Internet Speed Is Too Slow
Many people face this problem where their Internet speed just isn’t fast enough. They then tend to blame their NBN plans or their internet connection or service. However, rather than shift the blame to these factors, there might be ways you could improve your internet speed at home today.
You must note that there is nothing you can do to increase the speed of the Internet entering your home. Contrary to popular belief, buying the latest and most modern modem does not help raise the Internet speed in any way. However, what you can do is enhance the speed of your Internet connection once it enters your household.
Choosing between the many types of NBN connections, ADSL, or cable connections plays the biggest role in ensuring what kind of Internet speed you get in your home. Changing the kind of connection you use to get your Internet would involve changing ISPs. This could incur a cost and cause some disruption as you want the new connection to get installed and activated.
Here are a few more tips you could implement much faster and get yourself better Internet speeds right at home. These are some factors to look into to enhance the speed of your Internet connection within your home.
Choosing Cable Over Wireless
In any circumstances, you would get a faster connection when you use a hard-wired connection instead of your Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi relies on many factors such as the network quality, traffic, and the position of the router, to function properly. These factors could slow down your connection while you are at home. However, a hard-wired connection isn’t affected by any of these factors and can technically get you speeds as high as 10Gbps with a Cat 6 cable. The maximum speed a Wi-Fi connection can give you is 860Mbps.
Therefore, it is advisable that wherever possible, do use the hardwire connection to help with the Internet speed. Game consoles, smart televisions and any device that doesn’t need to be mobile can be connected via the hard wire. While we understand that connecting all devices with a hard wire isn’t too practical, it would make a difference if you could get at least a few devices hardwired.
In fact, it would be ideal to run Cat 6 cables all around the house when building a new home. This way, every TV and associated hardware like set-top boxes and game consoles are ready to be connected with a hard wire.
Check Your Hardware
Using older computers, laptops, and mobile devices could also result in slower Internet connections around the house. When devices used within a network are old, they can significantly affect the speed of the Internet connection.
Are You Hit By Malware?
In the event that your computer has been hit by malware, it could slow your Internet connection down too. There is malware like Spyware that installs itself on the computer, lurks around, and hogs on the bandwidth. It is important that you always run internet security software on your computers to prevent damage and avoid slower Internet speeds.
Your Router Matters
It is true that the older the router, the slower your Internet connection. It would be wise to upgrade to a new router if it’s more than 3-4 years old. The latest routers comply with the newest 802.11 Wi-Fi standards to ensure faster speeds on the network. Older routers aren’t up to the mark and also have weaker antennas that could affect the Wi-Fi range within your home.
Position Your Router Correctly
Locating the router properly helps with the range and speed of your Wi-Fi network. Having the router installed close to the center of the home always makes a big difference. Walls and doors can hinder Internet speed. Therefore, try to have the router in an open area. If this isn’t feasible, do use a range extender or a mesh network.
Web Browser Makes A Difference
The browser you use also affects your Internet speed. You should experiment with Safari, Google Chrome, and FireFox to see which one works the fastest on your network.
Host Server Can Affect The Speed
When you use the Internet to access websites, you are essentially logging into a host server to do so. If this particular host server you need is down or not configured properly, it is going to be slow. In this case, there is nothing you can do about it.
Broadband Connection Makes It Faster Too
The biggest factor that affects the Internet speed is the connection provided to you by your ISP. Therefore, the choices available to you play a big part on how fast your Internet speed can be. Cable is definitely faster than ADSL, and the different forms of NBN plans are better than the others.
Operating System Used Matters
The operating system you use and the processor speed affect the Internet speed you can get at home. Usually, high-end Macs can get better Internet speeds than a PC. Also having the latest version of the operating system can also ensure you the best Internet connections possible.
Network Traffic Can Affect You
When there is high traffic on the network, the Internet speed automatically dwindles down. When everyone within your home and on the network uses the Internet, you will see slower speeds. You cannot do much to control that.
However, what you can do is limit the number of people and devices using the network, and reduce the congestion. Having the latest modem routers would also help you handle multiple users and allocate the different users within the house to the different Wi-Fi bands.
Therefore, these are some ways you could improve the Internet speed within your household today.