Monday, June 11, 2012
How to Speed Up Your Internet Connection
Article By Michael C. Oleru
One of the things that people use their computer for the most is getting online. However, slow Internet connections are incredibly frustrating and all too common. Fortunately, if you are looking for how to speed up your connection, there are several ways available.
The first thing that people should do is learn how to change their wireless channel. Most people these days use wireless connections to allow more than one computer or device to get online, and wireless interference is a major cause of Internet slow downs. Since most wireless routers default to the same channel, when you live close to other people using wireless routers, they are all
fighting each other, which causes lost connections and slow speeds. When you change your wireless channel, you give your router its own frequency and keeps it from being bogged down by interference.
Another thing you should learn how to do is to check for programs running on your computer and to limit the number of start up programs you have. If you have a file sharing program running, it can slow down your Internet connection. Additionally, it is easy to confuse a slow computer for a slow Internet connection. If your web pages take forever to load, this may be because your computer is trying to do a dozen other things at the same time.
When programs are installed on your computer, they usually put themselves in the system startup. What this means is that every time your computer turns on, it is also turning on multiple programs at the same time, and while you are not actively using them, they are making your computer run slower. By eliminating unnecessary programs from starting up with your computer and shutting down bandwidth hogging programs, you can make your Internet connection much faster.
Finally, you should run speed tests to determine what Internet connection speed you are actually getting. If your wireless signal is strong and your computer is running quickly but your Internet is slow, there may be a problem with your modem or Internet service provider. When you run a speed test, you should be getting at least 80 percent of your paid for download speed. If you are, this means you probably need to look into getting a faster Internet service. However, if you are seeing less than 80 percent speed test results, you should call your ISP to have them look at either replacing your modem or checking your lines.
If you have a slow Internet connection, there are a variety of ways that you can improve it. By learning how to do a few basic things, you can be sure that you are getting the connection speed you are paying for.