all using the internet at once, they all need to share the internet pipe. This can slow things down.
• Big downloads: Downloading a big game or watching a movie takes up a lot of space in the internet pipe, just like a giant wave of water. While that's happening, other things, like loading a website, might be slow.
• Distance from the source: Imagine your house is far away from the water source. The water has to travel a long way, and the pressure might be lower by the time it gets to you. Similarly, the further you are from your Wi-Fi router, the weaker the internet signal can be, and the slower your internet will be.
• Your neighbor: Sometimes, even if you're not using much internet, your internet might still be slow. This could be because your neighbors are using a lot of internet, and you're all sharing the same main internet pipe coming into your street.

• Turning off devices you're not using.
• Waiting until later to download big files.
• Moving closer to your Wi-Fi router.
• Asking your parents to get a bigger internet pipe (a faster internet plan) from your internet provider.