# What if I'm experiencing slow speeds?

There are a number of factors to consider when experiencing slow internet speeds 🚶‍♂️💨. First, we need to determine what speeds you are receiving 📶.

Start by doing a Google search for Speedtest.net 🌐. This is a simple and quick way to see what your current speeds are 🕒. Speeds can and will vary at different times of the day as usage on towers fluctuates during peak hours 🌅🌆. Peak usage times are typically early in the morning before work and school 🏫 begin, and in the evenings after they are over 💼. We encourage you to run multiple speed tests throughout the day 🕐 so the problem can be isolated 🔍. Make a note 📝 of what speeds you are getting and at what time ⏰.

Please note 🛑 that if your speeds are under 10 Mbps download, this doesn’t necessarily mean your internet is unusable 🚫💻. This is a common misconception. Depending on what activities you’re using the internet for 🎮🎥, your usage requirements will vary 📊.

For example:

* Surfing the web 🌐 requires a minimum of 2 Mbps
* Streaming music 🎶 requires a minimum of 0.5 Mbps
* Playing online video games 🎮 requires a minimum of 3 Mbps

Streaming services:

* Netflix 🎥 needs 5 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for 4K
* Hulu 📺 needs 3 Mbps for HD and 16 Mbps for 4K
* Disney+ 🏰 needs 5-10 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for 4K
* HBO 🎬 needs 5 Mbps
* YouTube 🎥 needs 5 Mbps for HD and 20 Mbps for 4K

Zoom Video Calls 📞:

* One-on-one calls need 8 Mbps for sending and receiving
* Group video calls require 2.5 Mbps for receiving and 3 Mbps for sending 📲

Additionally, placement of your modem matters 📡. Please see our knowledge base article 📚 here for more information regarding placement.

If you have a cell booster 📶, this could also be a source of slow speeds 🐢. Whether you’re in an RV park 🛻 or a neighborhood 🏘️ with weak cell signal, there is always the temptation to use a cell booster to improve your signal. However, cellular boosters can cause interference ⚠️ and do not work well with our modems. Our modems must receive direct signals from the nearest tower 🚀 for specific frequencies, which are not typically amplified by boosters 📡. Cell boosters amplify and rebroadcast frequencies that the modem can’t use, creating “noise” 📢. This can degrade speeds 📉 or even disconnect the modem completely ❌.

In RV parks, it’s common for other RVers 🚌 to use cell boosters, which can affect your internet experience 🌐.

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**Documents**

- [Dragon Gateway – Easy First‑Time Setup Guide](https://wiki.nomadinternet.com/s/home/doc/dragon-gateway-easy-firsttime-setup-guide-QNgzlqVODD)
- [Quick Start Guide- How to Activate](https://wiki.nomadinternet.com/s/home/doc/quick-start-guide-how-to-activate-bMyPpQPuo4)
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