How to make your internet connection go faster

Even the most technologically savvy of us can fall prey to a slow internet speed, but not all of us know how to fix it. If your browser is taking a while to load and if you aren’t able to upload any images, and generally want to give up on it all, help is here.

Here’s how to improve your internet speed in layman’s terms.

Check your speed

First things first: check how fast your internet is going.

According to The New Daily, local providers TPG, Optus, iiNet, Primus and Exetel should have an average of 3.092 megabits per second.

With the advent of streaming services, internet users (even those who aren’t streaming) are experiencing slower speeds due to the sheer volume of use.

To make sure that your speed problem isn’t related to your house’s phone line or connection, you can check it online here. This website will tell you the upload and download speed of your internet. If you aren’t seeing speeds over 1MB/s on an ADSL2+ or NBN connection, you should contact your internet service provider (ISP) for assistance. Mobile broadband providers generally don’t offer these high speeds but it’s still good to check with them what their average recommended speed for your service is.

Look for a better deal

If you feel like you aren’t getting a good deal, it pays to shop around. We’ve done the hard work for you here.

Avoid peak periods

Like the morning and afternoon rush on the highway, the internet operates in the same way. If your internet is going slow between 7 and 9pm weekdays, it’s usually due to high use in your area. Try to use your internet instead later at night or earlier in the morning.

It could be your proximity to the exchange

If you are having trouble with your internet, it could very well be caused by how far away you are from the exchange. The ‘exchange’ is basically where the internet is connected in your area.

To find an exchange, follow this link or search “internet coverage map” followed by the desired area in a search engine.

If you are moving in the future, it could be worthwhile to see how close you are to your local exchange. The closer you are, the better internet you will have.

Put your router in the right spot

If you’re using a router/modem for your internet (non-NBN), you can move it to receive a better signal. There can often be obstacles in the way of your wireless signal so make sure your router is at least two metres off the ground, in a central location away from windows, and away from other electronics.

Buy a new modem or router

If you’ve done all of the above and you still have internet ala the dial-up era, it might be time to buy a new router. They can cost anywhere between $30-$300 but something around the $80 should do you just fine. Newer models can handle higher internet speeds that your older modem may not.

Update your browser

If you think everything is fine on the router/telephone line side of things, your problems could instead be stemming from your computer. If you’re running an outdated version of your browser, it could be the source.

If you continue to use an old version of a browser, you’ll eventually begin to notice that your Internet seems slower, since the old browser isn’t equipped to handle new content. To solve the problem, simply update to a current browser.

• To download the latest version of Internet Explorer, go here.
• To download the latest version of Mozilla Firefox, go here.
• To download the latest version of Google Chrome, go here.
• To download the latest version of Safari, go here and follow the instructions.

Security

Even if your router has a password, it can be really easy for your neighbours to hack. There are easy ways to find out if someone is stealing your Wi-Fi, but the best thing to do is just lock them out with better security. Choose a password that has at least one capital letter, number and symbol and isn’t to do with your street name, your name or a pet.

Tell us, have these tips improved your internet speed at all?