ISP throttling occurs when your internet service providers intentionally slow down your internet speeds when you try to torrent, stream videos, access undesirable content, or even some harmless online gaming! ISP throttling is common for every netizen, and the best way to bypass ISP throttling is through reliable and fastest VPN software.
This constant monitoring, supervision of internet activity, and bandwidth throttling violate user privacy. ISP throttling is a sneaky practice, even though it is extremely common. However, anyone who is vigilant enough can put a stop to it by looking out for one of the many symptoms of ISP throttling, such as:
- Long and continuous buffering of videos while streaming
- Speed test results show significantly slower speeds than what you may have signed up for
- Various internet activities might work significantly slower than the rest.
- Frustratingly poor downloading speeds while torrenting
Anyone facing such issues is a victim of ISP throttling, and this guide is a comprehensive solution to this issue. So if you are willing to bypass ISP throttling, read along!
Quick Tip! To Bypass Throttling
ISP throttling worldwide issue, whether you like it or not, it’s there. Sometimes it is the name of peak hours, bandwidth loads, extensive torrenting or streaming, or because of the net-neutrality bill. There are many ways to get around this issue, but the most effective and quick way is to use the fastest VPN service.
- CyberGhost (9.9 ratings) is the most recommended.
- NordVPN (9.9 rating) has fastest severs
- Surfshark: offers better support for streaming and downloading.
Using the fastest VPN, you can easily change your IP and get around the ISP throttling filter.
How To Bypass ISP Speed Limits Or Data Caps
VPNs are the best way to provide online privacy and security by encrypting user internet traffic and passing that information through an encrypted tunnel. Because ISP throttling occurs as a result of constant monitoring of internet traffic, the encryption provided by VPNs successfully aids in its circumvention. To avoid ISP throttling, take the following steps:
- Opt for one of the most reliable and fastest VPN providers.
- Create an account or log in using your designated ID and password.
- Select any server from the server list and connect to your VPN
- Get connected, open your browser, and test your internet speeds to see the difference.
Using these steps can help you successfully bypass throttling data issues. However, while doing so, you must ensure that you choose the best VPN in terms of speed, performance, features, and reliability. You might face various privacy or performance-related issues if you don’t consider these factors.
Moreover, while choosing the best VPN for bypassing ISP throttling, some specific features to consider are:
- Encryption
- Speed
- Device compatibility
- Stable connections
We have tried and tested numerous VPN providers to hand-pick the best based on these criteria. Amongst them, the following three VPNs are best for bypassing throttling.
Fastest VPNs for avoiding ISP Throttling
ISP throttling can have a major impact on your online experience. You’ll need a fast VPN if you’re trying to avoid it. Here are our top picks for the fastest VPNs to help you avoid ISP throttling.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost has over 6,400 servers in 90 countries and offers excellent speeds. Their unique NoSpy servers are specifically designed to defeat ISP throttling and geo-restrictions. Plus, their strict no-logs policy ensures that your data is never recorded or passed on to third parties.
NordVPN
NordVPN is another large provider with over 5,000 servers in 62 countries. They offer fast speeds and robust security, and their unique SmartPlay feature easily bypasses ISP throttling and geo-restrictions.
Surfshark
Surfshark is a fast-growing provider with over 1,700 servers in 63 countries. They offer unrivaled speeds and their Camouflage Mode defeats ISP throttling by hiding your traffic and making it impossible to detect or block.
No matter which VPN you choose, you should be able to avoid bandwidth throttling from your ISP and stream, surf, and game online with lightning-fast speeds.
What is ISP Bandwidth Throttling and Its Causes?
While considering methods of bypassing ISP throttling, it is important to dive into the concept behind it. ISP or bandwidth throttling is used to describe this practice of slowing down users’ internet speed. Admittedly, ISP throttling seems somewhat enraging and is frustrating to experience. ISPs have several reasons for throttling your internet connection, such as:
- Excessive downloading and streaming: Imposing data caps is another reason for ISP throttling.ISPs limit usage for activities such as torrenting or streaming, which take up significant bandwidth. This practice reduces network congestion even if you’re promised unlimited bandwidth.
- Speed issues at certain times of the day: Users may experience throttling at any specific time of the day due to server overload
- Slow speeds on certain websites: Various laws, such as the recent net-neutrality laws, allow ISPs to prioritize certain websites over others based on contractual mutual benefits between themselves and the website owners. Anyone trying to access forbidden content may also face ISP throttling.
