We all have struggled with slow broadband connection sometime, somewhere, and we still face this at times – even with so much advanced technology and faster internet connections than ever before. Sluggish internet speed can be an internal or minor issue too, as something as nominal as just not clearing the caches regularly. Caches affect the connection because it gives limited space in the hard drive, hence it causes dropped connection and slow internet speed.
Keeping your Wi-Fi router or connected devices near home appliances can also be a potential reason affecting the overall internet speed. Unless you have a great connection like Spectrum Internet, which seldom causes any hiccups while using their services, sluggish internet is not a new thing for any of us.
Here is a list of some essential hacks and tricks that all internet users must know, in case someone does not know them already. They will simply make the overall digital experience better.
6 Tips to Enhance a Slow Broadband Connection
1. Check your Wi-Fi settings
By default, we habitually do not check our Wi-Fi settings unless any annoyance takes place, even then we often overlook to check our Wi-Fi settings. Therefore, before you do anything and notice your internet is not working as smooth as it used to, go to your Wi-Fi settings and make sure if everything is rightly put and there isn’t any restriction or condition that is affecting the performance. If you do not find any issue with that, take some expert help and then take the rest of the steps.
2. Test your internet speed
All you have to do is Google “Speed Test” and it will give you zillions of results (ex: ) where you can check your internet speed right away. These are the online platforms where you can check your internet’s speed and compare it with the one that you have signed up for. If there is any discrepancy, talk to the customer support – their technical staff would happily fix this for you or would guide you if there is another issue.
3. Update browsers
Most of the time, we do not realize that our browsers and apps are not regularly updated, which is why it gets unresponsive, making the online experience sluggish. Applications and software constantly notify about the latest updates, so we can just follow that and make our experience smoother. Therefore, it is highly recommended to update all the apps and software in your devices that are connected with the internet to avoid any restraints.
4. Reposition your router
We do not always realize that our router is misplaced and not catching enough signals hence delivering poor performance online. You might be struggling for a long time, not realizing that the solution is as simple as relocating or repositioning your internet router. In such scenarios, restarting your router, ensuring your wireless and buttons are functional and checking your hardware devices are also recommended. Also, there are places in our homes or offices that have less coverage area. Relocating the computer system, Wi-Fi, or router once in a while, or if it is a wireless connection changing the location, can give you better results.
5. Secure your network
Make sure your wireless connection is protected with a strong password. If not, you are not only leaving your network unsafe but all your sensitive and personal information can also be stolen. And possibly, if your Wi-Fi connection is open, chances are it is being used by anyone who got hold of it, hence, the sluggishness. Just by adding a strong password, you will restrict its usage, as well as its availability to anyone, which will drastically improve the internet speed and overall performance.
6. Use less bandwidth
There are some apps and software on our smartphones, tablets, and laptops that are always running in the background, as long as they connect to the internet, and that slows down the overall internet speed. You might be thinking you have one open tab but in the background, but there can be multiple open windows. If you want to experience an enhanced speed, keep checking by pressing CTRL+ALT+END to check the task manager; you will see everything running on your computer, and from there you can end them.
See also: How much has Wireless Internet technology changed our global society?
