Practical tips to increase your internet speed | Professional Reviews

Similarly, if you use a Wi-Fi repeater, you limit the speed you can achieve by the way the repeaters work.

All parts of your network should be limited to at least the connection speed delivered to your home if you want to avoid having chokepoints.

Check for interference or Wi-Fi misplacement

In the case of Wi-Fi in particular, there are many things that can slow down or cause connection problems. Any Wi-Fi device should have good signal strength to your router or devices that extend your router’s Wi-Fi range.

You can also try to move your router to a central location or pull its antennas in different ways to make the correct signal spread for your home. Some devices can cause radio interference, so turning them off or moving them to another location is another possible solution.

Switch to Ethernet cables

While Wi-Fi is convenient, Ethernet cables are the gold standard in home networking for speed and reliability. They also improve latency, so if you’re doing something like online gaming, an internet connection is the best.

If you don’t want the hassle of running an Ethernet cable throughout your home, you have the option of using it. Powerline Ethernet technologywhere internet signals are sent over copper electrical wires in your home. As long as the wiring in your house is simple, this can be a good solution for devices like smart TVs or desktop computers in the far corners of your home.

Use a Wi-Fi network

Although a more expensive option, mesh Wi-Fi routers are a great way to get higher speeds and eliminate Wi-Fi dead spots in your home. This is basically a network of small routers that act like one big router. Mesh nodes communicate with each other using a backend mechanism, and as you move around your home, devices will move seamlessly between mesh nodes. We’ve tested many mesh devices in Expert Reviews, and we’ve compiled an overview of The best Wi-Fi routers making your purchasing decision much easier.

Use a VPN

Some ISPs will limit the speed of certain types of traffic in a process known as “shaping”, where certain types of traffic receive less bandwidth than others. For example, you may get great video streaming speeds, but large video game downloads may slow to a crawl.

One way to get around this, or at least find out what the problem is, is to use a VPN. When a VPN is active, your ISP can’t tell what you’re doing online, unless you’re using a VPN. Unless they also slow down VPN services, you should see an increase in performance compared to those without a VPN.

We can’t recommend this as a permanent solution, but if it seems like your ISP is throttling certain types of traffic, you might want to consider upgrading to a different package or change ISPs. If this is what you’re thinking, read our list of the best VPNs to find the one that’s right for you.

Adjust your router settings

Routers are responsible for the “quality of service” on your network. In other words, the router must decide which clients on your home network get the most of the available bandwidth. So, for example, should downloading games from Steam be prioritized over working from home, streaming video or online gaming?

On modern routers, you can usually tell the router what you want to prioritize in its settings. How much this is used depends on the age and model of the router, but there is almost always a way to tell the router to provide certain features or services first.

Don’t be afraid to change providers

If nothing you do gets you better broadband speeds, then you always have the option of switching to a different provider. Due to the rules and changes made by Ofcom, you can switch to another provider without penalty as long as certain conditions are met. Regarding speed, there should be a minimum speed guaranteed in the contract you signed with your provider, and if your ISP can’t get your speed up to or above that minimum, you can freely check the site nothing.

If you’re still in the market for a new ISP, we’ve tried and tested all the major UK providers and found the best online providersso you don’t have to.