But if yours is weak, you can try connecting to a better network or moving closer to the source. When you open the program, it will show you the strength of all the wifi networks near you, and which one you’re connected to.Īs you can see here, I’m connected to a strong network. Software like Netspot can help you do this. One way you can increase your internet speed is by figuring out what the issue is in the first place.
If a family member is streaming 4k video while another is playing online video games and you’re trying to conference with coworkers, consider asking someone to sign off. Not all wifi networks are fast enough or have enough bandwidth to support everyone in your household using large amounts of data at once.
Here are several ways to get your internet speed up to par. However, a low amount of bandwidth is like a tightly closed nozzle - your data can still flow quickly, but less of it can flow at once, which ultimately leads to lower internet speeds.ĭepending on why you need to increase your internet, you may want to focus on download, upload, or bandwidth. If you have a lot of bandwidth, the nozzle is very open and a lot of data can flow very quickly. There’s also something called bandwidth, which is kind of like the nozzle on a hose. Your upload speed is how fast your internet connection can send information from your computer back to the web. This could be things like sending an email, moving your character in an online multiplayer game, or video calling your family. On the other hand, you might need to send data from your computer to the web. Your download speed is how fast your internet can grab these things and send them to your computer. If it’s coming from the web to you, for example, loading a website’s code or streaming a movie - then it’s considered a download. The data sent through your connection can go two different directions. This is measured in Mbps, or megabits per second, and counts how much data your connection can transfer from the web to your computer. Internet Speed: Download vs UploadĪs you may have noticed in the speedtest, your internet has both an upload and a download speed. You may get a different message, such as “your internet speed is typical” or “your internet speed is very slow.” If that’s the case, you can try some of our methods to correct the issue. In my case, my internet is extremely fast! This means any issues with slow web pages are because of my computer, not my connection.