A Guide for Fixing Slow Viasat Internet

If you are looking for satellite internet, you’re unlikely to find a better provider than Viasat. Viasat has long provided the best internet service for those without access to top cable and fiber internet services, namely those living in rural America.

Despite being the best satellite internet provider, you may still occasionally deal with speeds that are slower than desired. Reviews show there are some people complaining about their Viasat internet speeds. Why is that? And what can you do to improve your Viasat internet speeds when you’re the one facing slower than desired internet? Your answers below.

First, Why is My Connection Slow?

There are a few potential reasons. Though Viasat internet is usually pretty reliable, there are some factors that could give you a different experience. For one, there might be a Viasat internet outage in your area. This is pretty rare, but very severe storms (either at your location or at the Viasat ground station) can block some or all of the internet signal. Whatever is causing the outage, Viasat is usually very quick to respond and get your internet back up and running at full speed.

A more common cause of slow internet speeds is surpassing your monthly data limit. New Viasat plans right now offer between 15 and 300 GB of prioritized data per month. If you surpass this limit, your internet data will get deprioritized behind those who haven’t surpassed their limits. This will result in slower speeds whenever using your Viasat satellite internet during heavy network congestion.

Even if you haven’t surpassed your monthly data threshold and otherwise have no idea why your speeds are slow, you can still try some of our ideas below.

How do I Fix My Slow Viasat Internet Connection?

If your internet connection is facing some serious speed issues, there are a few things you can try:

Add more data

Since the most common reason for internet slowing is going over your data cap, especially during the latter part of your billing cycle, the first thing you should check is the current state of your data. You can check how much data you’ve used by logging into your Viasat account. If it shows that you’ve passed your monthly allowance, that explains the slow connection.

The good news is that you can always purchase more data to keep your internet running strong. One GB of data will cost you about $10. You can add data either over the phone or online. If you find yourself going over your data limit regularly, it might be a good idea to upgrade to a plan with a higher data allowance.

Fix your satellite dish

The core of your internet connection is your satellite dish. It is the device that sends and receives all the data between itself and the Viasat satellite. If it becomes damaged or misaligned, your internet connection can suffer.

Your satellite dish is pretty sturdy, but you can still check on the condition of your satellite dish to see if it has been damaged by hail or snow, or misaligned by severe storms. Its connection can also be affected by tree branches growing in the path of the signal. It is best not to attempt a fix by yourself. Viasat has trained professionals who know exactly what to do to give you the best connection possible. Your internet will be faster and more reliable if you call customer service and let them take care of the problem for you.

Reset your Viasat internet

You know the old adage when it comes to fixing technology: “Turn it off, then turn it back on again.” The same is true for satellite internet.

In order to make sure you fix the problem component, we’re going to suggest unplugging everything, starting with your computer. Then unplug your router and modem from their power sources and all wired connections. Now wait a couple minutes to give everything time to reset internally. When you’re ready, plug in your modem and wait for the LED light to turn solid blue. Then you can plug your router and computer back in as well. Hopefully, this will be the solution you were needing.

Move your router

It’s possible that the problem isn’t with your Viasat internet at all but with the location of your router. Wi-Fi signals can only travel so far and they weaken the further they reach. This means that if you’re trying to use the internet somewhere that is at the edge of the wi-fi signals reach, you will only manage to get a weak connection.

This problem comes with an easy solution. If you move your wi-fi router to a more central location of your home, you should get better coverage. Avoid placing your wi-fi router in the basement or second floor where the signal won’t easily reach above or below. There are also wi-fi extenders, which relay the wi-fi signal and significantly increase its reach to every corner of your home.

You may already have your router in an ideal location. If so, you can also try plugging your device directly into the router using an ethernet cable. This provides a stronger, more stable connection than wi-fi and can give you faster internet speeds.

Make sure you don’t have extra devices connected

It’s also possible that there are extra devices connected to your router eating up its bandwidth. This problem is easily fixed by disconnecting devices that aren’t in use, or at least stopping whatever internet activities are running on them.

How Much Does the Data Cap Affect My Internet Speed?

You’ve been really diligent about conserving your monthly data, but your significant other decided to stream some movies in 4K HD while you were at work and now your data allowance is far behind you. How much is this going to hurt your internet’s performance?

I wish I could say you won’t notice, but there will probably be a significant difference during times of higher network traffic, which are most likely the times you want to use the internet as well. The speed of users who haven’t passed their data allowance will be prioritized over yours, which is something you’re going to notice until your next monthly billing cycle starts.

How Can I Make My Viasat Internet Faster?

Even if your Viasat internet isn’t being throttled, you may want to increase its performance anyway. We could all use a few extra Mbps, right? Well, what can be done about it?

One thing you can do is make sure your satellite dish has a clear view of the sky. The technician will install the dish with the best connection to the satellite possible, but sometimes buildings or tree branches can pop up in the way and ruin your connection. If this is the case, call customer service and ask for a technician to come and move the dish.

You can also buy better equipment. A good wi-fi router won’t make your internet speeds faster than your satellite dish can deliver, but it will get closer than a low-quality one. Or better yet, skip wi-fi altogether when you can. Plugging your device into the router with an ethernet cord will give better speeds than receiving your internet through the air.

The easiest way to improve your internet speed is to upgrade your plan. It will increase your monthly bill, but you’ll get faster download speeds and higher data allowances. This will allow you to do all the online activities you want without getting throttled at the end of the month. A higher download speed means better performance, and more data means longer performance. Call customer service to discuss what other plans are available in your area.

Whether you're having trouble with the equipment or running out of data, slow internet is a frustrating experience. Nothing can ruin some good online work or play more than loading times and excessive buffering. But if you follow the tips above, you should be able to optimize your Viasat experience to increase your speed and decrease the frustration.

We are here 24/7 to answer all of your Internet and TV Questions:

1-855-690-9884