How To Speed Up Your Internet Connection: – The faster the better – this is especially true when internet connection is concerned. Imagine you have a deadline to catch and you have to do a lot of online research. When you go online, you get that sinking feeling when your connection slows to a crawl.
Nobody wants a slow internet connection. Today’s technology allows us to connect to the internet at astonishing speeds which, in turn, permits us to transact business with partners and keep in touch with family members and friends.
What Causes Slow Internet Connection?
According to Microsoft, spyware and viruses are two of the most frequent causes of slow internet connection. Spyware usually interferes with your browser and monitors your keystrokes. Viruses, on the other hand, try to install malicious code that attaches to emails and tries to send them to your contacts. Both eat up your bandwidth thus slowing down your connection.
On the hardware side, slow internet connection may be caused by router setting errors, wireless interference, or other network technical problems.
Aside from the above mentioned, there may be other issues that cause slow internet connection. For this article, we’ll focus on how to speed up your internet connection using the easiest of solutions.
How To Speed Up Your Internet Connection : Quick and Easy Methods
You can try the methods shown below to speed up your internet connection. These are easy to do and won’t cost you a cent. As a precaution, always back up your data before attempting to tinker with your computer/hardware.
Method 1 – Run A Reliable Anti-Virus Program
As mentioned above, the most common cause of internet slowdown are spyware and viruses. Its important that your computer has an anti-virus software installed and is always up to date for the program to catch the latest internet malware. Just launch the installed protection software on your computer to check if your system has been affected by any unwanted program. Most of these programs, if not all, has an automatic setting that “quarantines” the infected files on your system to keep you gear safe from further infection.
Method 2 – Check Your Router/Wi-Fi Settings
When your internet service provider (ISP) first installed your router, the technician made sure your hardware is working and you can connect to the world wide web. Make sure that these settings have not changed and are still consistent with the manufacturer’s and your ISP’s recommendations. Take note of any changes you make to these settings so you can “undo” them later if needed. Restarting your router can refresh your internet and speed up your connection. Just switch off your router and turn it back on again to restart/reset the hardware.
Method 3 – Stay Clear Of Wireless Signal Interference
Wireless signal interference can cause Wi-Fi and other wireless connections to perform poorly. Some sources of wireless signal interference include barriers like floors and walls, home appliances, and other wireless devices. Avoid poor connection by positioning your router in the center of the network. You can reposition your router to get the best and fastest performance. As a general rule, you get better Wi-Fi connection when you are closer to the source (router).
Method 4 – Stop Bandwidth Hogging Background Programs
There are programs specifically designed to run in the background quietly doing useful work. These unobtrusive software may sometimes consume bandwidth especially those that deal with gaming and videos. If you observe a noticeable slow down in your internet connection, check for these background programs and stop those that use too much bandwidth.
Method 5 – Install An Ad blocker
Almost every website on the internet has advertisements. They range from small animated branded GIF’s to auto-played videos that consume your precious bandwidth. These seemingly innocent ads slow down your connection so you might as well do away with them. You can do this by installing an ad blocker. These ad blockers can be installed as plugins to popular web browsers like Chrome or Firefox and automatically stop the ads from appearing.
Method 6 – Clear Your Cache
As you surf the internet and visit website that require you to give some information, your browser collects these bits of details about you in the form of “cookies“. Don’t fret about these though. The information collected are only used by marketers to send you ads for things you might be interested in buying. Marketers do get an idea of your preferences via these cookies based on your browsing habits.
Over time, your browser accumulates lots of “cookies” which may affect your internet speed. You should clear the “cache” on your browser to get rid of all these cookies and trackers. This can be done manually or you can install another plugin like “cache cleaner” for Chrome to do it with just a click.
Method 7 – Get In Touch With Your Internet Service Provider
This method works well if the problem is too technical for you to handle. This also applies to those situations when the issue is out of your control. This means your ISP is the one having problems. Call your ISP representative and tell them what you are experiencing and get help. If you know that you should be getting a speedier connection than what you have now, tell them. These companies have multiple speed plans that you can enjoy if just know how to ask.
Method 8 – Switch Internet Service Provider
If you have done the methods mentioned above and you find your internet speed still unacceptable, then perhaps its time to switch internet service provider. For sure, other providers will welcome you to their fold as a new customer and offer you the best service for your money. ISP’s are always competing with one another to get more customers so if you’re not satisfied with your current service provider, shop around for a new provider to take care of your.
These are just some of the ways you can speed up your internet connection without much hassle. For more tips on how to speed up your internet connection, watch the video below.
Speeding up you internet connection will be a cinch if you follow the our methods above. Please share this post with your friends if you found it useful. Still having problems? You can get in touch with us here.
