It can be very frustrating trying to browse the web with a slow internet connection. Watching websites load at a crawl rate is about exciting as watching paint dry.

Steps to take for faster broadband speeds

It can be difficult to track down the specific cause of slow broadband speeds so the best way to solve the problem is by going through a process of elimination. Here are some things you can try to speed up your internet connection.

Get your broadband provider to perform a test

Most broadband providers are able to perform a simple test on your line. Contact their support and request they perform a test on your line. If you are using ASDL (internet down a phone line) contact your phone company and request they perform a “gain” test on the line. If any fault is found it’s up to your internet provider or phone company to fix it.

Test with one computer only

If you have multiple computers and games consoles on your home network power them all down except one primary computer, just for the purpose of testing.

Don’t test with a Wireless connection

If you are browsing the web using a Wireless connection disable it and test with a cable directly attached to your broadband modem/router. If the speeds improve you may need to tweak your Wireless connection.

Check your network cables

Although not many problems can occur with network cables they can be a source for slow internet speeds. Double check that all cables are connected correctly or even purchase a new network cable, RJ45 cables for broadband & RJ11 cables for ASDL. These cables are very cheap to purchase so I recommend having spares.

Broadband Modem/Router configuration

Even though you might have a connection to the web your Broadband modem/router could be mis-configured giving you slower speeds. Contact your internet provider (if they supplied the modem) and have them double check your settings.

I’ve been able to fix a lot of connection issues by simply upgrading the firmware of the Broadband modem/router. Check the manufacture of the device for the latest firmware version and upgrade your modem/router if it has a lower version.

Update drivers for the network card

Find out the manufacture of the network card and check to see if they have released an updated version of the driver. Device manager will display who the manufacture is and what driver version is currently installed.

Close all applications and background running programs

Make sure to close down any applications that could be running, even more so with programs that run in the background. Some of these programs may use the internet connection on your PC and even hog your connection.

Check for viruses

A computer virus could also hog your internet connection without you even knowing it’s there. Get a good reliable anti-virus program and have it scan your computer for any malicious software.

Tweak your Operating System for optimal performance

Not for the faint hearted but Blackviper.com has some of the best guides online for tweaking your O/S for its best performance. If you are not confident in making major changes to your computer the skip even trying this one.

Hit a local website

As the internet grows with more users the more chance there will be of network latency, better known as lag. This is common when trying to a reach a website that hosted in another country. For example, a user in the UK could experience network latency when trying to reach cnn.com when a user in the U.S. may not.

The best way to test is to try and reach a website that close to your home i.e. your internet provider or a news website. *note* this is not a reliable test but its worth a try.

Get a faster browser

Your internet browser can also be the cause for slow internet speeds, unless of course you are downloading and not browsing. One of the fast browsers out there is by Google and called Google Chrome, its 100% free to download and use.

This is not a final guide on how to speed up your home internet connection as more settings can be changed on your computer. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to post something more technical on this subject, for those that are interested.