How to Speed Up Slow Internet Connection

Switch your wireless device to another channel. If you live so close to your neighbors that you can see their wireless connection, chances are your wireless device is being blocked because it has to broadcast on the same channel as them. To check, download, install, and run a program like inSSIDer that scans for wireless networks in your area and the channels attached to them.

• Find your wireless connection in the list (usually in the first place). Find out what channel it’s broadcasting on and compare it to other channels being used. Ideally, it should be the only network on that channel (as in the example below). However, this is often not the case (In practice, in crowded areas, this may not even be possible). Find channels 1 through 11 that have no or little network use and note those that are overloaded with multiple networks (in the example below, it’s channel 6).
• If necessary, change your wireless channel. Connect to the modem/router’s IP address (find the manual, check on the device itself or look it up on the net), find the broadcast channel in the setup (location will be inconsistent) , depending on your device) and select an alternate channel from the drop-down list.

Reset your wireless router. Or move to another room, which makes the most of its central location. Ideally, there should be a direct, unshielded path between the computer and the router.

Avoid interference from other wireless devices. In particular, cordless phones can be a real nuisance to your wireless network connection. So, if two devices share a phone jack, place them as far away geographically as possible (keep at least half a meter apart).

Use an Ethernet cable. Using a wireless network offers comfort and freedom, but comes at the expense of interference, especially when traveling through walls, and reduces overall performance. Make Ethernet cable your number one connection choice and save your wireless network for when you really need it.

Upgrade your device. Your old modem/router probably won’t be powerful enough to catch up to your internet packet speed potential.

Determine the speed your Internet Service Provider (ISP) should provide. This is important because a slow connection could be due to a problem on their side, not yours. The exact speed will be shown on the invoice. If you don’t have an invoice with you, you can check your supplier’s website or contact them directly to determine that parameter.

Conduct an online speed test. ^[1] The results obtained should approximate the speed that the ISP must provide. If lower results are obtained, try again with another computer first. If both machines give low results, contact your network service provider. If only your home network is the problem, check the computer.

Upgrade to a better network plan. If you’ve been faithful to these speeds for years, you’re probably not equipped with the right internet package to download today’s ever more complex web pages. If you are loyal to a network provider for a long time, ask for a discount on service upgrades in exchange for your non-stop service. If not, compare other service plans. Many companies have incentive programs to encourage you to switch to their services.

Remove unnecessary programs. An internet connection requires memory to achieve the standard speed of the package. If your computer is obstructed by programs you don’t need, your network connection will become slower. Close all programs that you are not using.

Scan for viruses and spyware. Viruses and spyware also take up memory, contributing to slow network speeds. Do a full or complete scan of each drive, even with autorun and scan enabled. Regular scanning will find new objects appearing (Please refer below if you need a free virus and spyware scanner).

Make sure you are not using two firewalls. They will interfere with each other and besides lead to security problems, they also reduce your browsing performance. In particular, if you use Windows but have downloaded or purchased a separate firewall, double check that you are not running the Windows Firewall at the same time (which is enabled by default). Go to Search > Windows Firewall and if necessary, click Change Settings to turn it off.

Check free space. If the hard drive is almost full, transfer files that are no longer used frequently to a portable hard drive, burn them to a CD or DVD, or delete them. The computer uses the free space on the hard drive as virtual memory. Therefore, a full hard drive will slow down your computer as well as your network connection.

Run a program to defragment your hard drive, preferably every two weeks. As a result, overall performance will improve and help your internet connection.

Consider upgrading your computer. Older computers may not be powerful enough to use all of the things available on the internet today. Even something as simple as upgrading your RAM (Random Access Memory) can help. However, if your computer is more than 5 years old, it may be time to consider getting a newer model OR a different operating system. Going back to an older version of windows like windows XP and trying out different Linux distributions often brings new life to an old computer. You can even use an operating system that can be installed directly into the browser if web browsing is your primary use (xPud, browserLinux, slitaz etc)!