Speed up a Slow Internet Connection

A slow internet connection wastes time, turns streamed videos into bad slideshows, and puts your computer in real danger of being lobbed out the window. To speed up a slow internet connection, you should work on optimizing your web browser, modem/router, internet service package, and computer in general. By streamlining these individual elements and speeding up each one, you can vastly improve your overall connection speed and save your computer -- and sanity -- from certain peril.

Steps

Optimize your browser

  1. Switch to a different browser. Some people use Internet Explorer, which, while a decent browser, does use a lot of resources. Moreover, as web pages become more advanced, the number of processes necessary to load them grows, meaning you’re usually better off with a browser that can be customized to cut back on ads and other non-essentials.
    • Firefox has many extensions that allow for the ability to block elements such as JavaScript, advertisements, Flash, and other things until you enable them. One critical add-on is Adblock Plus, which virtually eliminates ads from your surfing experience and speeds up load time considerably. You may also want to try the add-on Fasterfox Lite, which will give Firefox enhanced speed options.
    • Google Chrome, while new, uses very little memory and can also be good for sites that have a lot of JavaScript and Flash. You may also want to try the FastestChrome add-on.
    • Opera has compression technology, (Opera turbo) specially designed for slow network connections. This has proved very effective for many.
  2. Remove unwanted add-ons, extensions, and plugins. Though many plugins and add-ons can make your surfing experience more efficient, others make it difficult to perform instant page loads. (Non-essentials like themes, skins, and gizmos you’ve long since grown bored with are prime targets.) Try disabling these unnecessary plug-ins and add-ons to gain better browsing and downloading speed.
    • To turn off add-ons on Firefox, Go to Tools > Add-ons and disable both unwanted add-ons and plugins. Restart Firefox to put changes into effect.
    • To turn off add-ons on Google Chrome, Go to Customize > Tools > Extensions and disable unwanted plugins. Restart Chrome to put changes into effect.
    • To turn off Internet Explorer add-ons, Go to Tools > Manage Add-ons and disable unwanted add-ons. Restart IE to put changes into effect.
  3. Close unused tabs. Even if you aren't looking at them, many pages automatically refresh themselves every few minutes or seconds to keep you in sync (news pages, Facebook, and Twitter are excellent examples). Close these when you’re not using them so they don’t eat up your bandwidth.
  4. Allow (some) cookies and caching. While allowing cookies and caching means that parts of your browsing history or even your personal information will be tracked and/or stored, a lot of this is completely harmless and, in fact, allows pages to load more quickly. If you’re skeptical about opening the floodgates, keep your default setting to ban all cookies, then add sites you trust to your “Exceptions” list. Furthermore, don’t set your browser to automatically clear its cache every time it closes. Note that different browsers will allow different levels of customization as far as cookies and caching are concerned. To change these settings:
    • In Firefox, go to Tools > Options > Privacy.
    • In Internet Explorer, go to Tools (may look like a cog) > Internet Options > Browsing History and make sure Delete browsing history on exit is not checked. For more controlled deletion, go to Delete… and make sure Preserve favorite website data is checked.
    • In Chrome, go to Tools (may look like a wrench) > Settings, scroll down, then go to Show Advanced Settings > Privacy > Content Settings.

Optimize your modem/router

  1. Change your wireless device to a different channel. If you live close enough to your neighbors that you can see their wireless connections, it’s possible that your wireless device is being bogged down by having to broadcast on the same channel as them. To test this, download, install, and run a program like inSSIDer to scan wireless networks and their associated channels in your vicinity.
    • Find your wireless connection in the list (usually at the top). Look for the channel it broadcasts on, then compare this to the other channels being used. Ideally, it will be the only network on this channel (as in the example below), but this often isn't the case. (In fact, in crowded areas, this may not be even be possible.) Scout for a channel between 1 and 11 with few or no networks and make note of channels that are overburdened with many, many networks (in the example below, channel 6).
    • If necessary, change your wireless channel. Connect to your modem/router’s IP address (find the manual, check on the device itself, or look it up online), look for the broadcast channel among the settings (the location will vary depending on your device), and select an alternative from the drop-down list.
  2. Reposition your wireless router. Either move it to the room where it will get the most use of position it centrally. Ideally, there should be a direct, unobstructed line between your computer and router.
  3. Avoid interference from other wireless devices. In particular, cordless phones can be a real nuisance for your wireless internet connection, so if the two devices share a phone jack, space them as far apart as physically possible (or at least leave a few feet between them).
  4. Use an Ethernet cable. Going wireless is liberating, but the tradeoff is signal interference, especially when it’s traveling through walls, and reduced overall performance. Make an Ethernet cable your first choice when connecting and save wireless for when you really need to do that Aaron-Sorkin-style walk and talk through the building.
  5. Upgrade your device. An old modem/router may not be physically capable of accommodating the speed potential of your internet package.

