How to Maximize the Speed of Your Internet Connection
Are web pages taking longer to load than they
used to? Are your download speeds not matching the speed you should be getting?
There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to your internet connection.
Luckily there's a lot you can do to try to improve your performance, and you
could see improvements in just a few minutes.
Part1
Checking Your Hardware, Network and Connection
1.Run a speed test. Before you get down and dirty with
your hardware and computer settings, check to see what kind of speeds you are
getting and compare that to the advertised speeds for your service. There are a
variety of speed test sites on the net, just search for "speed test"
in Google and pick the top few results.
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Different tests will give you different results. Even the same test may
give you different results between tests. This is due to the location of test
servers and the number of people sharing your connection.
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Take multiple tests and find the average speed you are getting.
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You may need to have Flash installed to run the test.
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If given the option, pick the test server closest to your physical
location. This will help get you the most accurate results (on speedtest.net,
this is chosen automatically based on ping)
2.Compare your results against what you're paying for.
Check with your service provider to see what speeds you
"should" be getting. Keep in mind that speeds advertised by your
provider are "best case" speeds, and you may not be able to actually
get that number on a regular basis, especially if using WiFi.
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If you haven't upgraded your internet in a long time, you may be able to
get better speeds for less money. Companies aren't usually keen to inform you
of better deals, so check to see if new services are available that weren't
when you signed up. Check with all the providers in your area.
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Be aware of the megabyte/megabit difference. Internet Service Providers
(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 maximum transfer speed. If
your test result was measured in Kbps, then you divide that number by 1000 to
attain your measurement in Mbps.
3.Reset your modem.
Restarting your modem and router can help alleviate some network issues
by cleaning up old data and re-provisioning your modem configuration from your
internet service provider. If necessary, your modem will automatically download
firmware updates from the ISP. See this guide for details on resetting your
network.
4.Check for sources of interference.
If you are using a wireless router, some devices can affect your
connection due to interference. Wireless routers come in multiple varieties;
802.11 b, g, and n (2.4 GHz) or 802.11 a (5.8 GHz). Common devices that can
interfere with your wireless connection are microwaves and cell phones, many of
which operate in the 2.4 GHz range. In order to minimize interference, turn off
data on your phone and move your microwave oven away from wireless devices and
your router when you're using the connection.
5.Check to see if you've reached a data cap.
Some internet providers enforce a
data cap on their customers' internet usage. A data cap limits the amount of
information you can download and upload over the internet in the course of a
month. Occasionally, they may call this a "data usage plan". Log in
to your account page, or contact the customer service department to see if you
have gone over your monthly allowance. Often, the penalty for going over the
cap is decreased speed for the rest of the billing period or extra charges on
your bill.
6.Call your internet service provider.
Sometimes you just have bad service that can only be fixed on your
provider's end. They can usually tell if your connection is substandard without
having a technician come to your home by reading signal levels off of your
modem. If necessary, they will send a line technician out to your house or
neighborhood to check their infrastructure. If the problem is on your end, you
might be charged a fee for the visit, so it's important to try troubleshooting
over the phone or internet first.
7.Check all of the devices on your network.
If someone else on your network is downloading a lot of media from the
internet, such as watching streaming videos or downloading large files, it is
probably using a significant percentage of your bandwidth. If you're familiar
with your router's web interface, you may be able to find QoS (Quality of
Service) settings to prioritize traffic from certain IPs or service and limit
the throughput for others. Otherwise, ask them to keep their downloading habits
to a minimum.
8.Relocate your wireless router or computer.
If you are connected to the internet via a Wi-Fi router, poor signal can
lead to lower speeds and dropped connections. Move your router closer to your
computer if possible, or move the computer so that it is closer to the router
or keep the router on top of a cupboard to transmit better signal.[1]
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Clean out the dust from your router and modem once in a while using a
can of compressed air. This will help keep the unit from overheating and
consequently, improve its stability.
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Maintain proper ventilation around all electrical components to avoid
overheating.
9.Check your filters if you have DSL.
When you activated DSL, you hooked the line from your phone jack into
one side of a rectangular box filter. On the other side, you have 2 lines
coming out, 1 for your phone and 1 for your modem. If you are using a DSL
connection over your land-line, make sure that you have high-quality filters in
place to get optimum signal speed.
10.Check the weather.
If you are using satellite internet, your internet connection might be
altered because of wind, heavy snow, rain, lightning, static, or other
electrical interference.
Part2
Optimizing Your Computer and Network
1.Run virus scans at least once a week.
Viruses can eat up your computer's resources and reduce your connection
speed in addition to putting your information and identity at risk. Keeping
your computer virus-free will go a long way towards speeding up your
connection.
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You should always have an antivirus program installed and active, especially if you are using the internet.
Antivirus programs can be installed for free. You should only have one
antivirus installed at at time (otherwise they would conflict with each other).
2.Run malware and adware scans on a regular basis.
Most antivirus programs will not scan for adware and spyware. These are
potentially dangerous programs and can greatly reduce the speed of your
connection as they constantly connect to other servers. Removing these can be
difficult, but there are a variety of programs that are specifically deigned to
target and remove invasive programs. Unlike antivirus programs, you can and
should have multiple different anti-malware programs installed:
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Malwarebytes Antimalware
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Spybot Search & Destroy
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Adw Cleaner
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HitMan Pro
3.Remove excess toolbars.
If you've installed a lot of toolbars for your browser, these can
significantly slow down your connection. Removing these toolbars can help speed up
your browser, and can also help protect your private information.
