Super Charge Your Broadband – Super Fast Internet

There are a lot of people who are not happy with the broadband speeds that they are getting. Most consumers are not going to be getting the broadband speeds that are advertised with the package. These advertised speeds are the maximum speeds that 10% of people are able to get. If you are one of the other 90% then you should consider how to super charge your broadband. There are a number of steps that you can take to speed up your broadband that you should know about. You do not need to necessarily change your provider to any specific provider such as BT or AOL Broadband because you can do a lot with the connection you have.

Checking the Broadband Speeds

The first step that you have to complete is actually checking the speeds. You will need to check the speeds that you are getting and the speeds that you can get. There are many areas where faster speeds are impossible because of the local broadband infrastructure.

To test the speeds that you are currently getting you need to use a broadband speed checker. These speed tests are free to use on a number of websites. However, when you do this you have to ensure that no data heavy activities are being completed. This means that you have to stop any downloads and any streaming that is being done. Only once all of these activities have been stopped should you use the test. If you don’t then you are going to be getting distorted results. This test allows you to see the speeds that you are actually getting and you can then compare this to the speeds that you should be getting.

It is important that you combine the broadband speed checker with a comparison of the broadband speeds you can get in your area. There are some websites that will be able to test this for you. Alternatively you can call your broadband provider and ask them to complete a line test. This will tell you the speed capability of your line. If the line is not able to handle super-fast speeds then you will not be able to get this.

Looking at Your Computer

A lot of people blame slow speeds on the broadband provider, but your computer could be the reason why you are getting slow speeds. It is important that you complete some basic computer maintenance to ensure that this is not the case. There are a few things that you can do to clean up your computer to ensure that you are getting the best speeds.

The first step is to run your anti-virus software. This will check your computer for any malicious software that could be affecting it. You should also defragment your computer. This can be done through the control panel of your operating system. When you save information on your computer it is not also kept in order on the hard drive. Defragmenting will free up space on your computer and ensure that everything is organised correctly.

You should also clean out your recycling bin. If you have a registry cleaner then you should also use this. Cleaning your registry will remove any pieces of software that you have deleted or uninstalled. It will also clean up any temporary files that you have on your computer.

Resetting the Network

Once you have cleaned up your computer and you find that you still have a bad connection speed you should reset your home network. The act of restarting the router can actually help with the speeds that you are getting. You have to consider that leaving your router on all the time will cause it to slow down. This is the same situation as leaving your computer on all the time. Switching the router off and the on again could fix all of your broadband speed issues.

Check the Equipment

You should consider looking at the equipment that you are using for your home network. There are a number of router points that could cause slow speeds. Most routers have a cap on the speeds that they can handle. You need to determine if you are looking for speeds that are greater than your router can provide.

If you received the router with your broadband package then you are unlikely to have this issue. However, if you do not have a new router or you have a generic router then you have to consider this. You also have to look at the number of devices that are connected to the router.

The more devices you have using the connection the slower the speeds for each user is going to be. Routers divide up the broadband connection for all of the devices connected to the network. If you have three devices connected then you are likely to only get a third of the speeds available.

Optimizing the Cache and Temporary Files

Most people have come across a website that tells you to empty your cache. The temporary files and cache of your website generally help you in your internet browsing. However, they could also slow down your speeds if they are not optimised. You should look at the settings of your browser to find the cache and temporary file settings. There should be options that can help you optimise them.

You have to be careful when you do this. The temporary files and the cache make the loading of websites faster because the website stores certain images and graphics in your browser. If you disable the cache and the temporary files then all the elements of the page will have to download each time you visit. This could cause the pages to load slower.

There are other steps that you can take when you look at improving the speeds of your broadband. You can look at upgrading all of your hardware and changing the broadband package to increase the speeds that you get. However, these are options that some consumers are not ready for because of the additional costs. Cleaning up your current computer and ensuring that your router works correctly are steps that will not cost you anything and they will increase the speeds that you are getting.

AOL broadband was becoming very popular in Sam Jones’s region.  He wanted to know more so he looked it up on sites like uSwitch to see if he could save money.