Windstream Internet, also known as Kinetic, uses cable, fiber, fixed wireless and DSL technologies to deliver internet signals to customers. As with other telecom companies Windstream has its share of customers who love it, or tolerate it, or hate it. Speeds should not be super slow unless there is an infrastructure issue or your online activities aren’t supported by the speeds in your plan.

DSL connections are workhorse internet solutions that send the internet signal through a phone line original designed to carry much less data than the internet requires. When the internet was invented the phone lines were found to transmit internet data successfully at very slow speeds of 1 – 7 Mbps. Over the decades, newer technologies emerged to deliver speeds many times faster than DSL but it all depends on where you live. Infrastructure is not consistent throughout the U.S. Where DSL can be paired with other solutions it’s possible to get speeds in the 400-500 Mbps range.

Standard DSL connection can handle basic internet activities like checking email and social networking but will not support heavy streaming or uploading large files. If your Windstream plan promises speeds of up to 25 Mbps you should be able to get close to that regularly, barring outages or planned maintenance. You can check your internet speed here: speed test.

At 25 Mbps, which you won’t always have, you can stream videos in 1080p, stream music, check email, browse social media and work from home. You may have some buffering on a Zoom call.

Here are steps you can take to increase speed:

Lighten the demand: Having multiple devices online at once will slow your speeds so take any unnecessary devices offline when you have a crunch. Looking at your Wi-Fi dashboard to see connected devices to the internet and Wi-Fi could be an eye-opener as the average U.S. home has 22 devices online at any given time. Cameras, cell phones, tablets, smart watches and TVs, laptops … the list goes on. They’re all competing for available bandwidth. Anything you don’t need can be taken offline until you do need it.

Restart your modem/router. A full restart of your equipment sometimes resolves issues. So, power down your modem/router and your primary computer, wait a moment, and power it back up. Give everything a chance to connect and sync and then test your internet connection. You can then run an internet speed test to determine download and upload speeds.

Check all internal cables connected to your router/modem. Make sure they’re clean, securely fastened, and not showing wear and tea. If you see any wires exposed, stop. Don’t touch the cable or the wire that’s exposed. Immediately power down and call customer service. That cable will need to be replaced.

You’ll want to ask Windstream to handle reviews of outdoor cables and potential infrastructure issues. These can be the source of complaints especially when Windstream cannot remediate local infrastructure problems. Cables running underground are the source of many complaints in rural areas. DSL internet service runs on phone lines and those lines may be aging out or there may be multiple uses of that line or several bridged connections into it. Construction in the area may have damaged the line.

With infrastructure issues, damage that is recent and easy to identify can often be corrected, but there may be larger infrastructure issues that may take a long time to address. There may be little that Windstream can do in some situations. In such cases you may instead want to look into satellite internet solutions that routinely reach rural and remote areas. Costs can be higher, and, depending on the provider, you may need to commit to a 24-month contract.

Windstream customer service is available at 1-800-347-1991.