There is nothing more frustrating than having the Internet moving at a snail’s pace. Web pages take forever to load and games and streaming services lag. With Zoom meetings becoming more and more regular, any significant slowdown in the internet from it makes it more difficult to work from home.
Fortunately, you don’t have to suffer from slow internet speeds anymore, especially with so many tips and tricks available to help you improve your Wi-Fi speed. Before you pick up the phone to upgrade your service, try these tips.
reset your router
Resetting your router has many benefits for the average home network. It can help thwart hacking attempts, reset your router’s limited memory to speed things up, and even apply important updates your router may have been waiting for.
The key is to reboot the router properly. You don’t want to do a factory reset, which will erase all your settings and force you to start over.
Step 1: Avoid holes and reset buttons on the router; instead, simply disconnect your router from all connected devices and then from the power source, turning it off completely.
Step 2 – Wait about a minute for everything to turn off completely.
Step 3: Reconnect the router to the power supply, modem, and whatever else you need.
We also have a complete guide on what you need to know about resetting your router for more information.
Manage your wifi channels
Most routers today are dual-band, meaning they offer connections on both the 2.5 GHz frequency and the 5 GHz frequency. Some routers are also tri-band, meaning there is one band additional 5 GHz to further extend your connections.
These different channels exist so that you can spread device connections across the spectrum and reduce the requirements for a single channel. This can speed up your connections, especially if the 2.5GHz band is getting a bit crowded.
As a general rule of thumb, the 5Ghz band is shorter in range but slightly faster, best suited for devices close to the router. The 2.5GHz band has a longer range but is a bit slower, a better choice for devices in other rooms or mobile devices that move around a lot.
Some routers come with auto-assignment features that can assign devices to different channels based on the needs of the connection and switch them to new channels as circumstances change. That’s great, but most routers don’t have that service yet, so do this:
Step 1: Go to your router settings and make sure the networks are set to all bands on your router.
Step 2 – Connect each device separately to the channel that best suits them. It’s a bit of work, but it can really affect your speeds.
Manage devices on your network
The average home router can handle around 250 connected devices in theory; in practice, as more devices accumulate, bandwidth struggles to meet the needs of the network and slowdowns occur. In a modern home or office where everyone has multiple mobile devices and smart devices are commonplace, routers can become overloaded and start causing speed issues.
If a lot of new devices are connecting to your Wi-Fi and you notice speed issues, you might want to start limiting the connected devices. For newer routers, open the router’s app and look for a list of connected devices. For older routers, enter your IP address into your browser and find your admin settings, where you should look for a section that says Manage devices, restrict access, Or something similar. While settings can vary, here are some important options to look for:
Step 1 – Find unnecessary devices. If the devices don’t need to be on your network or someone seems to be hijacking your Wi-Fi, you can turn those devices off. You can also look for an option to ban your MAC addresses and make sure to change your Wi-Fi password when you’re done. It’s not a perfect solution, but it can help remove unknown devices quickly.
Step 2: Gas permeability. Some routers allow you to select specific connections to speed up or slow down. This way, you can give less bandwidth to devices only needed for simple tasks and more bandwidth to devices used for gaming and streaming, reducing speed issues.
Step 3: Limit the use. Routers may also have the ability to limit usage hours for certain devices, which is a good way to ensure devices don’t consume too much bandwidth during key times of the day. It’s also a reliable way to manage kids’ online connections for busy families.
Step 4: Voice commands. We are seeing more and more devices with voice command support, especially for Alexa. Saying “Alexa, turn this device off” or “Alexa, turn off Timmy’s Wi-Fi” can be a helpful command. Alexa can also help you quickly switch between router modes (chat, gaming, standard, etc.) to prioritize certain activities.
Using Ethernet connections
For now, we assume that you must be using Wi-Fi connections at home. But if your computer (or other device) is close enough to the router, consider using a wired Ethernet connection to your router’s ports. This is a very reliable way to increase speed, because a wired connection is free from many issues that can cause Wi-Fi to slow down.
‘Clear’ your DNS
DNS (Domain Name System) records keep track of all the website addresses you visit to improve future visits. However, DNS records are dependent on you and the website staying on your own servers. If servers change over time, which happens with many websites, the DNS will actually slow down your connection because it doesn’t recognize the new server. That’s why it might be a good idea, as they say, to flush your DNS from time to time.
This process does not take much time with the right steps.
Step 1 – In Windows 10, just search for Domain query in the search box and open the app.
Step 2 – Make sure you are running as administrator! Then type the command line “ipconfig /flushdns”
Step 3: Hit enter. Windows will notify you that the DNS has been removed.
Switch to a faster browser
Does your slowdown mostly happen when you are using the browser or opening a lot of new tabs? Consider switching to a minimalist browser that loads only what is necessary. Browsers like Brave for Mac and Opera excel at this, especially if you’re willing to play around with the settings. If you haven’t tried it yet, Google Chrome is also known as one of the fastest browser options.
Add a cache management extension
Your browser’s cache stores copies of web page content to facilitate page reloads. As Internet users know, when the cache gets too full, it can slow down network performance (cookies, history, and other similar saved data can also have an impact). Clearing the cache manually can be a pain, causing it to build up over time. We suggest an easier way: download the Clear Cache extension, which will help you customize the cleaning actions and clear them immediately with a simple button on the browser’s taskbar.
Consider using a VPN
If you’re looking to see if a VPN (virtual private network) can boost your internet speed, you’re likely to come across a lot of conflicting information. Here’s the deal: Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) will throttle your bandwidth based on certain activities, like hitting a soft data limit or streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. If you have evidence that your ISP is throttling your bandwidth in this way, a VPN can help you by hiding your activity so the ISP doesn’t have the data needed to make throttling decisions.
But in many cases, a VPN can actually slow down your internet speed with its combination of encryption and server hopping. Try this as a workaround only if you are sure your ISP is suspect. Fortunately, many VPNs can be downloaded for free and enabled for a trial period if you want to try them out.
If necessary, upgrade your Wi-Fi system or bandwidth
Many changes are now coming to the router market. Among them are extended MU-MIMO functions for better individual connections. You can also find devices that support Wi-Fi 6 and higher. These new features are great for improving speed and performance. The problem is that if your router is a few years old, you’ll probably need to buy a new version to get these updates. You should also make sure that your new mobile devices are compatible with current technology.
You can find the optimal settings for your router by updating. You’ll improve your signal strength and internet speed by using a mesh router, which means setting up different router points throughout your home.
Upgrading your internet package will also give you higher bandwidth. In fact, you’ll pay more, but you’ll get the benefit of automatic updates, without the inconvenient trial period. Ask your service provider about relevant sales and special offers; just remember to check the details before accepting. Also remember that you may not get the same speeds as advertised. You can verify the quality of your update by running an Internet speed test after installation.
Due to the coronavirus, several internet companies are lifting data limit restrictions. Most ISPs are in a fast-paced race to meet the increasing demands for faster Internet speeds, so optimizing your Internet service should offset the higher prices your ISP may now charge you. You need to make a conscious effort to find out if the higher prices are giving you more speed.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn