WiFi
Using WiFi is usually slower than if you were plugged into your modem with a cable. WiFi speeds will be even slower if the signal has to travel through walls in your home, if there are many devices sharing the same WiFi network, or if there are other WiFi networks nearby using the same frequency as yours.
Congestion
Just like when you're driving in peak hour traffic, if there are a lot of people downloading stuff at the same time as you, your internet speed can be impacted. There's only so much bandwidth to go around, and the more people who are using the bandwidth at the same time, the slower your internet is likely to be.
Equipment
If your equipment - including your modem and your computer - are old our out of date, this will impact your speed. Viruses and malware can also have an impact on your download speed, so make sure your computer is protected.
Overseas content
Did you know that there are pipes running under the ocean connecting Australia to the rest of the world? IF you're download something from the other side of the world, it can be a lot slower than downloading from a local server.
Server speed
You can only download something as fast as the server hosting the data can send it to you. So, even if you have a really fast internet conneciton, if you're downloading from a really slow server it doesn't matter if your internet connection is fast - it can only download as fast as the server can serve it up to you.
Technology related problems
ADSL
The further you live from the exchange, the slower your internet will be. The quality of the copper telephone network will also impact on your speeds, along with the quality of your in-home wiring.
Cable
Cable networks group their customers into areas known as "nodes", and customers within these nodes share one pipe for all of their internet data. During peak times, cable customers often experience slower speeds, just like driving a car during peak hour traffic.
NBN Fibre to the Premise (FTTP)
As this is a very fast conneciton type, you'll really only be affected by congestion.
NBN Fibre to the Node/Basement (FTTN/FTTB)
With FTTN, the further you live from the node, the slower your internet will be. The quality of the copper network from the node to your home will also impact on your speeds, along with the quality of your in-home wiring.
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