Today’s average household has six connected devices and the demand on your vital internet connection is growing! It is predicted that the average American household will have more than 50 devices connected in 2020. With so many devices such as smart TVs, gaming systems, Wi-Fi enabled appliances, and more, it’s crucial to have a fast internet connection with few interruptions. There are many ways you can maximize your internet speeds with just a few adjustments in the home. Follow these steps to ensure you are making the most of your internet speed.
• Check your speed. Test your connection at www.speedtest.net. It will test your internet download and upload speeds in under 30 seconds.
• Update your modem. If your modem is more than four years old, you may be due for updated equipment that can accommodate greater internet speeds.
• Relocate your router. Place your router in a central location in the home and aim to have it up high, such as on a desk, free from obstructions like metal objects, cordless phones and Bluetooth devices.
• Connect through Ethernet. A direct Ethernet connection using a CAT5 or CAT6 cable running from your device to the cable modem will give you faster internet speeds than a Wi-Fi connection.
• Disconnect some devices. If you have numerous devices running on Wi-Fi at the same time, try disconnecting a couple to see if it frees up some bandwidth.
• Close browsers. Your internet speeds will slow if you have several browser tabs open at the same time. Get rid of congestion by closing out of everything you’re not working on at the moment.
• Update software. Go through and update any software products on your computer to ensure that you have the latest versions installed for your computer’s operating system. Remove any unused plugins or extensions from your internet browser.
• Troubleshoot outages. Check for network outages in your area on your provider’s website. If there’s a known outage, do not reboot your equipment until the outage is resolved.
• Upgrade your speeds. If you’ve tried all the tips above and you’re still not happy with your internet speeds, it may be time to invest in an upgrade to better suit your needs.
• Go panoramic. New technologies allow Wi-Fi to penetrate obstacles in the home including walls and furniture, so that your internet can reach all corners of the house. Cox Panoramic Wi-Fi helps eliminate the dead spots so you can browse the internet on any device, anywhere in the house.
Susan Anable is the vice president of public affairs for Cox Communications. Cox has been serving communities in Arizona since 1995 and maintains more than 15,000 miles of network in the state. For more information, visit www.cox.com.
