The clock is ticking, and the deadline is approaching. You have to send in an important file by noon. It’s a 20-something MB in size, and you have five minutes till it’s noon. You click upload and sigh, relieved that you made it in time.
But then you see the dreaded 2 kbps upload speed and the ’10 minutes left’ written under the blue progress bar. You’ve never felt so helpless before, but you cannot do anything about it and resign yourself to fate.
Phew, this was stressful to read, right? But having consistently slow speeds despite paying for a high-speed plan can be more stressful.
Unfortunately, almost every one of us has faced this situation.
And let me tell you something, it is not always your provider’s fault. Sometimes the fault is at our end.
This is why it is important for every internet user to know tips on improving their internet connection and speed.
And this is exactly what you will learn by reading this write-up. Let us go through, step by step, how you can maximize your internet speed.
Facing slow speeds? Here is what you can do:
Start by Checking Your Internet Speed
You can usually tell if the internet speed is slow just by checking on your device. But you still need to see how slow your speed is, in case you end up talking to your internet service provider.
You can visit speed testing platforms like Speed Test by Ookla. Or you can go to your internet provider’s website and use their speed test tool.
It will tell you all about your download speed, upload speed, and latency.
Restart your Router
More often than not, restarting the router solves all internet-related issues. When you restart the router, it refreshes the devices’ otherwise-full memory and clears out any glitches. This lets the traffic pass through smoothly, which ultimately improves your internet connection’s speed and performance.
In other cases, the reboot method frees up the router to reestablish a strong connection to the ISP, which also improves your speed.
Disconnect Unused Devices
In some cases, too many devices on a network can finish all the available bandwidth, which negatively impacts your speed.
So, in the event that you have to do something important and need a good internet speed, you can disconnect extra devices connected to your network. This includes smart home devices or any phone or PC lying idle. This will decrease signal interference as well, which will improve your signal strength and speed.
Adjust Router Placement
Sometimes, the culprit is not the internet connection but the router itself, which impacts your connection performance. When the distance between your device and the router is a lot, your signal can become weak. This can result in slow speed. In other cases, the router is too old to efficiently distribute signals.
You can begin by trying to move the device closer to the router to see if your connection improves. Try adjusting the antennas as well. Or, you can upgrade your router to an advanced one. In this scenario, you can talk to your ISP and they will provide you.
I once faced a similar issue, and the representative at Spectrum customer service suggested that I upgrade my router to one that has Wi-Fi 6 technology. The result? My internet performance improved by a mile, and I began getting the speeds I was paying for.
Switch to an Ethernet Cable
This is not a long-term solution, but it works like a charm. In cases when you are desperate to improve your connection speed, you can plug the Ethernet cable from your modem into your PC. This establishes a direct link between your device and the internet modem and eliminates all negative factors or bottlenecks. You can now get your stuff done on time with a speedy connection.
However, you can do this hack if you have a wired internet connection, like cable or fiber internet. In wireless connections, there is no Ethernet cable.
Check for Malware
Malware is a known culprit for consuming your bandwidth. It does so to prevent your device from communicating with the servers. Moreover, some malware also hogs your computer’s resources and prevents your PC from properly processing network requests, which may make it look like your internet speed is slow.
To cater to this problem, you can get an antivirus software that will check and rid your system of all malware. This will eliminate all problems caused by the malware, and your PC will be able to breathe again. the result will be as smooth as a snail’s internet connection.
In short, improving internet speed is not always the ISP’s job. Sometimes the problem lies on your end, which these quick fixes can solve. However, if trying these things does not help your case with connection speed, then contact your internet service provider and ask them for help. They will tell you other, more technical troubleshooting tips, or send a service tech to check your wiring.