By Marli Naidoo

The internet has become faster than it’s ever been. When the phone-in internet brought the worldwide web to our screens huffing and puffing, we thought that things were happening fast. Now, however, we are used to “instant”, and internet providers make wonderful promises of lightning speed connections, which they can actually provide us with. But when the internet reacts at a slower pace than promised by your contract, there are a few solutions that you can try yourself, before contacting your service provider.

Switch off your router or modem and then on again. Usually this is everyone’s plan A, and in many cases it works.

Make sure if you agreed to a data limit in your contract. This means that should you use more data than determined in your agreement, your internet provider will start restricting you. If this is the case, you can rectify it by adjusting your contract.

Your equipment might need a software update. You can usually do this yourself by connecting your router to your computer with a cable, and then installing updates from the manufacturer’s website.

Piled up data can be a burden for your connection to drag along. Clean the search history and caches on computers linked to your Wi-Fi.

Install ad blockers on all your appliances.

Make sure that there aren’t any appliances that you don’t use that are still connected to your internet. You can sign them all out by changing your secret code. You will then just have to sign in to the necessary appliances with the new keyword or code.

Move your router to a better location, as central as possible. The more obstacles there are between your appliance and the router, the slower the internet will be.

If you have adaptable antennas on your router, you can move them around. To reach various levels, the best will be to set the antenna horizontal. You can also install a better antenna on your router. Usually the standard antennas with which routers are equipped are of the poorest quality.

Use a cable to connect the internet to important appliances. Cables are always more stable than Wi-Fi.

Find a website that can test your internet strength, and make sure that the provider provides you with the speed on which you agreed.

If you have tried everything in vain, it’s time to contact your provider. They will most probably be able to help sort out more technical problems.

However, sometimes clients find that actually their internet provider is the problem. In such a case it’s the best to start making use of another provider.

Sources:

All connect: https://www.allconnect.com/blog/boost-your-wi-fi-signal-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-high-speed-internet-connection

High Speed Internet: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/improve-your-wi-fi-speed-in-10-simple-steps

Net Spot: https://www.netspotapp.com/top-10-ways-to-boost-wifi.html