Slow internet, it’s lame. Plain and simple. No one enjoys a buffering Netflix show, a social feed that won’t load or the dreaded spinning wheel of death.
Here are a few tried and tested tricks that you can do to give your internet speed the boost you’re looking for, so you can spend less time refreshing and more time browsing.
1. Find the right spot for your modem
It sounds silly, right? But getting a better speed can be as simple as moving your modem from one spot to the other. Avoid putting it by walls or other barriers because they can block the signal. Make sure your modem isn’t near other appliances like microwaves. They work on the same frequency and can interfere with each other’s signals. And most importantly put your modem in the centre of the house, that way every corner of the house gets a good connection speed and no one gets left out.
2. Ad-block
Ad-block. It’s simple, but we don’t realise how much disabling background apps, ads and programs can free up internet speeds for the things you’re actually working on. It’s also important to check if there are large files downloading in the background because they can easily slow your browser down without you knowing.
3. Know how much data you have
Do you know what internet plan you’re on and what data limits you have? You should probably go find out. The closer your plan gets to reaching its data limit the slower your speeds will be. A quick check at the specifics of your plan can be the difference between browsing bliss and internet struggle street. Or go unlimited and avoid the strangle.
4. Turn on / turn off
The old tried and tested turn on/turn off manoeuvre. Sometimes your router just needs a break. Giving it around 10 minutes to relax and reboot can make a big difference. And doing that every couple of days can give your router the little bit of oomph that it needs to work whenever you need it.
5. Know the peak times
It may be annoying to have to pick and choose what times you want to use your own internet but being aware of when peak times are (usually evening) can save you a lot of frustration and browser refreshing.
6. Too many devices
Is your whole household all online at once? Each device connected to your home internet will be using a little, or a lot, of the bandwidth. The more devices you have connected, the more of the bandwidth is being used up. If your internet is a little slow, try disconnecting a few of your devices. Do you notice a difference?
So give one, or all of these a go! If you’re still not loving what you’ve got – you may need to change up your plan. Try a faster speed tier if you’re on nbn®.
