With the rise of Cloud Computing, a large portion of work these days requires an internet connection. In fact, using the internet is so important to the working world, many times people don’t even realize that they are on the internet. They just think they are on their computer.
Therefore, many times when people think that their computer is running slow, it is actually their internet. In order to find out, try pulling up a Microsoft Word document, or something else that you are 100% sure does not need the internet to function. If the program runs fine, your issue is with the internet.
So what can be done to fix an slow internet? Well, let’s take a closer look at the top reasons why your internet might be running slow, and what can be done in each case to help speed up your internet.
1. Toolbars
Sure they might look cool, and you might even think that they’re helping to boost your efficiency. But the truth is that toolbars really only do one thing- slow down your internet. And the more toolbars you have, the slower your internet will be. If you want to see an example of how toolbars can get out of control, check it out in this e-book.
2. Too many people
Think of the Internet like a highway. (Especially since that’s what it is, the “Information Superhighway”). Data travels incredibly quickly across the internet from huge servers to your computer screen. Now, if there are only a few people on the internet (i.e. only a few cars on the highway) the speed is going to be very fast. Like driving through Connecticut in the middle of a work day…or any day. But, the more people that use the Internet, the more crowded it becomes. Soon, your data is sitting smack in the middle of rush-hour traffic in downtown DC.
So how do you fix this? Well, it is pretty simple: Get a faster Internet connection and more bandwidth. Basically, this solution is equivalent to adding more lanes on the highway. With more space, the cars can move easier and faster.
3. Streaming
Those YouTube videos can be addictive can’t they? The fact is though, running programs such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc. take up a huge amount of bandwidth (a.k.a. internet resources). The more movies and videos you try to stream, the more bandwidth is going to be taken up, and the slower your internet will be. And, if you have more than one person in the office streaming at the same time, that will slow your internet further. There are a couple of different ways to fix this. Either you can ban streaming from office computers, or you can upgrade your internet to a faster speed with more bandwidth.
4. Downloads/Uploads
This is similar to the problem of too much streaming. If you try to download or upload too much, or something too big, this is going to cause your internet to slow down.
5. Not enough bandwidth
So if we look over the previous 4 reasons your internet is slow, there really is one common denominator here. Your internet speed and bandwidth. And the bottom line is, if you are not going to be upgrading your internet to a faster speed or spending the money to get more bandwidth, you are going to have start practicing strict internet usage habits.