As communication technology has rapidly improved, businesses have moved more and more of their infrastructure into the digital world: an ever-increasing number of programs, software and apps are digitizing businesses. Most of them require direct or indirect use of the internet, and as a consequence, enterprises and provider networks are becoming ever more congested. If you find yourself waiting a lot of time for a download or having low qualities video calls, try these tips to speed up your internet speed: 

1. Clean your wi-fi router

Sometimes we forget to perform basic maintenance or just ignore the consequences of not keeping hardware in good conditions. Hardware maintenance is as important as software maintenance: make sure your Wi-Fi router is in good physical condition as dust, water, temperature and humidity can really affect your router’s performance. 

2. Check your cable connections

From time to time it is important to make sure cables are properly placed and connected. These can silently get damaged or unintentionally moved. The consequence: Slow internet connections. Check your cables as part of a regular maintenance routine. 

3. Get antivirus protection

Viruses and malware are always ready to attack and enter your devices. Anti-virus protection is essential to guarantee a proper internet speed. The reason is that viruses will affect your device performance by hijacking your hardware to run malicious processes in parallel with the software you are actually interested in running.  Even if you are receiving a fast speed from your provider, it won’t make a difference if the computer is running slower than usual and unable to take advantage of the full network capability. 

4. Update your software

Check that your internet connected device, modem, and router are running the latest available software. Sometimes, out-of-date software can cause problems due to issues that were unaddressed by the manufacturer in the initial releases. Always check your device settings to make sure you have downloaded all the major updates available, especially for your network adapter. 

5. Upgrade your hardware 

Hardware has a limited lifespan: in other words, most hardware is built to last a specific amount of years, similar to food; they put it on the label. Make sure your hardware is still in its useful life period and also make sure it is compatible with your internet provider.

6. Try a broadband accelerator

Sometimes, your business’s phone wiring can interfere with your broadband connection. A broadband accelerator works by isolating the bell wire, which acts as an effective wall for interference from electrical equipment that can degrade or disconnect the internet connection. It is a low cost device and it is easily installed. It’s especially recommended for businesses that have limited physical space for networking equipment, as devices or improperly shielded cables that are too close to each other can increase interference. 

7. Switch to wired ethernet

You can easily skip a lot of connection problems by switching to a wired internet connection. Even though wireless networking is oftentimes the most comfortable option, the truth is that it requires more elements to function. That leaves more chances of something not working properly at a particular time and therefore a slow connection. Even if you don’t wish to change your entire network installation to wired connections, it is recommended to have both options working at the same time.