A slow internet connection wastes time, turns online video into a lousy slideshow of stills, and puts your computer at risk of being thrown out the window in a fit of anger. To speed up a slow internet connection, you should take the time to optimize your web browser, modem/router, internet service plan, and computer in general. By streamlining and speeding up each of these individual elements, you can dramatically improve overall connection speeds and protect your computer, and your sanity, from a given threat.
Browser optimization
Switch to another browser. Some people use Internet Explorer. Although a browser is not bad, but it takes up a lot of resources. Furthermore, as a web page grows, in order to load them, the amount of processing that needs to be done also increases, which means it is often better to use a browser that allows for custom tuning to cut down on ads. and unnecessary parts.
Firefox has many extensions that block things like JavaScript, ads, Flash, and more until you enable them. One of the important auxiliary programs is Adblock Plus, which almost completely removes ads from your surfing experience and significantly increases loading speed. You may also want to try Fasterfox Lite. This add-on brings some advanced speed options to Firefox.
Although released later, Google Chrome uses very little memory and can also be used well for websites with a lot of JavaScript and Flash. You might also want to try the FastestChrome backend.
Opera has compression technology (Opera turbo) specifically designed for slow network connections. It has been shown to be very effective in many cases.
Remove unwanted add-ons, extensions, and add-ons. While many add-ons and add-ons can help you surf the web more efficiently, others make it difficult to load pages (the main goal here is the parts that are not really important like the interface ( themes, skins) and those little widgets you've long been bored of). Try disabling these unnecessary add-ons and add-ons for better browsing and loading speeds.
To disable Firefox add-ons, go to Tools > Add-ons and disable both the add-on and the unwanted add-on. Restart Firefox for the change to take effect.
To disable the Google Chrome add-on, go to Customize > Tools > Extensions and disable the unwanted add-on. Restart Chrome for the change to take effect.
To disable Internet Explorer add-ons, go to Tools > Manage Add-ons and disable the unwanted program. Reboot for the change to take effect.
Close unused browser tag. Even if you're not viewing them, many sites automatically refresh content every few minutes or seconds to keep you up to date (newspapers, Facebook, and Twitter are excellent examples of this). Turn them off when not in use so they don't take up all your bandwidth.
Allow the use of (some) cookies and the cache (cache). This means that part of your browsing history or even your personal information will be tracked and/or stored. However, many of them are harmless and, in fact, make pages load faster. If in doubt this will pave the way for illegal activity, choose to ban all cookies by default, then add sites you trust to the 'Exceptions' list. In addition, do not set to automatically clear the cache every time the browser is closed. Remember that for cookies and cache, different browsers will have different levels of customization. To change these settings:
In Firefox, go to Tools > Options > Privacy.
In Internet Explorer, go to Tools (may be shaped like a gear) > Internet Options (Internet Options) > Browsing History and make sure the Clear browsing history option exists ( Delete browsing history on exit) is unchecked. For more controlled deletion, go to Delete… (Delete.) and select Keep favorite website data.
In Chrome, go to Tools (may be shaped like a wrench) > Settings, scroll down, go to Show Advanced Settings > Privacy > Content Settings Settings).
Optimize your modem/router
Switch your wireless device to another channel. If you live so close to your neighbors that you can see their wireless connection, chances are your wireless device is being blocked because it has to broadcast on the same channel as them. To check, download, install, and run a program like inSSIDer that scans for wireless networks in your area and the channels attached to them.
Find your wireless connection in the list (usually in the first place). Find out what channel it's broadcasting on and compare it to other channels being used. Ideally, it should be the only network on that channel (as in the example below). However, this is often not the case (In reality, in crowded areas, this may not even be possible). Find channels 1 through 11 that have no or little network use and note those that are overloaded with multiple networks (in the example below, it's channel 6).
If necessary, change your wireless channel. Connect to the modem/router's IP address (find the manual, check on the device itself or look it up on the net), find the broadcast channel in the setup (location will be inconsistent) , depending on your device) and select an alternate channel from the drop-down list.
Reset your wireless router. Or move to another room that makes the most of its central location. Ideally, there should be a direct, unshielded path between the computer and the router.
Avoid interference from other wireless devices. In particular, cordless phones can be a real nuisance to your wireless network connection. So, if two devices share a phone jack, place them as far away geographically as possible (keep a distance of at least half a meter).
Use an Ethernet cable. Using a wireless network offers comfort and freedom, but comes at the expense of interference, especially when traveling through walls, and reduces overall performance. Make Ethernet cable your number one connection choice and save your wireless network for when you really need it.
Upgrade your device. Your old modem/router probably won't be powerful enough to keep up with your internet packet speed potential.
Optimize internet service package
Determine the speed your Internet Service Provider (ISP) should provide. This is important because a slow connection can be caused by a problem on their side, not yours. The exact speed will be shown on the invoice. If you don't have an invoice with you, you can check your supplier's website or contact them directly to determine that parameter.
Conduct an online speed test. The results obtained should approximate the speed that the ISP must provide. If lower results are obtained, try again with another computer first. If both machines give low results, contact your network service provider. If it's only your home network that's the problem, check your computer.
Upgrade to a better network plan. If you've been faithful to these speeds for years, you're probably not equipped with the right internet package to download today's ever more complex web pages. If you are loyal to a network provider for a long time, ask for a discount on service upgrades in exchange for your non-stop service. If not, compare other service plans. Many companies have incentive programs to encourage you to switch to their services.
Optimize your computer
Remove unnecessary programs. Internet connection requires memory to achieve standard speed of the package. If your computer is obstructed by programs you don't need, your network connection will become slower. Close all programs that you are not using.
Scan for viruses and spyware. Viruses and spyware also take up memory, contributing to slow network speeds. Do a full or complete scan of each drive, even with run and auto scan enabled. Regular scanning will find new objects appearing (Please refer below if you need a free virus and spyware scanner).
Make sure you are not using two firewalls. They will interfere with each other and besides lead to security problems, they also reduce your browsing performance. In particular, if you use Windows but have downloaded or purchased a separate firewall, double-check that you are not simultaneously running the Windows Firewall (which is enabled by default). Go to Search > Windows Firewall and if necessary, click Change Settings to turn it off.
Check free space. If the hard drive is almost full, transfer files that are no longer used frequently to a portable hard drive, burn them to a CD or DVD, or delete them. The computer uses the free space on the hard drive as virtual memory. Therefore, a full hard drive will slow down your computer as well as your network connection.
Run a program to defragment your hard drive, preferably every two weeks. As a result, overall performance will improve and help your internet connection.
Consider upgrading your computer. Older computers may not be powerful enough to use all of the things available on the internet today. Even something as simple as upgrading your RAM (Random Access Memory) can help. However, if your computer is more than 5 years old, it may be time to consider getting a newer model OR a different operating system. Going back to an older version of windows like windows XP and trying different Linux distributions often brings new life to an old computer. You can even use the OS that installs directly onto the browser if web browsing is your primary use (xPud, browserLinux, slitaz etc)!
Turn off the computer every night. Leaving the computer in sleep mode without turning it off or on every day or so will limit memory and quickly slow down Internet speeds.