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How to speed-up internetWhether you’re on dial-up or have a broadband connection, you may find yourself staring at a sluggish Web browser from time to time. Instead of living with a slow connection, take matters into your own hands and speed up the Internet.
You connect to the Internet using a modem and an Internet Service Provider. Both your equipment and your Internet access plan may need to be tweaked for faster connections. Upgrading to a more capable modem is one option available, especially if you have older equipment. However, if your current modem is not setup properly, you may be able to squeeze additional performance out of it by reconfiguring it. Check with your ISP to make sure that your equipment is set up properly for the type of access you have. If you’re on dialup, your ISP will have several local phone numbers that your modem can use to connect to the Internet. Changing to a different phone number often improves connection speeds. When switching phone numbers, make sure to pick a local phone number so that you do not incur any long distance charges. If you have a DSL or cable Internet access plan, check with your ISP to for advice. You may be able to upgrade your current plan to a faster plan for just a few dollars more. Check to see what specials the ISP is providing to new customers and ask that they extend the special to you as a courtesy. Wireless home networks add another layer of equipment that can interfere with Internet speeds. Your wireless router and wireless network adapter may give you a slower Internet connection than if you were wired directly into the cable or DSL modem. If your computer is stationed near the modem or router, consider using a direct connection instead of a wireless one. Speeding up Internet Explorer You can also tweak your Web browser for a faster Internet experience. The first step is to manage your Internet’s cache. The cache is an area where images and temporary Internet files are stored on your hard drive. By downloading images to your hard drive, when you revisit a webpage, your browser can quickly display them. Instead of re-downloading the images, the browser pulls them from its cache. However, if the cache is too small, this isn’t terribly effective. To adjust the cache, launch Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options and click on the Settings button in the Browsing section. In the “Disk space to use” section, adjust your cache size so that it falls within the recommended range. Another adjustment involves a small sacrifice. If you don’t mind missing out on animations or sounds, go into Internet Options once again and click on the Advanced tab. Scroll down to Multimedia and remove the checkmarks next to “Play animations in webpages” and “Play sounds in webpages.” You can take this one step further by removing the checkmark next to “Show pictures” if you don’t mind not seeing images. Finally, limit the number of third party add-ons attached to Internet Explorer. Add-ons and toolbars add functionality to Internet Explorer but often at a price: performance. Go to Tools > Manage Add-ons and disable add-ons. Alternately, you can launch Internet Explorer without add-ons enabled beforehand to see if you notice an increase in speed. If so, re-enable only those add-ons that you can’t live without. To launch Internet Explorer without add-ons, go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer No Add-ons.
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