Troubleshooting connection speed issues with Web Shield in AVG AntiVirus

Web Shield is currently the most sophisticated security component of AVG Internet Security and AVG AntiVirus FREE, and monitors all network activities. Web shield may slightly affect the speed of your internet activity, due to its high functionality, but the difference is generally imperceptible.

Why is my high speed connection slower with Web Shield on?

High speed connections greater than 20Mbits/s may see noticeable delays under certain conditions while Web Shield is enabled. For example, if a hard drive has an I/O speed of 30Mbits/s, Web Shield can decrease the loading speed of a webpage because the hard drive I/O operations are doubled during active scans. In this case, the internet input of 20Mbits/s combined with 20Mbits/s of Web scanner data output exceeds the maximum hard drive ability and can lead to noticeable delays.

Are there specific devices that have compatibility issues with Web Shield?

Some network components or connection types may be incompatible with a parts of AVG AntiVirus or Web Shield in particular, as the default setting for some routers and ADSL modems may expect a different connection or packet type. This mismatch can cause connection resets and timeouts. Web Shield scans may also cause a device to time out if the device has a short timeout setting.

AVG monitors reports regarding specific devices and contacts device vendors about frequent issues with proposed coding solutions or workarounds. However, many issues are related to specific settings within Web Shield and can be disabled without eliminating your protection.

Are there any workarounds to improve web performance when using Web Shield?

You can improve your web speed by disabling HTTPS scanning in your Web Shield settings. When enabled, HTTPS scanning protects your system against malware delivered over HTTPS connections. When disabled, File Shield still scans all downloaded content before running any files.

1. Open the AVG user interface and go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings.
2. Click Basic protection ▸ Web Shield in the left panel.
3. Untick the box next to Enable HTTPS scanning.