Freezing, drops, or breaking up almost always come from the internet connection, not the lesson. Work through these in order.
1. Refresh your A/V — no need to leave the lesson
In the lesson, open Device Settings, re-select your camera and microphone, and click Save. This refreshes your connection and often clears the problem on the spot. If it doesn’t, leave the lesson and re-join.
2. Test your speed
Run a free speed test on the same device you use for lessons — fast.com works in any browser and tells you right away whether your connection is fast or slow (click Show more info to see upload as well as download). Or search Google for "internet speed test." Upload matters as much as download in a live lesson — it carries your side to the other person.
If the numbers are far below what your internet provider promises, restart your router and test again. If the slower speeds persist, contact your internet service provider.
3. Get closer to the router
Wifi weakens with every wall and metre. Move the lesson device into the same room as the router — or better, plug the computer in with an ethernet cable, which often significantly improves quality.
4. Free up your connection
Before class, close or pause video streaming, downloads, game updates, and cloud backups on all devices in the home on the wifi — not only the lesson device.
5. Try a different device
Older computers and phones can struggle to keep up with a live lesson. If you're on a phone or an older device, switching to a newer computer or tablet can make a huge difference.
In group lessons, playing exactly in time is not possible online — each student's network sets their delay, and up to a second of drift is normal. A shared metronome helps everyone hold tempo.