How to Boost an Internet Connection
The slowness of your Internet can come from many causes and it is not always easy to improve the speed of a connection on PC or laptop. However, you can optimize your connection in many ways. In this article, we’ll show you 12 ways to increase your internet speed so you can download and stream faster than your shadow and without buffering.
First of all, if you think that the slowness of your connection or your downloads is due to your device and not to your Internet, we invite you to consult our guides: boost a PC , optimize a Mac , boost an Android device or a . _ Now, let’s see how to boost an internet connection.
1. Move closer to the router or move the router closer to your computer
It’s a simple and effective way to speed up an Internet connection. The further your device is from the Wi-Fi router, the slower your connection.
Move your laptop closer to the routerBringing your computer closer to the router increases the speed of the Wi-Fi connection.
You don’t need to be glued to the router to stream series, but avoid straying from it. Make sure there are no thick walls (especially concrete) between your router and the device. But all routers are different – some have a stronger signal than others.
Usually, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) don’t offer their best router, but if your router’s signal is weak even when you’re next to it, maybe you should buy a new one. Here’s a guide to finding a good Wi-Fi router .
Sometimes ISPs also need to distribute bandwidth efficiently. If you find that your internet often slows down at the same time of day, it could be bandwidth restrictions from your ISP .
2. Close Background Programs and Apps
If your Internet is slow on your computer but works fine on your phone or other device, programs running in the background may be hogging your bandwidth and slowing your connection. By stopping these programs and closing apps that you are not using, you may benefit from better internet speeds.
Here’s how to close background apps and programs to optimize your internet speed on PC.
Analyzing Bandwidth Problems in Task Manager
In this example, OneDrive uses 12 Mbps of bandwidth as it uploads files. To prevent programs from hogging bandwidth and background data , shut them down or temporarily stop them. To do this from Task Manager, right-click on a program and click End Task .
Ending the task only helps temporarily, as there’s a good chance that stopped programs will relaunch the next time you start your device. For a longer-term solution, you can use Avast Cleanup ‘s Sleep Mode : it detects programs that drain your resources and suspends their activity when you’re not using them.
When you close or suspend your background applications and programs, it means that only the programs you are actively using can drain your CPU (processor), RAM (memory), hard drive, and network connection . . Thus, your computer will conserve its resources and your Internet will be faster.
