Slow home network performance is more common then most people think and you don’t have to live with it. But before you start blaming your provider for that slow connection there are a few things you should check first. Cable and DSL providers usually only provide a modem and are only responsible for maintaining your home network once that connection is established to your home. Everything else is up to you to maintain, configure, and troubleshoot. If you have a basic router or wireless router installed for example, its up to you to manage it. Assuming the machine you are using to connect is setup correctly, checking your router’s and/or modem’s setup is just as important because it can affect your connection speed just as much. I should also mention that if you’re paying as an example, $30+ dollars a month for a certain internet bandwidth level and your only actually getting half or less than that, then you’re essentially throwing money away. So here are 5 things to do to help improve or fix your home network connection:
1. Start by checking for the exact bandwidth your actually getting compared to what your paying to the internet provider for. Use an indenpendent third party to verify the bandwidth speed your actually getting and compare that to what was advertised or what is on your monthly bill. A good site to use for this is Speedtest.net. It’s free and does a quick test and doesn’t require anything more than a few mouse clicks. Read more about it here.
2. Check the router or modem for errors: Try Connecting to your router and/or broadband modems management page to check for any errors. Almost all routers on the market have a “Admin” page and a way to connect to it using your browser. Read the manual for your model for instructions. Some routers keep a “log” for errors, check to see if you have any recent ones. Search those errors on the manufactures support site or Google it for ideas on how to fix it. If you cant connect to the admin page but still have a internet connection or have errors but can’t fix them, go to step 3.
3. Reset the router and/or modem if you have to; usually by power cycling but some models have power switches. This should reastablish your connetion to the internet. Test your bandwidth the same way you did in step 1 to see if has improved. If this fixes it, great. If your speed degrades again or goes slow again, you may need to update the firmware or replace the device.
Reseting the router is probably a good idea on a regular interval. Older Linksys and Netgear routers seem to get slower over time so a simple reboot every 3 to 4 months might keep it fresh. Caution, resets done improperly could erase your configuration back to factory. This could cause other problems on your network.
4. Upgrade your routers or modems firmware. Most devices have machine code called firmware that manages or runs the hardware. This firmware sometimes may need an update to fix problems. Check the manufactures website support page for updates for your routers model and instructions. Be careful with these kind of updates because they can be complicated and make things worse if its not done properly.
5. Replace old routers with a new one. My advice is to change / upgrade routers older than 5 years old. Even if they still work, unless you bought a high-end model back in 2005, most routers just cant handle the bandwidth speeds you may have now. They are also less likely to have firmware updates for
Checkout “Microsoft at Work” tips on working faster when traveling:
7 ways to work faster on slow connections
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[...] tips to improve your wireless signal Last week I posted 5 tips to help improve your home network connection speed. Continuing on that theme, here is a Great article by Tony Northrup posted on the Microsoft at [...]