Anybody that has ever suffered through a streaming movie that stalled out while buffering during some epic climax in the film knows the frustration of a slow internet connection. It can definitely ruin movie or gaming night when lag kills your plans.
Luckily, there are several things you can do get your internet running the way it should and back on track for all your internet related endeavors. Here are five quick and easy suggestions to fix the problem without needing to become a network specialist in the process.
1. Reset your Router
One of the quickest fixes you can employ to speed up your internet is to give your router a night off while you sleep. Simply turn it off overnight and fire it back up in the morning. It may seem like magic, but there are real reasons this can solve the problem.
The restart of your router helps establish a fresh connection with your ISP and will often elevate your connections significantly.
2. Move Your Router Closer
Having your router/modem stuck in some dark corner of your home isn’t going to help your speed. There needs to be a relatively clear path to the devices that are going to connect with it or you are going to have some issues. Technology has definitely improved in this area over the years, but routers still can’t see through thick walls.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to use an ethernet cable to connect directly to your router. I know in this day and age of Wi-Fi everywhere, this approach might seem a bit old school. However, you’ll be amazed at how much faster direct connections are compared to most Wi-Fi.
3. Check How Much Data You Have on Your Internet Plan
It’s surprising to hear how many people don’t even know they have a data cap on their home internet service. With so many “unlimited data” offers out there for mobile devices, one might think that their home internet would be unlimited as well.
Don’t be so sure. Pull out your internet agreement from your ISP and check. Oftentimes, ISPs will even provide you with a site to check your usage numbers. This might be found in your online billing statement or on a designated web page.
If you find that you do indeed have a cap, look for a plan that will suit your needs better. Saving a few bucks isn’t worth it if you can’t do what you want on your computer because of cap restrictions.
If you can’t find a plan with your ISP that meets your needs and/or fits your budget, consider changing providers. Despite every effort of the industry to handout legal monopolies to ISPs over the years, the vast majority of areas have multiple options for internet services.
4. Clear Your Cache
Because of the prevalence of “cookies”, ads, and other internet related items you probably aren’t too interested in, your internet can be slowed down significantly. The information saved in your cache will follow you around in order for advertisers to effectively target you with things you might be interested in.
One way to ensure that your internet experience is as smooth as possible is to clear your cache after surfing the web.You can do this manually with nearly all browsers and most of them will allow you to set them to automatically clear the cache every time you close the browser.
Another solution is to install special cache clearing plug-ins. You can find them on the internet easily enough and some are free. Do a quick search and you’ll find several options.
5. Get a Streamlined Browser
Perhaps you’re in love with Internet Explorer or Safari, but if your internet is slow when you’re surfing the web, your browser may be playing a larger part of that lack of speed than you think. Check out other browsers and see if you find a difference.
Opera is strongly recommended since it streamlines your data usage and eliminates a lot of the undesirable speed sucking items the internet likes to give us. Many people use Opera only as a backup browser for when they want to download large content or stream, but in our experience, most people who start using Opera ultimately eliminate using other browsers altogether.
Check it out and you’ll soon see why.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, one or several of these tips will help you find your way back to the fastlane of internet usage. Of course, there are many more complex methods available, but in the interest of speed we are confident these will solve most issues.
Happy Surfing.
