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It was interesting seeing how this increased the amount of work we could get through – whether it was sending files, downloading and uploading images to blogs, or just loading new pages to read.

But I was also shocked at how much extra speed I could get through my line by tweaking a few things around my house, computer and the router itself.

In this post, I am going to show you a few ways you can increase your download speed. Hopefully, something in this article is useful to you.

How to test your current internet speed

The first thing you will need to do is test your current internet speed. This will let you know whether or not you are getting a lower rate than you should be. You can do this by going to SpeedTest.net and running a test. Here are my results.

Look at those speeds! Well, sort of…

What do MBps and Mbps mean and why does it matter?

Okay, so, some boring but important stuff here. People often say megabytes when they mean megabits. And visa versa. But there is a big difference.

MBps = megabytes
Mbps = megabits

So, if you refer to my speed test above you will see that I am getting 11.53 Mbps per second. To find out how many megabytes that is you just divide by 8 which equals 1.44 MBps.

Now, 1 MB is equal to 1024 KB (kilobytes) so if you want to know how fast you are going to able to download a song or movie you should refer to the KB or MB per second rate as that is usually what they are measured in.

For example, if you are downloading a 50 MB file at 1 MB per second it will take you just under 50 seconds.

Got it?

Download faster: How to speed up your internet:

Now let’s dive into a few ways that you can improve your internet speed.

Remember, some Internet companies advertise huge speeds as a theoretical “potential” but in reality, you will never get near it. Email or call your ISP and ask them what is actually attainable in your area so that you don’t spend heaps of time trying to get a speed that just isn’t possible.

Test a different modem/router:

Now let’s dive into a few ways that you can improve your internet speed.

Scan for viruses

The next thing you need to do is make sure that no virus itself is causing you to slow down. Sometimes viruses can live on your computer and suck resources away from what you are doing thus slowing down your speeds. I personally use this one as a daily scanner (aff link) on my PC and have found it to be the most accurate over time without slowing down my computer too much.

Check for on-system interference

Sometimes your virus scanner or other programs can interfere with your internet speeds. This is really frustrating but you can figure out by simply switching things off one at a time and then running a speed test again. Please note I won’t be responsible for any viruses or spyware you pick up whilst doing this. You should always have good virus protection.

Check your filters

If you have your internet connection to a phone line that also has a telephone on it then you will need to make sure you have good quality filters installed on your line. These are little plugs that you attach to the phone line and they help filter out the disturbances. Here is a photo of one of mine.

Try getting rid of your cordless phone

Some people disagree with this but I have found that cordless phones slow down or interfere with my internet even with filters. It is worth doing an isolation test by removing your phones and replacing them with different ones (borrow a friend’s) and see whether you get better results.

Plug in

Wi-Fi is nice but wireless internet is often a tad slower than if you plug into your modem. Try getting that chord out of the box and plugging straight into the modem, especially if it is your desktop computer and you don’t need to move it around very often.

Find your router/ISP’s best settings

When you log in to your modem/router you will see a bunch of settings relating to channels and so on. Sometimes these settings are not on the best option by default and you’ll need to update them based on the types of devices you use, etc. Check out your router and ISP’s website for the best settings.

Check the cabling and do a line test

If all of this fails it’s time to contact your Internet Service Provider and modem company and ask them for a line test and investigation. This may mean that a worker from the company will be sent out to your house, and this can cost an additional fee. The man who came to my property found that the wires in my roof were almost totally chewed away and needed replacing.

What have I missed?

Do you know any other ways to increase your internet speed? I would be really interested to hear them. catch me on facebook if you want to suggest something else. If this post has helped you please consider giving it a little share on social media.