- Decreased speeds at the end of the month: You might have subscribed to an internet package offering a specific data limit, and once you reach the end of the limit, ISPs throttle your internet connection.
VPNs are the ultimate solution to getting rid of ISP throttling that you might face caused by any of these given issues. However, while ISP throttling is common, it is also crucial to realize that speed degradation can happen due to numerous other reasons.
For instance, if your visiting website has its servers down, this could create speed issues. Also, there could be speed degradation after a user reaches the data limit of their internet package. Therefore, if you are facing degradation of speeds, you can check for ISP throttling before jumping to conclusions.
Is ISP Throttling Illegal?
It’s a murky area, but in general, yes–ISP throttling is likely illegal. The FCC has ruled that ISPs must disclose their throttling policies. Adventurers like T-Mobile have been caught red-handed violating net neutrality principles by secretly slowing down specific services.
But here’s the thing–the ruling only applies to fixed broadband providers like Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Mobile carriers like AT&T and Verizon are exempt from the transparency requirement, so they could theoretically get away with throttling without having to tell anyone.
Moreover, the legality of throttling could change in the future. The Trump administration has been publicly hostile to net neutrality, and it’s possible they could roll back some of the current protections. So while Throttlegate may have temporarily stopped ISP throttling, it’s far from being a long-term solution.
How does VPN Help Bypass ISP Throttling?
In layman’s terms, the simplest answer to this query is that ISPs throttle your internet connection by monitoring your web activity. VPNs help bypass it by encrypting all your internet traffic and successfully hiding it from your ISPs’ snoopy eyes. Some common cases due to which ISP throttling occurs are as follows:
For this secure encryption, VPNs use various encryption protocols such as UDP, TCP and L2TP. VPNs also use various secure encryption algorithms that encrypt your activity and hide it from your ISP.
With this, since your web activity is completely hidden from your ISPs, there is no chance of data throttling due to streaming, torrenting, accessing restricted content, or any similar activity.
Data caps are another big reason for ISP throttling, and VPNs can help you eliminate those limitations. VPNs have several servers in various countries to which data is routed as soon as it leaves your computer, providing you with a pseudo location.
Apart from that, VPNs also mask their user’s original IP addresses with fake ones to maintain online anonymity. This secrecy helps obscure your online identity and hide you from your ISPs, so they remain unaware when you have exceeded your predefined data limit.
Why is VPN the best solution to ISP throttling?
Online privacy has become scarce; therefore, privacy tools such as VPNs have gained immense popularity. Along with being an excellent solution for bypassing ISP throttling, VPNs also have a hoard of several other benefits that you can exploit, such as:
- VPNs provide privacy and security through various platforms simultaneously, such as iPhones, Androids, PCs, and even internet routers.
- Unlike other ISP throttling solutions, a quality VPN service is easy to set up. It is usually a one-click process that makes online privacy and anonymity accessible for every internet individual.
- Along with solving ISP throttling issues, VPNs provide access to unrestricted internet and help get past issues like geo-restriction.
- While various other solutions are complex, they are also not a sure method of bypassing ISP throttling and, therefore, can leave you vulnerable. However, a good VPN provider guarantees ultimate privacy, security and online freedom.
While VPNs are the ultimate privacy tool, not all VPNs provide the security they promise. The massive rise in VPN popularity has led to many fake VPNs appearing in the market. Therefore, if you consider getting a VPN to bypass ISP throttling, reviewing reviews thoroughly before selection is best. We have recently tried and tested NordVPN, providing great speeds, a steady connection, and robust security.
How To Stop ISP Throttling On Phones
(iPhone, Android, or T-mobile and get the Fastest Speed)
When your ISP throttles your internet, it slows down your connection. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re trying to do something that requires a fast connection, like streaming video or playing online games. There are a few ways to stop ISP throttling on your iPhone or Android and get the fastest speed possible.
The first step is to figure out if your ISP is actually throttling your connection. You can do this by running a speed test. If you’re getting slower speeds than you should be based on your plan, then throttling is likely the cause.
Once you’ve confirmed that Throttling is happening, there are a few ways to work around it. The best option is to use a VPN, which will encrypt your traffic and make it harder for your ISP to throttle it. Another option is to switch to a different ISP that doesn’t throttle internet speeds.
