A slow Wi-fi connection can be extremely irritating particularly on the off chance that you are working or studying at home. Slow Wi-Fi speed can even ruin your credibility, especially if you cannot send an official document or an assignment on time. Now that indoor entertainment is the new approach, slow internet can kill the entire fun vibe whether you are playing a game or streaming your favorite movie.
This guide, however, is designed to be your savior. Make sure to read it till the end so you can combat slow internet, the next time it tries to take control of the situation.
Check your Internet Speeds
In some cases, your internet connection is slow in light of the fact that you are paying for cheap internet service. To understand this, you should check your internet bill to get the awareness of the internet plan you pay for currently. Once you know the internet speed that you should be getting, head on to a speed-testing website like Speedtest.net or fast.com. Run a speed test and note down the speed you are getting. If both speeds are close, then your connection is fine. Here the likely problem is that your internet plan is not sufficient for your needs and so you should upgrade your package.
You might hold back because of the increased prices of better internet plans, however, that is ultimately going to be a setback for you. Therefore, be mindful and subscribe to a better internet plan. Furthermore, many internet providers offer year-round discounts and so you can take benefit from such promotions. For example, Spectrum promotions offer special discounted rates and extra perks for new customers throughout the year.
Check your Hardware
Before reviling your internet service provider, go for the universal fix. Reset your router and modem (this simply means to turn them off, wait 30 seconds and then turn them on) and check whether that makes a difference. Also, see if the problem is limited to one device or all devices are suffering from a poor internet connection.
In the event that the problem persists on only one device, you should know that the issue resides with that very device and not the internet.
Increase your Network Security
Let me burst your bubble by telling you that open Wi-Fi is likely to be slower. This is because outsiders connect to the network as well, taking a share of the bandwidth which ultimately leaves less bandwidth for your devices. To set this straight, there is only one thing you can do and that is to protect your home network. Protecting your network does not require you to be highly tech-smart; all you need to do is set a password to access it and limit it to anyone other than your family members.
Usually, the routers and modems provided by your internet provider are already password protected. However, if your device does not have a password yet, you can set it yourself by following these steps:
- Check the IP address of your router and enter it in the browser of your choice.
- Open router settings and enter your login credentials; you can get these from your router’s hardware. You can also contact your ISP for these details.
- From the settings menu, you can change or add a password.
Clear your PC
More often than you know, your device gets exhausted because of the overwhelming tasks and apps and eventually starts slowing down your transfer rate. In this case, the only thing you need to do is clear your PC.
If you think that your device is clear of everything, you would be surprised to know that the background applications take much more space than the apps you can see working in the front.
As such, the following steps can help you clear out your PC of all the unnecessary activities:
- Press these keys at the same time: Ctrl, Del, Alt. From the presented menu, select Task Manager.
- Shut down all the apps that you are not currently using.
After this exercise, move onto your web browser and start clearing up the cache and cookies there. Here, we have provided the steps to clear cache and cookies on Google Chrome:
- Go to the menu and select ‘More Tools’
- Select ‘Clear Browsing Data’
- Check all the boxes for Cookies and other site data, Cached images and files, and Browsing History
- Select ‘Clear data’
Flush your DNS
Domain Name System (DNS) is a database of the internet. It keeps the data of all the websites you visit so that it can make your future searches better. However, if the server network changes, this DNS can assist in slowing down your internet connection. In such cases, you need to flush it. Here are the steps:
- Open Command Prompt
- Type ipconfig/flushdns and press enter
- Install a decent antivirus program
Some illicit organizations are working constantly to get into your framework and crash it with their malevolent programming and hacking tricks. To counter such dangers, you ought to have a decent antivirus program downloaded on your PC. While viruses can severely harm your PC, they can also slow down your Wi-Fi speeds. In the event that a decent antivirus checks your PC consistently, you can ensure your internet connection too.
Shut Down All Unnecessary Devices
All the devices connected with a network ought to share its bandwidth and as the number of devices increases, the speed can get slow. Contrary to the popular belief, even the devices that are not being used consume some level of bandwidth capacity. Such devices continue refreshing their applications naturally and their background applications keep on running as well. As such, in the event that you are not utilizing the internet on any of your associated devices, it is smarter to shut them down.
Moreover, you should know that smart devices consume more bandwidth than regular devices and so if you have to attend a big meeting online, make sure to turn off all of the unnecessary devices.
The Last Word
This article summarizes some fast and helpful approaches to fix your Wifi connection. However, if you are unable to fix it by yourself, contact your ISP and discuss the problem in detail. If your ISP fails to ensure sound connectivity, you might want to switch to a better provider.