9 Strategies I Use to Speed Up My Internet

One of the greatest ways to speed up your internet is to check your internet connection. There are many ways that you can improve your internet connection and below are my 9 top ways to speed up my internet by simply checking my internet connection. Hopefully some of them work for you. 1. Check the Local Internet Connection You Have. Many times ISP�s upgrade their service and have faster connections available then the one that you are on. I recently upgraded my Qwest connection from 12 Mbps to 20 Mbps and at the same time dropped my monthly cost by nearly 40%. There are deals out there, just call and ask. 2. Optimize Your Temporary Internet Files and Cache. The temporary internet files and cache ultimately are designed to make browsing faster by storing a local copy of a file (images or graphics for example) onto your machine so next time you visit the website it will load faster by pulling from the local copy rather then downloading it again. To optimize the use of these folders, do the following: With Internet Explorer, navigate to the "Tools" menu at the top and select �Internet Options�. Go to the General tab, then click the �Settings� button next to Temporary Internet Files. Place a check mark for newer versions to handle downloading new versions �Automatically�. Set the amount of disk space to use to 2% of your total harddisk size or 512 MB, which ever is smaller. WithinIf you are using Firefox, click �Tools� then �Options,� then select the privacy tab. google_ad_client = "pub-2311940475806896"; /* 300x250, created 1/6/11 */ google_ad_slot = "0098904308"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; Then click on the Cache tab within this to set it to automatic. 3. See If There Are Conflicts With Your Cordless Phone and Wireless Router. There are 3 types of wireless routers, 802.11 b, g, and n (2.4Ghz) or 802.11 a (5.8Ghz). Check the connection of the cordless phone and if you have a 2.4Ghz Cordless phone and 2.4Ghz Wireless router then you will experience a slow down, especially when using the cordless phone or wireless security camera gear. The best way to check the model of the phone is to look for a spec sticker. It can usually be found on the side or back of the phone. The correct setting is 900Mhz. If it says 2.4Ghz or 5.8Ghz then you have most likely found the culprit of the slow connection and internet connection. 4. Reset Your Network. Many people are surprised that all it takes to speed up your internet is to reset the router and modem that you are connected to at home. Try unplugging and wait 10 seconds or so then plug it in again. Most of the time this does wonders to speed up your internet. Check the speed of your internet speed before and after by performing a quick (free) ISP test at 5. Upgrade Equipment Like the Firewall and Routers. Obviously, the newer the hardware, the more capable it is to handle the speed of modern network. Most old routers are not capable to handle speeds faster than 10 Mbps. They also may be underpowered and too weak to reach capacity. It is wise to invest in a new router every couple years. 6. Upgrade Your Router Firmware. It is good business practice to check the website from time to time to make sure that you have the most recent version of the router firmware software. Nearly All routers have built in software to check, but you should still get onto the web from time to time and just make sure it is up to date. 7. Change Your Cable Modem. It makes sense to change out your old cable modem from time to time. As with any other electronic device, they are not made to last forever and will eventually wear out. The older the equipment it gets, the more it wears out. Your broadband modem will have a harder and harder time �concentrating� on maintaining a good connection as it gets older (signal to noise ratios will go down, and the number of resend requests for the same packet will go up). An after-market cable modem as opposed to a cable-company modem will frequently offer a better connection. 8. Shut Down Any Programs That You Are Not Using. Just hit the �ctrl�, �alt� and �del� keys simultaneously and your �Task Manager� will show up. Under the �Applications� tab, just close any programs that are running that do not need to be. You can also close down any processes that are running under the "processes menu that are running unnecessarily. Most likely there are a number of processes that you need running so educate yourself on those used processes before closing everyone of them down. 9. Make Sure No One Is Stealing Your Network Connection. Your connection should always stay secure. Each network is a little different so it makes no sense that I go through what you need to do to secure your internet other than to say � read the owners manual on the router. This one tip will do more to speed up your internet then almost everything else you can do.

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