Slow Wi-Fi can be truly criminal. It sabotages your work. Imagine, you’re trying to present your screen in a work meeting, and it takes so long to pull up the next slide you wonder if your boss is noting it for your next performance review.
A slow computer can steal your excitement. You’ve invited everyone over to watch the Steelers game and the stream buffers while they’re in the red zone and you start to think you may lose friends over this.
Obviously, there’s foul play happening. Right in your home! But how do you identify and catch this criminal? We’re here to help you find the bad guy and make sure their reign of terror ends.
Whodunnit?
When your computer and devices are running slowly, it can be difficult to know exactly who is the culprit. But, luckily, we know the two most common suspects are either your computer itself or your Internet.
If you take note of what exactly is taking so long, you can use those clues to bring your slow connection to justice.
Clues that it is Slow Wi-Fi
- The video lags when you’re streaming
- Websites take a long time to load and sometimes fail to load completely
- Your video call freezes
- Problems increase when using multiple devices
Clues that it is a Slow Computer
- It takes a long time for your computer to boot up or wake up from sleep
- Programs take a long time to load or switch between apps
- Your computer freezes in the middle of a task
- Your phone or smart devices are not slowing down
Catch the Culprit
Now that you know which of these dastardly masterminds you are dealing with, you can set a trap to get rid of them forever. Implement these tips and tricks to get your connection back up to speed.
Suspect: Slow Wi-Fi
- Clear cookies. Nearly every website you visit asks you to enable cookies. If you always click yes, or choose no, there are still necessary cookies that most sites use. These cookies are following you as you explore the Internet and can quickly build up.
- Restart your router. Rebooting your router will clear its short-term memory, which may interrupt any issues you are having. It will also reset your connections and choose the least crowded channel, which often improves your signal quality and speed.
- Update your browser. Nearly every update of your browser will have bug fixes and important security patches to ensure your efficiency improves.
- Check your router placement. If your router is tucked in a corner, placed on the floor, or blocked by furniture and decorations, it may not be able to send a strong signal where you need it.
- Take devices off your Wi-Fi. These days, it’s shocking how many devices are Wi-Fi enabled. Some of them you may use on a daily basis, but some may be dragging down your bandwidth without you even noticing. Check to see everything connected, and make sure you are only sharing your signal with the devices you need.
Suspect: Slow Computer
- Restart your computer. Just like humans need sleep to reboot to process our day and be ready for tomorrow, your computer needs to do the same. By shutting down your computer regularly, you allow it to update itself, clear its short-term memory, and stop any drains on your computer’s resources.
- Clean up your hard drive. Like any physical space you use regularly, your computer easily gets cluttered with digital litter and debris. Check out these tips to keep your computer spic and span.
- Review your resources. It’s difficult to know what programs and files are eating up your resources. The Activity Monitor (Mac) or Task Manager (Windows) will give you inside information on what programs and processes are taking up the most time and memory.
- Take out the trash. Just like in real life, if you put something in the trash, it doesn’t mean it is taken away forever. Periodically emptying your trash/recycle bin will permanently get rid of those files that may be slowing you down.
- Upgrade your RAM. Even if you employ all of the best practices, like the tips and tricks above, you can’t make up for a lack of physical storage space. Your computer may need some more room to handle all you need it to do.
You don’t have to live in fear of these time-stealing criminals. Utilize these strategies, and you can sleep soundly knowing that you have a fast and reliable computer and Wi-Fi connection.
With Green Light Wireless, you’ll enjoy reliable, high-speed Internet services from a locally-owned and operated company. Check out the equipment we use to learn how Green Light Wireless will give you a consistently fast connection.