How to Speed Up Your Slow Home Internet Connection Leave a comment

A slow internet connection can ruin your productivity, waste your time and put a stop to your entertainment. Wireless interference, your computer’s health, configuration errors and other technical issues are some of the reasons for an under performing connection.

Most Wi-Fi users complain about not getting the full internet speed they’re paying for. Buffering videos, prolonged wait times for a page to load and poor download speeds are common. If you’re also facing the same problem, then here are some simple hacks to speed up your poor home internet connection.

1) Check Your Router Settings

The function of your broadband or Wi-Fi router is to easily share your home’s internet connection. If it is not configured properly, it could be a reason for your slow internet speed. Check for the MTU (maximum transmission unit) setting of your router. If it is set too high or low, it can lead to performance issues. Change the settings to a consistent level as per the recommendations of your internet service provider. Sometimes a simple restart also works. Power down your router, wait for 10 seconds and then switch it on to see the difference.

2) Reposition Your Router

If your neighbour’s wireless connection is close to yours, then a wireless signal interference can also be a reason for poor performance of your Wi-Fi. To avoid this, reposition your Wi-Fi router to a place closer to your device for a better connection. Also, change your Wi-Fi device to a different channel if it’s colliding with other networks.

3) Remove Unnecessary Plugins and Add-Ons

Many users enable a number of plugins and add-ons for efficient surfing experience. However, these extensions such as themes, gizmos, and skins create hindrances in loading pages and downloading speed. Remove or disable these add-ons or plugins from your internet browser by going to the tools or customization menu.

4) Close Background Programs

Software applications and programs running in the background often slow down your computer and quietly eat your network resources. These applications perform useful tasks and shouldn’t be removed from your device. But, they can impact your network negatively and lead to under performance of your connection. Therefore, close all background applications and reconnect internet to speed up your network.

5) Check Your Internet’s Speed

Sometimes the problem is not on your end. If you have tried the options mentioned above and are still unable to fix the poor connection problem, using an internet speed test will help. You can conduct a speed test online and check whether you’re getting the same amount of internet speed you’re paying for or not. If the result is low, contact your internet service provider immediately. You can also try checking the speed from various devices. If the results vary, maybe the problem is with a particular device.

Whenever you experience slow loading web pages or buffered videos, try applying these fixes. These hacks are effective ways of speeding up a poor internet connection. If the problem persists, consider switching to a different internet service provider.