10 Tips on How You Can Have a Better Home Internet Connection

home internet connection

Everybody wants a faster home internet connection and let’s be honest, there’s no such thing as too much bandwidth. You can have access to a fiber internet connection, but you would still want a faster internet connection. After all, no one likes a slow internet connection, whether they are binge-watching their favorite show on Netflix, playing multi-player games, attending online courses, or conducting an online business meeting.

It’s frustrating when your home internet connection starts to lag at the time you badly need a faster internet speed. There may be a ton of reasons your internet connection may be slowing down and causing you immense frustration. But, one of the biggest reasons it may be happening is due to network congestion.

Network congestion is a common problem that almost all internet users face at multiple times of the day. Internet usage during peak hours between 7 PM to 12 PM is at an all-time high since most internet users come online after office hours to unwind and relax. And when everybody is connected to the network and consuming bandwidth, your internet speed noticeably slows down. Every network comes with a bandwidth limit that it can support. When a lot of users hop on board and connect to the network, it chokes the network and slows down the internet speed, causing buffering, lagging, and connection time-outs!

Why Does Network Congestion Happen?

Your network exhausts itself trying to deliver sufficient bandwidth to every connected device, but that isn’t possible when most internet activities performed include social media, Netflix, online gaming, etc. Your network becomes susceptible to connection timeouts and reduced speed during peak hours, mainly because of the following reasons:

  • You have a huge household with multiple devices connected to the internet
  • You live in a densely populated area with many internet users and homes
  • You share the same internet service provider with internet users in your street or nearby
  • You use a satellite connection
  • You use a cable internet connection with basic speed and bandwidth
  • Freeloaders and outsiders connect to your network and consume your internet bandwidth

You can’t actually control or restrict the number of people connecting to your internet network. However, you can use these 10 tips to boost your home internet connection speed and performance.

10 Ways to Speed up Your Home Internet Connection

Fixing your internet connection doesn’t have to be a huge challenge. We are going to cover the basics and help you figure out reliable solutions to fix the choppy internet connection and restore it to its original speed!

Check them out below:

Consider Your Data Caps

One of the biggest culprits behind choppy internet speeds is something known as data caps. You cannot undermine the power of data caps when it comes to messing with your internet connection. It’s one of the reasons why internet service providers hardly advertise their data caps on plans and bundles so openly.

To define it in the easiest way possible, a data cap refers to the specific amount of data that you can use every month. It may range from a few hundred megabytes to hundreds of gigabytes. Now, if you cross this limit, you’re likely to suffer from throttled internet speeds and that’s no less than a painfully frustrating experience. This is why you should be aware of any data caps imposed on your plans.

Check your monthly internet bill to see if you have a data cap or not – it’s mostly outlined in the fine print. Your internet connection suffers because your provider limits the bandwidth you can consume once you cross the data limit. If you keep getting charged for data caps every month, switch to a plan with a higher data limit.

Give Your Router a Break

Like every other technical invention, your router is a machine that deserves a break too. Every month or so, give your router a break to refresh and restore your internet connection. Resetting your router can instantly fix serious speed issues. Apart from the router, don’t forget to reset your modem too, to stimulate a better connection to your ISP.

You can also plug your router into an automated timer that will automatically turn the router off and back on again every night when you’re sleeping, so you wake up to a faster and better connection. A simple reset won’t magically turn your snail-speed connection into a fireball but it will surely help resolve short-term issues.

Reposition Your Router

Is your router located in the corner of some room on the other end of the house? If yes, then move it right now. The reason you’re suffering from a slow internet connection sitting in your lounge or roaming around the house is that you’re hardly receiving the Wi-Fi signals. Reposition the router to a central location in the house and notice how the connection improves.

Try Out Ethernet Cables

Wi-Fi is the most used type of internet connection these days because wireless connections are reliable and convenient! But are they always fast? Cabled or wired connections are more reliable and faster than wireless connections since the signals travel to and from the devices without any interruption, unlike over-the-air transmissions. You can easily connect an Ethernet cable to your gaming consoles, TV, laptop, PC etc. Cabled connections are best for streaming heavy-weight media files on your TV, for playing online games with friends.

Block Those Ads

You will find multiple advertisements on every website or search engine result page you visit. Every content provider will display pictures, videos, ads or GIFs, and while you might not mind watching these ads every now and then, your internet connection surely does. It hates these ads because they drain the connection, and blocking them is the only quick fix you can apply here.

You will find several ad-blocking plugins online that will automatically shut down those ads and free up the bottleneck for your connection. Some reliable ad-blocking plugins are Adblock Plus, Surfshark, NordVPN, and CyberGhost

Rely on a Streamlined Browser

We all have a habit of keeping dozens of tabs and windows open on our browsers. But open tabs quickly drain your internet connection because they are constantly reloading the pages in the background, consuming bandwidth. This is why using a backup browser will significantly help you out!

Opera is a trustworthy browser that delivers a faster browsing experience by streamlining the data of your web pages. If you are already suffering from a slow internet connection, you can simply open up Opera and look up whatever it is you want to.

Install Antivirus Programs and Malware Scanners

We surely recommend installing trusted Antivirus programs and malware-scanning software to make sure no malware or virus is hanging around and dragging down your internet speed. Plus regular tests and scans also make sure your system is safe and secure.

Always Clear the Cache

Your browser collects bits and pieces of data when you browse, and calls it cookies. These cookies are used as data packets by marketers to learn about customer browsing behavior and deliver personalized ads and relevant suggestions. If you have ever wondered why you are seeing similar ads online suggesting the products you searched for, now you know!

To get rid of any trackers and cookies that trace back to you, clear your browser cache. Install an online plugin to do it automatically for you or do it manually from your browser settings every day, so the cookies don’t drain your internet connection.

Haggle Politely with Your Internet Service Provider

Even if your neighborhood has access to only one internet service provider, it probably offers multiple plans. You can always switch to another plan with a higher bandwidth if your speed is bothering you. We know you don’t want to pay more money each month, but with limited options and access, this might be the best solution you can opt for. Reach out to your provider after doing your research on what other users are saying about similar plans.

Sign Up with a Different Provider

If nothing else seems to work, maybe it’s time to switch your internet provider. This is not a mandatory move, but it surely is an effective option. It can turn out to be super practical and reasonable for you in the long run. Consider swapping when you are stuck with a slow internet connection no matter what you do.

Do thorough research on available internet service providers in your area and compare the speeds and prices to get a better deal. Of course, this option should be the last resort for you, but if other tips don’t work out, make the change!

A few providers we trust with incredible network performance and speed are AT&T, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, and Mediacom. These providers understand that switching internet providers is not easy and so they commit to delivering the best internet speeds available at your location so you never have any complaints!

To Wrap It Up

There’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a slow internet connection. It’s physically painful to say the least, especially when you’re already having a bad day.  With so much on your plate, it’s the last thing you need, which is why these 10 tips will come in handy to fix your home internet!