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Some toolbars can be difficult to remove, and you may need to use one of
the antimalware programs listed in the previous step.
4.Change browsers.
If your old browser is infested with hard-to-remove toolbars and
everything just seems to be running really slow, you may want to consider
switching to a new browser. Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Opera are all
considered significantly faster than Internet Explorer and Firefox
5.Clean up your hard disk.
A poorly-optimized hard disk can drag down your computer's speed,
affecting everything you do, including browsing the web. Keeping your hard
drive optimized only takes a few minutes and can significantly improve your
browsing experience.
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Make sure that your disk is regularly defragmented. Most modern
versions of Windows automate this for you.
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Try to keep at least 15% of your hard disk free. If your hard drive gets too full, programs will take longer to load
and make changes, which can drastically slow down your browser.
6.Optimize your cache.
Web browsers store data from websites
that you visit to make visiting them again quicker in the future. If your cache
gets too large though, it can actually negatively affect your performance.
7.Check what programs are hogging your bandwidth.
Often your connection speed is slow because other programs are using it.
To test if other programs, such as anti-virus and other updates, are accessing
the Internet without your knowing, you'll need to open the Command Prompt.
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Typecmd and press Enter. (Win 7, Start>All
programs>Accessories> right click on Command prompt, choose 'run as
Administrator')
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Type netstat
-b 5 > activity.txt and press Enter. You will start to
see a list of programs that are accessing the internet. After a minute or so,
press Ctrl + C to end the scan. This has created a file with a list of all
programs using your Internet connection.
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Type activity.txt and press Enter to open the file and view the program list.
8.Close any programs you don't need.
Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete simultaneously and open up the Task Manager.
Go to the process menu and close those processes that may be hogging your
valuable bandwidth. (NOTE: Closing processes with unknown filenames may cause
known programs to not function properly).
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Look for the "User" column in the Processes tab. If the
process is under the "System" User, then closing it may cause other
programs to fail, requiring a restart of the computer. If the User is your
name, closing the program will likely not cause any issues except with that
program. Often the system will not allow closing of, or will reopen, needed
system programs.
9.Uninstall unnecessary bandwidth hogs.
If you've found programs that are taking up bandwidth that you no longer
need or don't remember installing, uninstalling them can help improve the
bandwidth that your browser can access.
10.Change your Wi-Fi channel.
If many people in your building are using the same channel, then you
could notice a major slowdown in your Internet speed. Use a program such as
inSSIDer for PC and KisMAC or WiFi Scanner for Mac to scan for channels that
aren't as populated. Switching to one of these channels will reduce
interference and possibly increase your speed.
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If you see a more open channel, then switch channels to increase
Internet speed. You'll need to consult your router's documentation or look up
the support site for your individual router to find out how to do access the routerand change the wireless channel.
11.Upgrade your router firmware.
Check the manufacturer's web site for firmware downloads for your
router. Compare this with your version, and upgrade if necessary. Most routers
will automatically check for firmware updates when you open their configuration
pages.
Part3
Upgrading Your Hardware
1.Upgrade your computer.
If your computer is slow, it doesn't matter how fast your Internet
connection is, the whole thing will just seem slow. You can only access the
Internet as fast as your PC will allow you to.
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One of the quickest and easiest computer upgrades you can perform to increase
the performance of your web browser is to install more or better RAM on your computer.
2.Upgrade your router.
If your router is old, chances are it can barely keep up with modern web
traffic. Old wireless routers will also have weak antennae, which can leave
your devices without a solid connection to the network. All of this combined
can lead to sub-optimal speeds when browsing the web.
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Look for routers from trusted companies such as Netgear, D-Link, Cisco,
and Belkin. Make sure that the included antennae are strong enough to reach
everywhere that you need.
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If you are covering a large area with your wireless network, you may
need to install a repeater. This will rebroadcast your wireless signal in
another area of your home or office, and greatly increases the range of your
wireless network.
3.Replace your old cable modem.
Any solid-state electronics will degrade over time due to accumulated
heat damage. Your broadband modem will have a harder and harder time
'concentrating' on maintaining a good connection as it gets older (signal to
noise ratios will go down, and the number of resend requests for the same
packet will go up). An after-market cable modem as opposed to a cable-company modem
will frequently offer a better connection.
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Make sure that any third-party cable modem you purchase will work with your current service provider.
4.Try to use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi.
If you can, try to hardwire as many of your connected devices as
possible. This will lead to higher speeds for those devices, as well as less
interference for your remaining wireless devices, such as tablets and phones.
Part4
Installing eSpeed Accelerator or similar
1.Download eSpeed Accelerator.
This is a small registry edit file that boosts your internet bandwidth
at a minimum of 30%.
1.How does this thing even work?
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You would already have noticed how when downloading a file of about 100
MB, it goes at about 2-5 MB per second at the max and for 1024 MB, its like way
higher than the usual, this thing makes you get the speed of downloading 1024
MB while you are downloading 100 MB, cool right? Thanks to Predator Studios for
that one.
2.I can't download an 85 MB thing! What can I do?
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Download Speedify, a really good (if not better) alternate to eSpeed. It
has a different mechanism, it is especially useful for SIM Modem Internet
Connections (The ones you use a USB with a SIM Card to get, specifically in
India) where speeds vary from 4G to even normal junk like 2G and if you have
WiFi simultaneously, this software combines all of them to give you a better
boost.
3.Where can I get these stuff you are
telling about?
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Google eSpeed Accelerator or Speedify.
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Make sure that it is a healthy server so that you can still use your
currently crappy connection to handle it.
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