External Internet speed problems
Shared Connections – First of all, you are most likely sharing your internet connection with a group of other people. If you feel like you have a slow connection, be sure to run the speed test at different times during the day and night. If you see a pattern, the congestion may be causing the slowdown not only for you, but for everyone else using the same ISP connection. Anyone streaming Netflix between 6:00 pm and 12:00 pm can definitely cause problems.
Possible Solution. If your home Internet speed isn’t right for you, you can check to see if your Internet service provider provides business Internet in your area. Many people simply choose a business plan that costs a little more and gives you much more reliability and speed.
Fast internet lanes – When talking about Netflix, you may notice that only a few sites are slow, and this is due to the net neutrality debate. For now, some ISPs charge Netflix to get their content to your computer faster. If they don’t pay, some ISPs are actively limiting bandwidth.
Possible solution: Maintain network neutrality by submitting comments to the FCC on the Open Internet.
Regulation – The last point brings us to this, namely that ISPs will regulate certain types of traffic. If you’re wondering why your torrent downloads aren’t very fast, it might be because your ISP is seeing this and isn’t going to let illegal activities consume everyone else’s bandwidth.
They are so good at it that they can even sniff it out over an encrypted connection like a VPN. Even outside of torrent downloads, you can slow down if you exceed a certain data limit. As per Cox Cable’s plan for my parents, we found that over 200GB per month is considered high and will be limited.
Possible Solution: If you love torrenting, your best bet is to use a VPN. Depending on the internet provider, you may or may not be limited. In addition, you should never use torrents without encryption, or the MPAA will sue you.
Server speed and location. Even if you have a Verizon FIOS 50Mbps upload / download plan, it doesn’t matter if the server sending you data can only transfer it at 2Mbps. If the server is overloaded or has other issues that are slowing it down, you might see lower speeds, but only on this particular website. Also, if you are in the US and try to connect to a server located in, for example, India, the speed may also drop.
Possible solution: nothing. If you visit a site a lot and it is down or loading very slowly, it might be worth finding out who owns the domain and sending them a polite email. If it’s any government agency, then you screwed up.
Internal Internet speed problems
Now that we have looked at some of the external factors that affect internet speed, let’s take a look at the internal aspects. Let’s start from the very beginning: from your computer.
Operating System – This may seem obvious, but it is recommended that you use a modern operating system that can take advantage of the latest network protocols and services. If you are still using Windows 2000 or OS X 10.4, this could play a role in Internet speed issues. If you are still using Windows XP, you should be fine, but you probably shouldn’t be using Windows XP anymore for a variety of other reasons.
You should also check for viruses or malware and remove them immediately. Viruses and malware tend to communicate with the main servers, and depending on what data they steal, this can slow down your Internet. Read my post on protecting your computer from viruses and malware.
Web browser. The browser you are using will no longer affect your browsing speed. Depending on your version and brand, this can be significant.
For example, I had a client complaining about all sorts of problems with pageviews and I upgraded from IE 7 to IE 11 and everything just disappeared. IE 11 also supports many web standards, so everything runs smoother than even IE 10. There are a couple more things to consider:
1. It might be worth trying another browser like Google Chrome or Firefox if you are currently using IE. Tons of sites have Javascript and each browser has its own Javascript engine, some of which are significantly faster than others.
2. Try disabling any additional add-ons, toolbars or other extensions that may be installed in your browser. Add-ons are great, but they can consume a lot of memory, which in turn slows down your computer and therefore slows down your browsing speed.
3. Do not clear your cache and browsing history unless necessary. Caches and cookies are used so that you do not have to request the same data from servers if you visit the website more than once. Yes, cookies can be used to track you as well, but disabling cookies or clearing your cache every time you close your browser will slow things down.
4. If your internet connection plan is already slow enough and you cannot switch to it, try blocking ads on websites to save on bandwidth.
Network Card – Next comes the network card on your computer. If it is a wireless card, you can expect the speed to be slower than using a wired Ethernet connection. Currently, only wireless AC will give you speeds above 100 Mbps, which is the maximum speed for a non-gigabit network port. If you have a gigabit router or switch, even a wireless AC still can’t reach 1000 Mbps as the maximum speed reaches 866.7 Mbps.
You are probably wondering why this matters at all if the normal speed range of an ISP is between 4 and 50 Mbps. So, since your computer must first communicate with your router before data can be sent to the Internet, you want that data to be sent as quickly as possible.
Ditch any A / B / G router and switch to N or AC. Tons of devices like all Apple computers, many Samsung phones, etc. already have a built-in wireless AC adapter. Obviously, connecting directly through a cable will provide the fastest possible speed without having to upgrade your NIC if it’s a gigabit port.
Wireless router. The router you use can play an important role in the speed of your internet. There are a few things to keep in mind when considering a router, so let’s get started.
1. If you have an old router, it may not be able to provide the full speed that your ISP plan provides. If your ISP has installed its own router, then you don’t need to worry about this particular issue. However, I noticed that ISP routers only last a year or two before they get terribly slow. I’ve always had to replace my ISP’s routers over the course of two years and the speeds have always returned to their original maximums.
2. Since most routers still use the 2.4 GHz band, you should probably try tinkering with the channel. Interference in the 2.4 GHz band is a huge problem due to the sheer number of devices communicating through it. You can use a program like inSSIDer (Windows) or WiFi Explorer (Mac) to see all the wireless networks around you and what channels they are using. If possible, adjust your channel so that it does not overlap with any other.
3. The location and placement of the router is also important. At my house they put it in a box in a closet inside the wall! This was the worst place for a router. Either way, you have two options, you can try to boost the WiFi signal, or you can set up a second router to act as a repeater or extender.
4. Finally, if your router is not properly secured, other people may be using your bandwidth without you knowing. Read my previous article on how to prevent others from using your internet connection.
Well, that’s pretty much it! I haven’t mentioned any hacks or tricks like fiddling with TCP registry settings or your network card settings because most of these speed increases are just myths and will ruin your connection even more. If you have your own idea, feel free to leave comments. Enjoy!
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