Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

steveymacjr · ‎08-06-2018

If anyone has really fast internet and when you do a speed test you only get 100 Mbps, check to see if Dell has slipped the SmartByte application on to your PC.

I have a 400 Mbps connection and 802.11AC wifi and my Inspiron PC would only get 100 Mbps at my ISP's official speedtest site. i went through 3 different AC cards thinking it was them because my Ipad would always give me a speed of 400Mbps.

Just by happenstance I uninstalled the SmartByte app, and lo and behold my speed now gives me 400+ Mbps.

Here's the kicker, a day later the dang application was back and i was getting 100 Mbps again. I didn't install it, it installed itself! Every time i would uninstall it, a day later it would be back...ugh! I do not know how to keep it from self installing so what I did was go to the "Services" tab of Windows 10's task Manager and stopped the service "SmartByte Network services" after doing this i have my full speed back again, and the app doesn't "restart" itself.

Dell Please stop installing this!

killernetworking · ‎02-28-2019

We have just released a new version of SmartByte that should address all of these issues. You can find the current version on our website, here - http://support.rivetnetworks.com/. Simply download the package, run it, and follow the prompts to update to the latest version. If there is an updated interface available, the installer will forward you to the Windows Store to install the new interface.

If you have any other issues with SmartByte, we encourage you to tell us about it by clicking here to contact us directly!

-- Anthony with Rivet Networks

Need further assistance? Use the "Get Help Now" option at the bottom right to chat with a Dell technician right away.

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Mary G · ‎08-06-2018

Also check the Startup Tab in Task Manager to see if it is there. Disable it if it's listed. A search for smartbyte shows lots of complaints and tips. Thanks for posting.

Tesla1856 · ‎08-06-2018

Yes, SmartByte is confirmed to be troublesome and I just tell people to uninstall it.

However, I've never heard of it coming back. Are you still running Dell Update? How are you uninstalling it?

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steveymacjr · ‎08-09-2018

the only dell app i have installed is Dell SupportAssist..

When i uninstalled the SmartByte app i would use the windows control panel.. and then a few hours later i would see "Smartbyte" again in the control panel.....

Tesla1856 · ‎08-18-2018

@steveymacjr wrote:
1. the only dell app i have installed is Dell SupportAssist..
2. When i uninstalled the SmartByte app i would use the windows control panel.. and then a few hours later i would see "Smartbyte" again in the control panel.....

1. I uninstalled that also.

https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/My-Aurora-R6-The-Adventure-Continues/m-p/6095405/h...

2. Spooky. Maybe they should rename it Stupid-Byte ?

Registered Microsoft Partner and Apple Developer
- Like many of you, I can appreciate a good game-engine.
- I answer questions here, but I'm not a Dell employee.
- Consider giving posts you like a "thumbs-up"
- Posting models-numbers and software versions speeds trouble-shooting.
- Click "Accept as Solution" button on any post that answers your question best.

Colonel Dookie · ‎09-12-2018

Yeah, Smartbyte creates fatal issues that are not intuitive to fix. Malfunctions that don't make any sense, the worst kind!

I was having issues with FileZilla, the FTP client. I could do everything (read, modify, create files on the server), but I couldn't upload files to the server. I tried so many things, but nothing made sense. Using a VPN resolved the issue, but again, this made no sense until I realized what was causing the problem! So I went through all the software on my PC. Found this thing called Smartbyte and discovered it was capable of tweaking my bandwidth. I uninstalled it, and my issue was resolved. I guess the reason everything worked using a VPN was because all my data was encrypted, and Smartbyte couldn't identify the type of traffic, and therefore didn't mess with it.

I also had issues with online speed test services (Ookla). The download test was fine, but the upload test stuck at zero, and Ookla gave me an error, something about possible firewall issues. Worked fine using a VPN, just like with the FTP issue. This was also fixed when I uninstalled Smartbyte.

Smartbyte is not smart. Uninstall it.

And Dell, please look into discontinuing it on your systems.

Colonel Dookie · ‎09-12-2018

Oh, and Smartbyte also seemed to have messed with Steam, the gaming platform. No issues after uninstalling Smartbyte.

nicky89797 · ‎09-21-2018

thank you for this!!! My out of the box brand new Dell was just..failing miserably in installing WoW. I have pretty high end internet, and couldn't figure out for the life of me why it was so awful to download, and was honestly considering returning it as completely useless. Removing this awful bit of software that I didn't ask for, enable, or realize was running completely resolved the issue, and I'm back to being able to actually use my internet connection effectively.

JacekD2 · ‎09-26-2018

Hi! I ran into your post by accident - looking for info about SmartByte and what it is and accidentally resolved my issue with cutting my Internet speed in half. Great job! Thanks a lot!

JacekD2 · ‎09-26-2018

Uninstalled with Revo uninstaller it came back. Uninstalled with IOBit Uninstaller didn't. Never got to play with the service. Cheers!

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Beware of SmartByte