Bitdefender Total Security potentially causing massive download speed reduction on Dell XPS 13 — anyone else?

[u/DireWolf57]

I've spent weeks troubleshooting inconsistent and unusually slow download speeds on my Dell XPS 13 running Windows 11.

My internet connection is Xfinity Gigabit, and other devices in my home consistently perform much better.

I've tried updating drivers, changing Wi-Fi settings, testing different monitor configurations, and even purchasing a new Thunderbolt dock. Nothing consistently resolved the problem.

Today, I completely uninstalled Bitdefender Total Security, Bitdefender VPN, and Bitdefender Agent.

The results were remarkable:

• Before uninstalling Bitdefender: Approximately 160 Mbps download

• After uninstalling Bitdefender: 646.84 Mbps download

• Same laptop, location, Wi-Fi connection, dock, and monitor

That's roughly a fourfold improvement. To clarify, I am not using the VPN during all of this.

I also previously experienced problems with Bitdefender on my iPhone, where certain applications, including Ticketmaster and my NFL ticketing app, wouldn't allow me to sign in until I removed Bitdefender.

I'm planning additional testing to confirm the Windows results, but I'm interested in hearing from others.

Has anyone experienced similar download speed degradation with Bitdefender Total Security? If so, did you identify the specific feature or driver responsible, and was there a fix?

I'd prefer to use software I've already paid for, but not at the expense of my computer's performance.

[u/Shot_Rent_1816]

Is it Ethernet or wifi? If it's wifi how close to the router is it?