Optimize your Internet service package

  1. Identify the speed your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is supposed to be providing. This is important because your slow connection could be due to a problem on their end, not yours. The exact speed should be on your bill. If you don't have a bill handy, you can check the ISP's website or contact them directly to find out.
  2. Conduct a speed test online.[1] This should get you results close to what your ISP is supposed to provide. If you get a low result, try another computer on your network first. If both get a low result, contact your ISP. If only yours has a problem, then the problem lies with the computer.
  3. Upgrade to a better package. If you’ve been using the same speed for years, you probably aren’t equipped to load today’s web pages, which are more intricate than ever. In particular, you might be missing out on streaming and downloading opportunities. If you’ve had the same provider for a long time, ask for a discounted upgrade in exchange for your continued loyalty. Otherwise, shop around for deals; many companies offer incentives if you switch to them.

Optimize your computer

  1. Eliminate needless programs. Your Internet connection requires memory to be able to be at the speed you are paying for. If your computer is bogged down by programs you don't need, your connection will be slower. Close programs you aren't using.
  2. Do a virus and spyware scan. Viruses and spyware also use up memory which can contribute to a connection appearing slow. Run a thorough or complete scan of each even if you have it on and scanning. A regular scan will catch additional items. (See below if you need either of these programs for free virus and spyware scanning programs.)
  3. Make sure you aren’t running two firewalls. These will interfere with each other and, in addition to posing security problems, also reduce your web performance. In particular, if you use Windows but have downloaded or purchased a separate firewall, double-check that you aren’t also running Windows Firewall (which is turned on as a default). Go to Search > Windows Firewall and, if necessary, hit Change Settings to turn it off.
  4. Check your free space. If your hard drive is nearly full, take files you don't use often and either burn them to CD or DVD, place on an external hard drive, or delete them. Your computer uses free hard drive space as virtual memory, so a full hard drive will slow down your computer and your connection.
  5. Run a disk defragmentation. This should be done once every two weeks. It will improve your overall performance which can only help your Internet connection.
  6. Consider a computer upgrade. An older computer may not have the power to make use of many things on the Internet now. Even something as simple as a RAM (Random Access Memory) upgrade could help, but if your computer is more than five years old, it may be time to consider getting a newer model OR using a different operating system. Rolling back to an older windows version such as windows XP or trying out various Linux distributions, this often breaths life into an old computer. You can even get an OS that can boot directly to a browser if its the main thing you use it for (xPud, browserLinux, slitaz etc)!
  7. Turn off your computer every night. Leaving your computer in standby mode without turning it on and off completely every day or so will tie up memory and can soon slow down your Internet speed.

Tips

  • Keep your virus and spyware scans up to date. Out-of-date definitions do no good and new things can be added almost daily. Always update before running a scan and when downloading a new program.
  • Even if your virus scanner provides spyware scanning, you should still have a separate spyware scanning program.
  • Call a computer expert.
  • Check your ISP bill statement and determine if it's KB (kilobytes) or Kb (kilobits). The difference between the two is that there are 1024 bytes in a Kb, and 8192 bits in a KB.

Warnings

  • Do not try to download any "speed boosters" for your connection. Most of these do not work, and if anything, may even slow down your connection more. The same goes for memory management software.
  • Be wary of supposed spyware cleaners and other programs that boast to improve performance. Many of these do not work and could well contain spyware or impede performance. Always do research on a program before downloading it. Check a reputable website for reviews (not testimonials) from other users.
  • If you have a spyware-infected computer, changing browsers will not solve your problem.
  • Do not run more than one virus scan at a time. Multiple virus scanning programs will merely interfere with each other and cause viruses to slip by.
  • You should conduct the online bandwidth tests for a couple days in a row and at different times, as their bandwidth (or your bandwidth) could have been tied up. Find your "average" connection speed and work from that.
  • Be careful when closing off programs. Some programs are required for the running of other programs. If you aren't sure, search the name in your search engine to find out what it is or seek expert advice.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.speedtest.net/
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