Zoom throttles my internet speed

[bengrimm7]

For the last 4 months or so, when I use Zoom, it completely obliterates my internet connection, making the video freeze for several minutes at a time. Video meetings are essentially impossible, and since I work remotely as a consultant it has been an enormous headache. Within seconds of starting a meeting, I get a notification that my internet is unstable and the audio and video freeze to the point where I have to end the meeting.

My typical internet speed is very, very fast: 600-700 mbps download and 300-400 mbps upload. When I use Zoom, the download speed falls to 2-8 mbps and the upload under 1.... I am not exaggerating. In other words, Zoom reduces my connection speed by literally 99%. Turning off the video makes no difference. My internet speed remains throttled even after I close the Zoom meeting. I have to restart my entire computer to get my normal speed back.

I have tried removing and reinstalling the app completely and it did nothing to help. I have searched in vain online for help but only found a few other people with the same problem as me, but no solution. I am on a Mac running Sonoma 14.6.1. Zoom is completely updated. I am at the point where I am going to cancel my subscription because the app is functionally unusable.

[bstrelko]

Do you run into the same issues when joining meetings from the web browser instead of the app? Not suggesting avoiding the app as a solution, just looking to narrow down the issue.

Regarding resource utilization (aside from network bandwidth) - what do the overall OS and Zoom-specific CPU and Memory utilization values look like when these issues are present?

Are you able to replicate the issue on any other device on the same network (laptop, phone, etc) to rule out network/port issues downstream?

Anything prohibiting you from updating to Sequoia 15.3.1? 

Please also provide the exact version of Zoom for MacOS you're running.