You’ve finished reading emails, played several games of solitaire, and decided that your download is taking way too long. You can improve your download speed by trying these tips.
Find the Real Speed of Your Internet Connection
Your Internet connection speed and your download speed are two different things, but they’re closely related. If you’re not really getting the Internet speed you signed up for, it will hold up your download speed, too.
You can check your connection’s speed for free by using Speedtest, or a speed test site provided by your Internet Service Provider. Tell your ISP if the result is much different from what it should be.
Check for Hardware Problems
Your own equipment could be slowing you down. If you’re using a wireless router, place it as far from walls and other obstructions as possible. Keep devices that emit their own signals, such as cordless phones, far away from the router to avoid interference.
For a cable modem, using the shortest coaxial cable possible can aid download speed. Emptying the modem’s cache may also help. With your computer off, unplug the cable modem from the electrical outlet and wait one minute.
Don’t Do Too Many Things at Once
Downloading uses some your connection’s bandwidth and part of your computer’s resources as well. Anything else your computer does competes for these resources, so close any programs you’re not using.
Some activities will slow your download speed more than others. Streaming media will slow it more than simple web browsing. Uploading data — for example, adding photos to your social media accounts — applies the brakes even more.
If you’re using a BitTorrent program, you’ll be uploading and downloading at the same time. To optimize the download speed, go into the BitTorrent client’s settings and lower your upload limit to 90 percent or less.
Get Rid of Bad Software
Spyware and other hidden or malicious software that’s running in the background can slow your download rate significantly. To find and delete it, open your antivirus software and run a full scan. Sometimes running the scan in Safe Mode can turn up sly code that gets missed in regular mode. Registry cleaning utilities can also help.
Use Helpful Software
On the other hand, there are several kinds of software that can speed up your downloads, and many of these utilities are free. There are also specialized programs that help you to download particular file types more efficiently, such as www.provideodownloader.com, for videos. Most download managers can pause an interrupted download so you won’t have to start over.
Try Downloading Another Time
Sometimes your download can get held up at the server end. Not only does each individual data server have its own bandwidth capabilities, but it may become slower than usual when there are many users downloading from it at the same time. The same download that seems stuck in suspended animation on Saturday afternoon may work better for you on Tuesday morning.
Taking one or more of these actions should help you to have a better download experience the next time around.