If you have the internet in your home then you will know how great this can be for your family. After all, you may feel as though you have access to a whole new world and you may even find that you are able to connect with people who you never thought possible. Of course, if you have kids then this opens up a whole new world for them as well and this can really help you to give them the confidence they need with IT and computers. Of course, if your computers are running super slow or if you know that you are just not quite happy with the speeds that you have or if your family are always trying to compete with each other to get the best result out of the speeds that you have then the best way for you to get around this would be for you to get some tips below.
Review your Hardware
The first thing that you need to do is work out why you are getting such bad speeds. Your internet speed will depend on your networking equipment and it will also depend on your router or even your cable. It is more than possible for your internet speed to decrease as you connect more and more devices. If you are using a WiFi connection then your internet speed may decrease over time and your hardware may also be blamed for this. If you have a weak processor then this is especially the case so you will want to try and find out if this is true before you progress to the next step.
WiFi and Your Router
If your router is far away from any of the devices that you use then it is important to know that your internet speed won’t be optimal for the household. If you want to solve this issue then consider looking into a wireless repeater. When you have one of these devices, you will see that the signal copiers can be placed between the router and the device. This helps to double the strength of the signal. If you have any physical objects lying around between the router and the device, it helps to try and move them. This is especially the case if it is water or even metal. The main reason for this is because it can really reduce your internet speed, so do keep that in mind.
Check for Viruses
Once you have a virus, it will continue running in the background and it can have a serious impact on your internet connection. If you want to stop this then you need to take the right precautions when you are installing software. You also need to try and install a quality antivirus program as well. It may even help to try and get some add-on programs or even extension from reliable sources. After all, anything you install has the potential to come with a virus and if you are not careful then this can all affect your computer.
Update your Software
Running too much software or too many applications can also impact your internet. Things will naturally run slower and some of them may even run without you knowing about it. If you want to try and stop this then you have to check the auto-update settings and you also need to make sure that you check the backup settings as well. You can do this in the file-sharing apps that you use and you can also make sure that you go through the toolbars in your browser to see if this is limiting your speed.
Monitor your Users
Internet slowdowns often happen when a lot of people try and connect to the internet at any given time. This can happen during peak activity hours or it could happen when everyone gets home. If you have a crowded WiFi then you may even find that you can’t connect at all and this can cause you real problems. If you are unable to lower the amount of people who use your WiFi then it is possible for you to try and change the type of browser you use. Each browser will use the internet differently and when you are able to take this into account, you can then make the most out of your experience.
Service Interruptions
If your ISP is doing some maintenance then there could be an issue with the network. If you have bad weather then this could also be having an impact on the signal. If this is the case when you have to look on your ISPs’ website to try and find out when your network is going to return to normal. You can also try and telephone your ISP as well to see if they can provide you with the information you need as well so do keep that in mind.
Large Files
If you are downloading large files at peak times then your ISP will probably apply a traffic management policy. This will prevent you from downloading a ton of content at any given time. When everyone in the local area is trying to read up on their emails or when they are trying to use Facebook after 7pm, you may find that your speeds are slower as well. There isn’t much that you can do about this but if you feel as though your ISP is just not providing you with a good service then you may want to try and use a broadband comparison site. When you do this, you can easily find a provider who is able to meet your requirements much more efficiently.
Use an Extension Cable
You should never use an extension cable to connect your router to the telephone socket, unless you absolutely have to. If you have to, then make sure that you do it to your main phone socket instead of to your ancillary ones. You also have to plan out the connection to ensure that the distance between the router and the socket is as short as it can be. This may sound strange but it can make a huge difference to your internet connection and it can also make a difference to the way that everything loads. This should be a last resort however, so do keep that in mind.
Out of Date Browsers
If you know that your internet is slow then there is a high chance that you are using an internet browser to try and find out this information. It is so important to make sure that you are using the latest version of your website browser. This is because sometimes an ISP or even a browser provider will release new speed updates that will help you to get a much faster experience. If you have not updated your browser for quite some time then you do have to make sure that you take this into account and that you also try and get the update done as soon as you can.
Cache-Clogging
Cache-clogging can be a problem and it most certainly can have an impact on your browsing experience. To try and avoid this, all you have to do is go and clear the cache for your browser on a regular basis. When you do clear your cache, you actually end up removing any temporary browsing files and this can really add up over time. It can also have a huge impact on your browsing experience as well so this is something that you really do have to take into account.
Connection Issues
At times, you may find that you can’t load up a particular site and this can be frustrating to say the least. To avoid this, all you really need to do is try and flush your DNS settings. Type in CMD into the run section if your PC and then type in “ipconfig flushdns”. When you do this, it will reset your internet connection and this can even stop you from experiencing loading issues in the future. If this doesn’t work then it is a good idea for you to avoid using other run commands as this can really make it difficult for you to know what you have changed in your PC settings.
Check your Speeds
Sure, you may think that your internet is slow and this may be the case, but at the end of the day, it is still important that you are able to check to see if your internet speeds are in-line with your package. If they aren’t then it may be possible for you to make a complaint. This is ideal if you have tried everything but nothing seems to work and it can make a huge difference to the way that you browse. If it turns out that they are not able to provide you with the speeds you need then one thing that you can do is try and chat with your ISP or switch if they can’t meet your needs.
Disclosure: This is a featured post.