6 ways to Super Charge Your Broadband

Broadband connections trying to keep up with developing online trends have their work cut out for them. From video conferencing to video chat to streaming television and movies, Internet traffic has developed into much more than most people conceived since the dark ages of dial up.

In spite of the high speed internet connectivity now prevalent in most areas, many Internet users still complain that their broadband still isn’t up to par. To help get better performance, here are 6 ways to super charge your broadband.

1. Minimize Physical and Electronic Interference
Electronics and electrical appliances can have a serious detrimental effect on broadband performance. Check the routing of all wires to see if they are going near devices like fluorescent lighting, microwaves, anything with a motor. If there is any doubt about a potential source of interference, try switching off all devices and equipment in the house to see if broadband performance improves. If it does, switch things back on to identify the source of the problem.
Residential wireless networks are particularly susceptible to interference. Wireless phones, metal furnishings and other physical and electrical interference all contribute to degraded wireless speeds.
2. Update Equipment
Manufacturers of cable and DSL modems, routers and wireless access points will periodically update the software that runs their devices. Called “firmware,” this software is upgradeable with a downloadable file from the manufacturer’s website, along with instructions for applying the update. Users who feel uncomfortable installing updates can ask their service provider for a newer device to replace their existing one. This may involve a charge, but sometimes providers will replace them for free.
3. Dump Internet Explorer
Rather than using browsers provided with Windows or service providers, why not give a different application a try. Alternate browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari. All receive high marks for speed and compatibility.
4. Try an Internet Accelerator
Accelerators work in different ways to either compress Internet data as it downloads to a computer or to cache downloaded data in the background to make links, images and video load faster when they are requested. Accelerators aren’t for everyone, but trying one or two of them out may be worthwhile.
5. Adjust Your Browser
Sometimes even a fast web browser can be slow. This happens when too many toolbars, add-ons, extensions and buttons are added on. Over time, these things accumulate and start taking more bandwidth than the browser itself. Disable or uninstall these browser accessories, only keeping the ones that are really needed and see how much faster the broadband seems.
6. Monitor Internet Use
Some people think that their broadband is slow because it takes forever to surf while using their computer. What everyone needs to realize is that other devices including Internet-equipped TV’s, media streaming devices, game consoles, Internet phones and other devices may all be in use at the same time. If necessary, set a schedule when various devices can be used so computer users can still get their work done.

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