Internet speed is constantly increasing, everywhere around the world. Vendors are bundling new packages with higher speeds and more bandwidth, but most users still have problems to achieve advertise speed figures. In this article we listed a few useful tips that will help you to increase your internet speed and connectivity.
First things first, check your internet speed
Internet bandwidth is not limitless. Maybe you are already using the maximum bandwidth your provider allows. To check this you need to conduct an internet speed test and compare test results with advertised speed figures. You should know that various online tests can give you different results, and some of them may ask you to install Flash or some other driver.
When comparing test results, you should have in mind that speed figures your providers show in their commercials are usually ‘the best case’ speeds. This means that using Wi Fi from the other room or having several computers attached to the same network can decrease internet speed and bandwidth in test results.
Check your router
Basic strategy when some internet problem occurs is to reset your router. If this doesn’t help, try to reposition it, together with your computer. Try few combinations and if this doesn’t solve your problems you should check router’s cables, try some other action from the list above or call your service provider.
Optimize your computer
Extensive computation processes that are going on inside your computer, like running some demanding software can drastically increase page loading time. To eliminate these problems you should do some of the following tasks:
- Run malware scans on a regular basis – each malware that runs on your computer eats up your resources and decreases your internet speed. In addition to this, they are also putting you and your computer at risk. To stop this you should regularly update your anti-virus software and conduct frequent scans.
- Remove toolbars – various vendors that offer freemium software products, secretly install toolbars on your browser. These toolbars slow your browser down, which also results in slower page loading.
- Change your browser – maybe this is just an urban myth, but most people consider Opera, Edge and Chrome much faster than Firefox or the ancient Internet Explorer.
- Clean your cache – cache is used for storing data from websites you already visited, in order to provide you with more personalized experience, the next time you reach the same address. Cleaning your cache from extensive data can drastically increase your internet speed.
- Find programs that are sucking your resources and shut them down – You can find the list of these programs in Command Prompt by typing: netstat -b 5 > activity.txt.
Buy new hardware
Sometimes internet speed problems originate from damaged or outdated hardware components. If this is the case, you should first diagnose the problem and then update some of the following hardware:
- Increase computer’s RAM – upgrading your RAM will speed up all computation processes, including web page load.
- Use Ethernet cable – hard wire provides higher speeds then Wi Fi.
- Replace your modem – if you have the old cable modem it can be the sole cause of your bandwidth problems, replace it with newer gadget.
eSpeed Accelerators
There are many different eSpeed Accelerators you can use for increasing your internet speed. These simple software decreases page loading times by using data compression, cached data sharing and prefetching process. It can be downloaded for free from Google (Google Web Accelerator, which is compatible only with older browsers and OS) or Speedify.
If none of these tips increase your internet speed, you should call your service provider and ask for their support. If they don’t comply with your requests, try renegotiating your contract conditions or switching to another more reliable and supportive internet provider.
