The broadband internet service industry brings extraordinary opportunities to businesses and individuals. It’s created a multitude of jobs, connected countries, and contributed around $1 trillion to the U.S. economy. With its exponential growth over the past decades, this industry has been able to improve its services, including bandwidth capabilities.
However, bottlenecks do still occur thanks to the estimated 22 percent internet growth per year. Bottlenecks are also due to ever-increasing mobile phone usage, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), unoptimized data and data flows, and an infrastructure that’s continually being updated to keep up with evolving technology and consumer demands.
There are simple ways you can optimize your bandwidth at home to help alleviate some of those bottlenecks.
Before making any decisions about how to optimize your bandwidth, you’ll want to test it. You can use this tool to see how your internet connection is performing.
Next, monitor your network’s connection to identify applications or programs that take up too much of your bandwidth, so you can adjust their settings and features. Here’s an article by PC World that helps you understand the ins and outs for monitoring your bandwidth.
To ensure your router always has the strongest, safest connection possible, schedule it to reboot itself during times you aren’t using it. This will disconnect unauthorized devices, applications, and programs, and it will refresh your internet signal to keep the connection strong.
Did you know that some mobile or desktop apps may be running programs in the background that you’re not aware of? Each time an app automatically updates or remains connected to the internet when you’re not using it, it affects your bandwidth. Consider centralizing all application updates so they run at once, and at a time that you specify. And make sure your apps don’t have programs running in the background when you’re not actively using them.
When you use a proxy cache, the contents of the websites you visit regularly won’t have to be continually downloaded each time you visit them—they’ll be stored in the cache.
Chances are good that you stream media of some sort on a consistent basis, since video streaming currently accounts for 95 percent of all web traffic in homes. Make sure your applications aren’t streaming video that you aren’t watching, and block certain streaming services when necessary. If you have a slower internet connection, opt for lower quality videos that don’t use as much data transfer.
If you have neighbors who also have wireless connections, consider changing the wireless channel your router is connected to. Sometimes if too many routers are on one channel, each router’s signal can become degraded.
If you want optimal bandwidth, install an Ethernet connection too. Such a connection requires a cable to connect to a device, but it prevents Wi-Fi interference as well as bandwidth and connection issues that can be caused by other devices. It’s ideal for desktops and even laptop computers that are used in the same place all the time.
Require everyone on your network to use a password and access code so you don’t have too many users on your network at once. Make sure to update these passwords on a regular basis so that others can’t figure it out and use it.
Sometimes apps are subjected to malware that runs in the background on your device, which can eat up bandwidth. Such malware also makes your devices less secure. Continually monitor what is running on your devices and delete any programs that aren’t safe or recognizable to you.
Finally, consider upgrading your hardware (such as the router, modem, and Ethernet cables) and internet speed packages as you stream more video content, acquire more home appliances with an internet connection, and use the internet more often for tasks. Make sure you always have the most up-to-date technology for your everyday needs.