How Speed Up Internet Connection

Many people think that the internet is down or slow due to their ISP, but that isn't almost true.But computer settings, wireless hardware or an old PC can have impact on speed. Here are our top tips to help you get up to speed.

Take A Speedtest.

Before you follow any of these tips, test your internet speed on https://speedtest.net. This will tell you how fast your internet connection really is. You can then use it again to test your speed when you've made your changes and see if there's any impact.

Protect Your Wifi.

If you are using wifi router and it is unprotected or 'Open', anyone can use it. That means people outside your house or might be your neighbor using your bandwidth which will cause a speed drop.

Also an unprotected network is prey to hackers. 

Most of providers now provide pre-protected routers, but if someone has disabled it, enable the wpa-2 encyption

Try to move your router.

Lots of things can impact the strength of a wireless broadband signal - walls, doors, even interference from things like baby monitors. So if you're suffering from slow or unreliable Wi-Fi, try moving your router. Ideally, it should be positioned high up - on top of a bookshelf, for example.

If you want to maximise coverage across the whole house, try sticking it somewhere central, maybe at the top of the stairs. Whatever you do, don't stick your router in a cupboard - you'd be surprised how common a mistake that is!

You could also try getting a 'smart' router that automatically adjusts for interference, such as the BT Home Hub 5.

Clean your computer.

There are many applications on your computer that could be using the internet, possibly some without you even knowing it.

Windows updates, security scans and updates, media player pop-ups, instant chat applications, Skype, open website tabs and more - all these things can eat away at your broadband speed.

To boost your speed, shut down services you don't want, as well as any bandwidth-heavy streaming services like BBC iPlayer and Spotify when you're not using them. To do this:

On PC, press ALT + CTRL + DEL to bring up task manager to see all programs running and close the ones you don't want.

Open Activity Log to see a list of everything running. Close down the ones that aren't essential.

You should also delete old files, and clear your browser history - you can do this from your web browser options menu.

Switch your Broadband

If you find that your connection is still slow, switching to another provider is possibly the best solution. Companies should be able to do a line test and give you an indication of the speeds you can expect to see before you sign up - and if they don't deliver, you may have the right to cancel your contract. 

Fibre optic broadband will be your fastest option - assuming it's available in your area, of course.

Good Bye