Do you despair while trying to watch a video while using your home Wi-Fi because the Internet is too slow? Do the younger ones complain about not being able to play online? It was precisely with the many Portuguese facing such situations in mind that we have compiled a set of essential tips that, quickly and simply, can contribute to increasing browsing speed and getting fast Internet at home.
Step 1: Check the device’s poor conditions
The first step to having fast Internet at home will be to check whether, eventually, some bad conditions of the device through which you access the Internet – be it your PC, tablet or smartphone– may be affecting the speed of the connection.
Outdated browser
An outdated browser – from Internet Explorer to Google Chrome to Mozilla Firefox – can result in long page load times, video viewing failures, and other problems commonly associated with a slow Internet connection.
Cache and Cookies
Clearing your browser history, cookies, and cache can be an important step in substantially improving your browser’s speed, which may be overloaded with this type of data.
Too many background programs or apps
Having many applications and browser tabs, which are not being used, open simultaneously results in worse device performance when accessing the Internet.
Disabling automatic updates to unedo needs programs, as well as closing any file sharing application that works in the background are important measures to ensure a fast Internet.
Lack of disk space
Having at least 10% free hard drive space is essential for good performance of the Internet access device.
Virus
Viruses affect device performance, so you should often use antivirus to ensure that no malware is hosted and consumes a large number of resources, something that affects Internet speed.
Multiple active firewalls
Having more than one active firewall can also slow down the connection speed.
Step 2: Implement these 7 measures to have fast internet
There are a number of measures – which are actually quick and simple – that allow you to improve internet speed.
#1 – Restart the router
With just one click it is possible to restart the router and, often, this simple measure may be the solution to the problem of a weak Wi-Fi network.
#2 – Place the router in a suitable location
A router emits waves across all divisions to transmit Wi-Fi. The more walls and objects that are preventing this transmission, the worse the signal will spread and thus it becomes difficult to have fast Internet. The router should be placed as central as possible in the housing and also in a higher position.
#3 – Avoid interference
Moving the router away from appliances and other electronic equipment allows you to improve the Wi-Fi signal, because the microwave, Bluetooth speakers and other similar devices work within the same frequency as Wi-Fi, which can lead to interference or even signal dissipation.
#4 – Adjust antennas for fast Internet
If the router has two external antennas, they must be placed so that they are perpendicular to each other, i.e. one vertically and one horizontally, in order to improve signal propagation. If the router only has one external antenna, you can choose to purchase another one, thus being able to improve the Wi-Fi signal.
#5 – Change password
In order to prevent possible misuse of your Internet connection, which may be one of the reasons why you don’t have a fast Internet, you should change your password. Changing a few times a year can prevent someone from enjoying your telecommunications package, while also ensuring your safety. It is essential to always change the password that comes from the default carrier.
#6 – Turn off inactive equipment
If you’re not using your phone or tablet,you should turn off Wi-Fi on those devices. The same applies to the TV box. If no one is watching TV while surfing the Internet, you should choose to put the device on stand-byso that you do not consume some of the bandwidth.
#7 – Using the cable connection
If you are accessing the Internet from a computer, if possible you should choose a direct connection to the router via a network cable. This solution can be especially effective in the evenings when the network is more overloaded.
Step 3: Apply these 10 technical improvements
Betting on technical improvements to increase the quality of the connection will be the third step to have fast Internet.
Check the quality of network cables and remove filters
The length of the cables, their structure and their state of conservation could have a major impact on internet speed. It is important to confirm that the cables are not dirty or broken/deteriorated. If necessary, it should be considered to replace the old cables, betting on category 6 FTP network cables with the shortest possible length, in order to optimize the connection. Avoiding the use of filters and/or splitters if not using landline is equally important.
Update the router
While upgrading your router may have an associated cost, depending on the equipment and carrier in question, this step can help significantly improve the Wi-Fi signal and allow you to have fast Internet.
If you have wireless-B type equipment (launched in 1999 and only allows speeds up to 11 Mbps) or wireless-G type (launched in 2002 and only allows speeds up to 54 Mbps), consideration should be given to purchasing a wireless router-N (released in 2007 and allowing speeds between 72 and 600 Mbps) or Wireless-AC (released in 2013 and allowing speeds between 433 Mbps and 1.4 Gbps), which should include Dual Bandfunctionality.
Optimize Dual Band functionality
In Dual Band routers it is possible to reserve the band frequencies 2.4 and 5 GHz for certain actions and equipment, the first of which is more effective at overcoming obstacles and has greater range, while the second is able to transmit a greater number of data per second, so it allows higher Internet speeds.
For example, you can reserve the 2.4 GHz for general internet use and 5 GHz to play online or watch streaming series and movies. It should be noted that since there are fewer devices equipped to access the 5 GHz frequency, there will potentially be less congestion on this frequency.
Change the network connection channel
If there are many routers nearby – which can cause interference by working on similar channels – a solution may be to change the network connection channel.
Through The Network and Sharing Center in Windows, you can select a different operating channel from the usual (just make sure that both the router and other devices are using the same channel). There is also software that identifies the channel that offers the best bandwidth, such as inSSIDer (for PC) or Wi-Fi Explorer (for Mac) and wifi analyzer (for Android) or Network Analyzer Lite (for iOs).
Restrict internet-intensive programs
Online games, videos, and streaming movies, for example, are activities that require a constant Internet connection and as such can compromise the Wi-Fi network signal.
It is advisable to control the consumption of data through the QoS(Quality of Service)that exists on the routers. QoS allows you to prioritize some activities over others, and certain programs can be blocked.