If you’re fed up with slow speeds and want to stop ISP Throttling, then follow these steps and get the fastest speed possible.
How to bypass ISP Throttling other than VPN
There are a few other ways to bypass ISP throttling, but they’re not as effective as using a VPN. For example, you can try using a proxy server, which will route your traffic through another server before it reaches your ISP. However, proxies don’t encrypt your traffic like VPNs do, so your ISP could still throttle your connection. Additionally, some ISPs are able to detect and block proxy servers.
Another way to bypass ISP throttling is to connect to the internet through a different provider than your ISP. This isn’t always possible, but if you have access to another high-speed internet connection, you can use that instead of relying on your ISP. Keep in mind that this won’t work if both providers are throttling your connection.
you can also use an internet accelerator, such as a software-defined networking (SDN) solution. These solutions use algorithms to optimize how data packets move across your network, which can reduce ISP throttling and improve your internet speeds. However, SDN solutions are often expensive and complicated to set up, so they’re not the best option for most users.
Solutions to Common ISP Throttling Issues
ISP throttling is a very common issue, and since it’s a sneaky problem, there are several issues related to it, such as follows:
How can I perform a Speed Test?
Speed tests are easy to perform. To get accurate results, be careful to first run a test without a VPN connection to get the original ISP-provided speeds. All you need to do is follow the given steps:
- Open the desired speed test and click on “Go.” You will get accurate results of your ISP-provided speeds.
- Connect your VPN and refresh the site.
- Perform the same test again. If you find apparent speed differences, it can be confirmed that your rISP is throttling your internet.
How to avoid ISP throttling while torrenting and streaming?
The easiest solution to avoid ISP throttling while torrenting and streaming is to get a VPN. Since a VPN masks user identity and hides user activity through encryption, whenever you torrent or stream, your ISP will remain in the dark about your activity and won’t be able to throttle your internet connection.
Can Internet Health Test Help Detect ISP Throttling?
The internet health tests tool employs M-Labs infrastructure and code to route all your traffic to a device operating outside your ISP’s network and serving as a measuring point.
It can detect any signs of restriction between your ISP and the specific measuring point, making it a reliable tool for detecting ISP throttling. It is recommended to run the test weekly to ensure authentic and reliable results.
How to avoid using your ISP server?
ISPs frequently throttle a user’s connection to reduce traffic load on its servers. However, windows users can manually get rid of this problem through the following steps:
- From the bottom of the screen, click on “Start” and search “Run” in the search bar.
- Once “Run” appears in the search results, click on it.
- In the pop-up “Run” window, type “MSC,” after which the “Local Group Policy Editor” window will appear.
- Within this window, navigate to and click on “Computer Configuration > Administrative > Templates > Network > QoS Packet Scheduler > Limit reservable bandwidth.”
- Look for “Bandwidth limit%”, set it to 0, and press OK
- Again, go to the start menu and click on Control Panel located on the right
- From the left side of the Control Panel, click on Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings
- Left click on the Local Area Connection and select properties > enable the option “Internet Protocol Version 4” TCP/IPv4
- In the General tab, change the DNS server settings. The preferred Google DNS is 8.8.8.8 so and the alternate DNS you can use can be 8.8.4.4.
- Finally, click on OK to close the window.
Because of the change in DNS requirements, internet requests will no longer have to go through your ISP’s servers.
FAQ’s
With the increase in VPN demand, many illegitimate VPNs and even free VPNs on the market provide inadequate security and privacy. So if your VPN is not secure enough, you will likely face ISP throttling.
Yes, you can sue your ISP for throttling. If your ISP is found to have throttled your bandwidth, they may be required to pay damages to you. You may also be able to recover attorney’s fees if you win your case.
VPNs are legal in most countries, including the US, but some countries block VPN use. This includes China, Iran, and Russia. Some ISPs also block VPN traffic, though this is not common.
If your ISP does block VPN traffic, you will need to use a different method to access the internet securely. One option is to use a proxy server. Another option is to use a Tor network.
Final Words
Internet speed issues are one of the most frustrating online problems, whether caused by ISP throttling or another factor. However, with the advent of privacy tools such as VPNs, achieving online privacy and freedom does not seem impossible. Hopefully, this guide proves to help bypass ISP throttling and allows you the interrupted internet connection you deserve.
