Fast and reliable Internet access can make all the difference between a good and an excruciating Web experience, and remote workers particularly need high speed Internet service that they can depend on. Get the most from your Internet service at home with these tips.
Test your Internet connection download and upload speeds at Speedtest.net or DSLReports.com to see if you're actually getting the rated connection speed from your ISP. You can also test your current mobile or home broadband speed at the FCC's Broadband.gov website and do your part in helping the FCC establish a national broadband plan; the FCC also has iPhone and Android apps for you to test your smartphone data speeds. (If you don't remember the speeds your plan is rated for, check your bill or the website of your Internet Service Provider.)
Although Internet speeds can and will vary depending on various factors (whether you're on a slower wireless rather than wired connection to the modem, if there's a lot of traffic congestion on the service, etc.), consistently getting much slower speeds than what your plan is rated for may signify a problem on your ISP's end. Call your provider or visit their website help section to find out how to get the speed you are paying for. Some ISPs have their own speed tests and automatic "Internet boosting" programs.
DNS servers translate domain names into the IP addresses of the web servers where the websites are hosted. When you sign up for Internet service, your ISP's DNS servers are set by default in the router, but you can change the settings to a faster, more reliable, and more up-to-date DNS server. OpenDNS has a free DNS service that also offers great control over your Internet browsing experience. Switching to OpenDNS servers can increase your Internet speeds.
You may also be able to increase your broadband speed by adjusting your network device settings or using web accelerators, as About's Guide to Wireless/Networking explains. The aforementioned DSL Reports resource also offers a free tweak test that can help optimize your connection speed by suggesting settings to modify based on a download test. One note of caution: speed tweaks can cause system instability and may only provide small speed increases that may not make all the effort worth it if your current online connection speeds are acceptable.
What's an acceptable speed? That's pretty much a relative matter. Most full-time mobile workers should at least be able to load web pages and send emails without attachments almost instantly -- or at least without having to watch hourglasses spin all day. (An ideal speed is South Korea's blazing 33.5 Mbps -- versus the world's average 7.6 Mbps download speed.)
No comments:
Post a Comment