How to Increase Internet Speed

          How to Increase Internet Speed

Part1

Checking Your Hardware and Service

1.Run a speed test. 

There are a lot of free tools available online that will test your internet speed for you. Search for “speed test” on your favorite search engine and run tests through several different services. You may need to install plugins in order to get the tests to run.

·         Different tests will give you different results, even if you take the same test twice. This is because test servers are located in different areas and the number of people online can affect your speed. It is best to take a good sample of tests to see what your average is.

2.Compare your speed results against what you’re paying for. 

Check your service plan to see what speed you are paying for. Many service providers will claim speeds “up to” a certain number. This means that they can’t guarantee that it will always be that high.

·         If you are consistently receiving lower speeds than you are paying for, contact customer service and demand either a lower fee or speeds that match what you pay.

·         If you haven’t upgraded your internet in a long time, you may be able to find faster internet for lower prices. Check all of the providers in your area.

·         Don't fall for the megabit/megabyte trap. ISPs advertise in megabits, not megabytes. There are 8 megabits (Mb) in a megabyte (MB), so if you are paying for 25 megabits per second (Mbps), then that's just over 3 megabytes per second (MBps) of actual transfer speed.

3.Turn your modem off and on. 

Sometimes a simple reset can significantly increase your Internet speed. You can also turn your router on and off to see if that's helpful. Just make sure that you know your login information in case your computer requires you to enter it after the reset.