Faster Internet for Free? Sounds crazy, but what’s the catch? Can you get faster internet without paying extra? Quite right, but maybe not in the way you think.
Technically, you can’t get a faster internet connection than the one you pay for, because that’s just not how it works. If you’re paying for 30Mbps download speeds, that’s the absolute maximum you’ll ever get if you don’t pay more.
However, what we’re talking about here is that you probably aren’t getting those speeds. If you want to really speed up your network at work or at home, you need to be aware of the activities that slow down your network.
In other words, you are probably setting a few blocks (probably unintentionally) that prevent your internet from reaching its maximum speed. Remove these restrictions and you have a faster Internet connection, which means faster downloads, faster movie transfers, less buffering when listening to music, and more.
Also, don’t forget to watch our YouTube video where we talk about ways to fix slow connection / internet speed.
Stop downloading a lot of things
You don’t have to stop completely – just don’t download everything at once. The reason multiple downloads slow down the overall speed of your network is because you have limited bandwidth.
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The total speed you pay your ISP for is called bandwidth. This is the maximum speed you can get at any given time. It doesn’t matter what you do on your network or how many people are sharing the bandwidth – there is a deficit that you must watch out for.
For example, if you watch Netflix on your TV, YouTube videos are streamed to your computer, and your four CCTV cameras are streaming HD video and audio to the recorder, 30 Mbps (or how much you pay) is split equally. between everything.
In the end it all comes down to a slower internet. You cannot use the full network speed for a Netflix movie because other events are happening on the network at the same time. The same is true for other tasks; YouTube stream and cameras can’t run at full capacity because bandwidth is literally being cut into pieces as each device uses the network.
The solution is simple: do only one or two things at a time. This is less important if you have really fast download speeds, but for those of you who don’t pay a lot, just limit what you do at any given time. Listen to Netflix as much as you want, but avoid simultaneously downloading video games, streaming music from your iPod, and playing games on your tablet.
Tip: Test your internet speed at different times of the day as you use the network differently to see how much it changes. There are many reasons a speed test might be inaccurate, so always estimate the average of multiple runs.
Manually limit the bandwidth
Another way to get a faster Internet connection when bandwidth is an issue is to use a bandwidth manager. Be that as it may, this is software that controls the bandwidth, which purposefully limits how much of the network bandwidth the program is allowed to use, thereby freeing it up for other purposes.
For example, if you download a 10 GB archive to your computer, it may take several hours. Under normal circumstances, this download consumes as much bandwidth as possible, leaving less for other things like video streams or web browsing.
The bandwidth manager speeds up your Internet by deliberately slowing down tasks for which you do not need a lot of bandwidth. If you don’t care how long a download takes, limit its bandwidth so you have faster speeds for the things you need right now, like online games or some other networked tasks.
Download-oriented programs like Free Download Manager and uTorrent usually include bandwidth limiters as they are designed specifically for transferring files. There are also programs like NetLimiter that provide bandwidth control as the only feature, allowing you to limit the network speed
for any software running on your computer.
Tip: Learn how to keep track of which programs are using the most bandwidth so you know which ones you should monitor.
Avoid interferences
Another key to a faster internet is a reliable connection to an internet source such as a router. If you have a wireless router in another room, you are already suffering from small interference such as walls and other electronics. Throw the router into a basement or closet, or try to access it from the outside, and you’ll notice even lower speeds.
One way to get faster internet in such a situation – aside from buying a second router – is to just walk up to the router just not too close. Ideally, you should be in the same room for maximum speed. If you can’t do this all the time, consider sitting next to your router when you need to, such as when downloading something you need right away, or while waiting for a video to load.
Choose a wired connection whenever possible to avoid line-of-sight issues associated with Wi-Fi. If there is an Ethernet cable near your laptop or desktop computer, plug it in and turn off Wi-Fi so that no matter where the router is located, you have a reliable connection.
Tip: Check out the basic ways to boost your Wi-Fi signal to improve network performance.
Disconnect WiFi
If your device is connected to a mobile data connection, turning off Wi-Fi can make your Internet faster, but only if your Wi-Fi is slower than your mobile connection.
As strange as it may seem, the bandwidth that some people pay for their home network is actually lower than what they can get from a cell tower, making a faster Internet connection as easy as switching networks. Check out this mobile speed report for US users to see how fast the average speed is.
If your tablet, phone, or computer can’t connect directly to your mobile data plan, consider a hotspot. Most mobile devices have a built-in hotspot function, but there are also apps you can download to share your phone’s internet with other devices.
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