How to speed up slow internet in 5 steps: Solutions that DO work !!!

One of the problems that most of us suffer at some point is a slow Internet. And, unfortunately, this not only depends on the internet speed you have hired, but also on the Internet provider or “ISP”. Even if you are 20, 30, 40, 50 or even more “megabytes” of speed, your browsing or online gaming experience is likely to be frustrating due to poor service.

Do not believe in tricks of doubling your Internet speed in five minutes and for free because things as incredible as that do not exist. However, there are a couple of simple things you can do to slightly fix slow internet at home. If the problem is with the Internet provider, there is a way to fix it, although it is not free. And if that doesn’t work, the best thing to do is change your ISP.

1. Restart the router

With six people at home and at least 10 computers simultaneously connected to my Huawei HG8546M router, there is not a day that I should not restart the router at least once a day to fix slow internet. And it is not only a question of the signal interference that multiple devices can generate, but that at the hardware level, processor (CPU) and RAM, low-end computers as well are not equipped to handle that many computers at the same time. Therefore, it is good to reboot the router to “cool off” all that load. In most cases, this simple procedure can improve the internet.

2. Change DNS

DNS (domain name system) are computers on the Internet responsible for “translating” the name of a site (domain) into the address where it is stored (IP address). Thus, for example, when you put google.com in the browser, the DNS takes care of taking you to the address where this site is hosted, which in this case is 172.217.172.14.

It would be great if we could remember that string of numbers for every website we want to visit, so that we can “skip” DNS and we don’t have to wait for translation time. Since this is not the case, at least we must make sure that we have the fastest DNS configured in our network, because one of the first things that the browser will do when entering the name of a website is to consult the DNS for its address, before even start loading the page.

Before thinking about changing DNS, you should first find out which ones are the fastest for you. The DNS Benchmark program can help you with this (“Nameservers” option, “Run benchmark” button). You will definitely want to add the DNS of your Internet provider in the program as indicated here and that they are surely configured in your router, since they are probably the fastest for you, due to their physical proximity.

2.1. Router DNS (affects all computers)

Changing your current DNS settings to potentially faster ones is relatively easy. The most practical way is to do it in the configuration page of your router, because in this way the configured DNS will affect all the devices connected to it (unless one of them has their own DNS configured).

As I explained in the opening of ports, the change of DNS will require entering the router configuration with their respective access data. If they were not changed by your Internet provider, then you can access the ones that are usually on the label attached to the back of the router. You must enter your IP address in the web browser of any device connected to the router, and on the login screen, enter the username and password.

Once inside the configuration screen you should look for the option similar to «WAN Configuration». In IPv4 information you must enable the option «Enable DNS Override«, Which overrides the DNS established by your ISP to configure yours. Next you must enter the IP of the primary and secondary DNS Server. In my case, I usually trust the speed of Google’s DNS, whose primary server is 8.8.8.8 and secondary is 8.8.4.4.

2.2. DNS and Android

If for some reason you cannot access your router, you will have to make the DNS change on each computer you use. In the case of Android it is as simple as going to Settings, WiFi. Press and hold on your router’s WiFi network and tap on “Manage network settings.” Select “Show advanced options.” In “IP Settings” leave “Static” selected. The DNS fields that you can edit will automatically appear below.

In my case, I have seen that my Android consults the DNS to the router, so I have directly set the Google DNS to “jump” the router, which I assume should improve the speed a bit.

3. Switch router

As I said at the beginning, routers or low-end equipment, including here those provided by Internet providers and do not cost more than 50 or 60 dollars, are not capable of handling many equipment connected simultaneously, mainly due to their limited CPU and memory. RAM.

You can have read that many wireless routers can support up to 250 devices connected simultaneously. Indeed, in theory it can be so, but in practice that’s crazy. With more than 8 connected devices, the most conventional routers will simply slow down your connection or generate constant outages, regardless of the Internet speed you have hired. A 1GHz dual core router like the Netgear R7100, with 256MB of RAM, notably higher than an average low-end router, is recommended for 2 to 5 devices, depending on FlashRouters.

Obviously the permanent solution in case you have many connected equipment could be to acquire a mid-range or high-end router, depending on your budget. However, you should check with your Internet provider if it is possible to replace their router with yours, which would be the ideal solution. If this is not possible, the alternative is to connect a powerful router to that of your Internet provider (ISP). This is not the best option, although it may somewhat ease the load on the ISP’s router.

In case you don’t know which router to choose, FlashRouters has an interesting guide about it. The good thing about the routers mentioned there is that they support the DD-WRT firmware, and in fact Flash Routers already sell them with this software, which I have already mentioned here as it has improved my Internet connection.

4. Hire a public IP

To reduce costs, Internet providers often use what is known as double NAT, something that I also explained in the article on how to open ports on the router. This basically means that when you open a page, your request goes through your “slave” router and then through a second “master” router, which is the one that has a public IP address and allows direct contact with the Internet. In addition to you, other clients of that Internet provider in that area will all be grouped under that same second master router, which assigns a private or internal IP address to each slave router. If it weren’t for that second router, each client should have their own public IP, something that would increase the cost of the service.

Those three steps that have to be taken before you connect to the Internet (from your computer to your router, from your router to a second router and from the second router to the Internet) have an impact NOTABLE in the experience of speed of service and connectivity, as we saw in the issue of ports. The only way to solve it is to “jump” that second router, something that you can only achieve by requesting a public IP from your provider, to have a more direct and faster contact with the Internet.

To find out if you have double NAT, you must enter your router’s configuration and check the IP address in the WAN Information section. If it is different from the IP you get on “What is my IP” pages online, then you probably have double NAT.

Unfortunately, if you have a home Internet plan, usually and if you are lucky, obtaining a public IP has an additional cost. For example, in Ecuador around 5 or 10 dollars a month additional to the cost of the Internet plan. I say “if you are lucky” because some ISPs do not associate a public IP with a domestic service. Some only award public IPs to business plans, which cost much more than home plans.

5. Hire a higher speed plan?

Higher download speeds do not guarantee better Internet service. Undoubtedly, with a higher MB plan you will be able to download music, movies, games or applications faster, but in terms of navigation and experience, much will depend on the quality of your ISP. If you are under double NAT, it will depend on the good implementation of this technology. Still, it will always be better to have a public IP, because as I already explained, there will be fewer “barriers” between your network and the Internet.

If my experience is of any use to you, I have tested Internet services with ADSL and fiber optics with double NAT for years, with up to 30 MB download speed. Despite such speed, the slow internet problem was general for anything, be it opening web pages, watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, Facebook and social networks, etc. Basically all of this was taking time to load. A public IP significantly improved this delay, even on my old 5MB downlink ADSL plan. This change has also allowed me to play online with other people without the obvious “lag” of double NAT. The response from the Internet is more “immediate” with a public IP. If I was given the choice between switching to a higher speed Internet plan or purchasing a public IP, I would probably choose the second option.

References: ncconsumer (CPU and RAM in a router)

How to open ports on your router so that you can access or “see” you from the Internet

This APP reveals information about nearby WiFi networks

How to know the password key of WIFIs!