10 Ways to Improve Your broadband Connection.

Secure It
Many ISP will now automatically secure your wireless router before it is shipped, but there are still a few that don’t.
As soon as your wireless router is turned on and connected to the internet it is available for anyone to use until it has been locked down or secured, this can result in all of your neighbours using your internet connection instead of paying for their own.

Refer to your router manual to understand how to secure your router to prevent unauthorised access.

Connect your cable
The whole point of having a wireless router is to be able to put it in a convenient place and not have to use a cable to connect it to your PC. Many people make the mistake of installing the wireless router in another room, or even into cupboards and drawers. Connecting your cable will let you know if the performance problems are due to a poor wireless signal, in which case you can reposition your wireless router to a better/closer location in your house or office.

Move to a different phone socket
Your broadband connection will work better in your primary telephone socket. All other sockets in your house are usually fed from this single primary socket which results in all those sub-sockets being of a much poorer quality due to the additional lengths of copper that are required to reach your router.

Tweak your PC
There are literally hundreds of different tweaks you can do to your PC to enable your internet connection to run faster, way too many to list here, but its worth spending a little time trawling through the various options in google. You could even consider software tools such as Systerac make all these tweeks for you.

Check your firmware
The firmware in your broadband router is often a lot older than you think, and a router you bought just yesterday could have firmware a year or more out of date. Its certainly worth checking the manufacturers website to see if newer firmware is available and if so, what problems or enhancements it offers.
Be Warned: When updating your firmware, you often lose your router configuration, so make sure you have your broadband username and password to hand.

Change your Browser
Older versions of internet explorer that come as default with many Microsoft operating systems perform very poorly, many download images one at a time and can take forever to open a web page. Update your browser to Internet Explorer 7, Firefox or  Google Chrome and you will see immediate benefits.

Install a firewall
Installation of a firewall is a great way to block applications you didn’t even know lived on your computer from accessing the internet and eating up your broadband connection. Blocking access to unused application such as MSN, Skype or BBC Iplayer will free up more bandwidth for you to use.

Buy an I-Plate
BT’s I-Plate is a clever piece of kit that works by filtering out noises on the telephone line. These noises can be caused by anything including your microwave, your washing machine and even your Christmas tree lights.
The I-Plate is available from most electrical retailers and costs around £10.

Replace your Router
As with any electrical equipment, routers are evolving all the time, you should look to replace your router every 2 years in order to take advantage of the latest benefits in both performance and security.

Replace your Broadband Connection
If all else fails, it may be worth taking a look at alternative broadband suppliers and making some comparisons. There is a ton of resources to assist you in making this decision, in particular Broadband Choices or Broadband Genie.

Tags: broadband, Improving your broadband connection