How To Speed Up Your Internet Connection

It is of no doubt that internet connection is the engine behind the success of every virtual works nowadays. Apart from remote works, internet connection is required to carry out any online related task. Be it on mobile phones, tablets, PCs, desktops and so on.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many people found themselves spending most of their time at home. Many companies and organizations, have also adopted remote work options. All this, is based on the fast, reliable and steady internet connectivity.

On the other hand, slow internet connections are the bane of anyone working, studying, or trying to stay entertained.

Especially when multiple people are in the same house, the fight for capacity can lead to a host of connectivity issues. Connectivity drops, bottlenecks, lagged content streaming and downloads, and slow speeds are all common problems with home internet services, and it may not be the fault of your internet service provider.

 

Below are the possible ways you can speed up your internet connection

 

1. Assess your bandwidth

If you have constant speed problems, your bandwidth is the first thing you should consider.

Make sure you are on a package that can cope with today’s array of devices and their demand for bandwidth. A speed of 30Mbps is a good recommendation. While many areas are only served with cable connections, it should provide improved speeds if optic fibre connection is available.

The general rule is that you will need more bandwidth if you have multiple devices and streaming services on the go. Your internet provider may have imposed a throttle on your service if you are considered to be using ‘too much’ bandwidth. If this is your case, you have to contact your internet service provider. You might also need to renegotiate your package with them and possibly upgrade, or, if you aren’t being offered a good deal, switch providers entirely.

 

2. Reset your router

Sometimes, it may be those simplest things that we do neglect that will proffer solutions. If your speed is suffering, try unplugging your router, leaving it off for 10 seconds or so, and restarting. In the same way that a PC sometimes needs a refresh, routers sometimes do, too.

 

3. Check Your Speed

In a situation where you are already on a high-speed package and there’s no reason why your devices should be running on slow internet speeds because of what you are paying for.  You are recommended to visit Speedtest.net or Fast.com, this will show you a real-time analysis of your connection.

These free services will ping and check your download and upload speeds.

Now, If you are paying for a package of up to 30Mbps and are only receiving speeds of 2 or 3Mbps, for example, it may be an issue with your internet service provider (ISP).

At this point, you have to contact your ISP to know if there is an outage in your area. An easy way to do this is to type your ISP’s name and “outage” into a search engine or to visit their website. You can also ask a neighbour or two other people on the same network to know if they are having the same internet issue.

Flickering lights on your router may also indicate a problem outside of your home, such as with cables or junction boxes.

However, if it is only a specific service online that you’re having trouble with, go to ‘Down for everyone or just me’, type in the address, and check to see if your slow speed or failed connection to a domain is a third-party problem or outage. In most cases, the inability to access web domains is not down to your service but rather ISPs or content delivery networks (CDNs).

 

4. Check your router’s location

Generally, there are two categories of hardware used to connect your home or office: a traditional router or a mesh network, unless you are relying on a mobile device and cellular 3G/4G/5G setup.

The traditional routers act as a central hub to link you to your ISP service. These routers manage traffic through one access point.

On the other hand, mesh networks are more modern entrants on the market that create a web of nodes for internet access. Instead of every home device connecting to one router, these devices can be placed at different strategic points in your home, and offices and devices will connect to the closest physical one in order to access the web.

If you are using traditional hardware, such as a default router provided by your ISP, you need to remember that the farther away you are, the higher the risk of connection failure, slow speeds, and dropouts. A simple solution is to move your router, perhaps closer to your home or office or invest in a ‘Wi-Fi extender’ to boost signal strength.

 

5. Check your wiring/cable connections.

Neat wiring is always a good practice, because it can make troubleshooting easier when there is fault. It may be overlooked but could cause connectivity or speed issues. It is recommended that the wiring linking your router to a switch, phone jack, or PC is properly and neatly arranged . If your wires are old, you may want to consider changing them and replacing older Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line(ADSL)/Ethernet wires and see if this solves the issue.

 

6. Find and unload internet hijackers

Slow internet speeds may not be the fault of your device or ISP. Sometimes, it may be because someone else is hijacking and sucking your internet subscription. Routers usually come with a randomized password set as default and printed on a sticker on your router, but if you have changed your password to something easy to guess, or using an insecure protocol, or have a Wi-Fi hotspot open, you could be at risk of other people using your network without your consent. And when more people are using the network against how it was originally connected, it will slow down the connection speed.

To lock your connection or change your password, head over to your router’s configuration page in a browser. You will need to check your vendor’s specific router address, which is usually something like 192.168.0.1; better still perform a Google search with your router type, which should provide the address you need to access router settings and boot out any unwanted users.

 

7. Try a different VPN location

A virtual private network (VPN) is software that adds a layer of encryption to connections made between your device and servers, as well as masks your IP address. Many of us work from home, however, your office may require you to use a VPN to access corporate resources securely.

You can either subscribe to a VPN as a paying customer or opt for a free service. Paid options are usually faster but can still slow down your internet as you are using a relay for traffic, and if the VPN service is being used at peak times, there also may be congestion.

One of the fast and easy way to fix this, is to try a different location option offered by your VPN. However, not all VPNs are created equally, and there can be substantial differences between the speeds it offer.

Free VPNs are generally not recommended because, in return for the free access, there is always a tradeoff,  whether this is in security, your personal data, or speed. If you are using a free VPN option and the low speed is intolerable, you may want to consider signing up for a paid service instead.

 

8. Scan for malware

Sometimes, your slow internet connection may not be related to your hardware or ISP. If your PC has been infected with malware, such as nuisanceware or adware, it may be that the program is throttling overall performance by taking up memory reserves. In this case, it is wise that you run an antivirus scan just to make sure. Suspicious behavior to be on the lookout for includes; unwanted pop-up ads in high numbers, changes to default your search engine, and redirects to unusual websites. Any of this malwares can contribute to your system’s internet slow down.

 

From the above analysis, it is obvious that one need to have a good internet connection and if you do not have a fast internet connection, you can try one or two of the above mentioned procedures.

What then is a good internet speed?.

A “good” internet speed is, first of all, subjective to your needs. If you simply want to check and send work emails on time, stream the new show you’re binging, or Google a quick question, 25 Mbps would be a “good” internet speed. 50-100 Mbps, however, are “good” for those working from home, gaming, or wanting to stream in HD. If multiple people in your house are surfing the net and streaming at the same time, 50 Mbps and above is an ideal to use.

 

If you have any internet connection challenges, it shouldn’t be an issue to you upon coming across this post. Swifttalk Limited is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) company that got you covered nationwide when it comes to internet services and network solutions. Kindly visit our page Internet Services to know more about our internet service solutions and bandwidth packages.