In a modern world that is perpetually connected to the Internet, there is nothing more infuriating than having to deal with a connection that is moving at the pace of the turtle. Everyone had to contend with slow internet at least once in their leaves or perhaps put up with a connection that was not up to par with their expectations.
Regardless of whether you spend all day stalking people on social media or are working on an important project, dealing with a clunky connection can cause us to grit our teeth and pull our hair out. Today, with most people spending significant amounts of time loitering or working online, fast internet is an indispensable commodity. In fact, many might even argue that a steady, fast and reliable connection is no longer a want, but a fundamental need nowadays.
So, while experiencing bad internet connection might be taken to mean you are spending too much time online (and consequently, be considered as the proverbial nudge to go outside), here are some of the things you can do to deal with your slow connection:
Table of Contents
1. Check your speeds
More often than not, your internet is slow because well, you are paying only for slow internet. In this regard, it is best to be in correspondence with your provider and ask them about the type of plan you have. Test it online via Speedtest.net and then see if the numbers match up with what you are paying for. If it checks out, the reality is, you are just paying for slow internet, and your best tack would be to upgrade. However, if the number does not match up, read on below for ways to fix that problem.
2. Troubleshoot your hardware
If you are experiencing slow internet connection, try resetting your modem and router and see if that will do anything to improve the speed. Furthermore, you should also check the other devices in your house are experiencing the same clunky speed as well. If it happens that it is only one device experiencing the slow connection, there is a likely chance that the device is the problem and not your internet connection.
3. Fix your Wi-Fi signal
Wi-Fi users might be surprised to see that their router and internet are both fine while their signal is weak which means a slowdown in loading up pages, uploads or downloads. If this is the case, you may just likely need to boost, reposition or tweak your router. More often than not, the device you are using may be out of your router’s reach, or your router simply does not have enough power to ensure all of your devices are connected to it concurrently.
4. Optimize your web for slow connection
It is no question that troubleshooting slow internet may take a while and when you need to browse, this can be rather bothersome. Similarly, people in public places where Wi-Fi is a communal perk or privilege, there is little you can do to improve the speed. However, you can optimize your web for slower connection by using mobile or HTML versions of the websites you need to visit. Disable images and use features like Opera Turbo and you will see just how much of a difference it makes when you are working on a slow connection.
5. Turn off bandwidth-hogging plugins and apps
It might have escaped your notice, but something as trivial as plugins and apps can significantly eat away your Internet speed which causes a slowdown. Check if any other programs on your device are hogging the connection.
This is especially true when you are downloading files of sizable gigabytes into your computer. Try installing extensions such as AdBlock Plus or FlashBlock which will block some of the bandwidth-hogging ads, videos or animations that will inevitably cause web browsing to be slower by eating up your connection.
