Bad networks and slow internet connections can be frustrating when needed most. The internet is now a resourceful platform for marketing, streaming, and downloading. Having a strong internet connection can significantly speed up your tasks and save you a lot of time. Nobody wants a poor internet connection, but it can occur due to various reasons, such as network congestion or technical issues. Network congestion do happens when too many people try to access a website or resource. Technical issues can originate from your ISP(Internet Service Provider) or network settings. Your location can also contribute to slow internet connection. However, some of these instances can be managed, and steps can be taken to ensure a better internet experience.
Factors Affecting Your Internet Speed
1. Location
Your location can contribute to the speed of your internet connection if you are distance away from the nearest cell tower. This is because cell towers are responsible for sending signals to your mobile device to catch network. The more you are far from the tower, the poorer signal you will receive and this will eventually affect the speed of your connection. Although it might not be your fault, this could cost your internet connectivity.
2. Network Congestion
Throughout the day, there are certain patterns in the usage of the internet. There are normally great demands for bandwidth in night hours as compared to midnight hours or even in the morning. The demand for internet during those peak hours results in slower internet speed which puts pressure on network infrastructures.
3. Network Type
You may have different network options (2G,3G,4G or 5G) depending on your device, network provider, your current network plan and above all your location. If you appear to have the option to choose a high-speed network mode like 4G or even 5G do so. This switch can drastically improve your internet speed.
4. Background Apps and Processes
Most installed apps do operate in the background on our device and some require an internet connection to perform tasks such as syncing data, fetching updates and running background services. A certain amount of bandwidth (the amount of data that can be transmitted over your internet connection per unit of time) will be channeled towards these background activities which might slow your internet connection depending on your internet speed.
5. Device’s antenna
The antenna of your mobile device plays a crucial role in the transfer of wireless signals between your device and the network source. The strength of the signal acquired by the antenna in your device determines how strong your connection will be. If the device captures a weak signal, maintaining a stable connection will be difficult causing a slower internet connection. If you are on a wireless connection, consider moving closer to the access point for a stronger signal.
Testing Your Internet Speed
Before you consider fixing your network issues, try testing your internet speed to see the outcome. The results will attest to the fact that your internet speed isn’t the best so an intervention is necessary. Whether mobile or PC connected on any network(WiFi, Ethernet, cellular), there are several tools available for testing the fastest of your network connection. Before you run a test, pause any downloading, close all apps running in the background and disable all activities that use your internet for a while to get accurate results of your test. Use these tools Speedtest.net, fast.com, and Google Fiber or download their app version for mobile to run a speed test. After running a test, the results will show your download speed (speed of transfer from a server), upload speed(speed of transfer from your device) and ping ( response speed from a server to your device).
Speeding up Internet Connection on your mobile device
1. Toggle Airplane Mode and Cellular Data
One way to troubleshoot a network issue is by toggling airplane mode and cellular data. Enabling Airplane mode will temporarily disable and re-enable all network connections on your mobile device. This normally solves the minor network issues we encounter. Concern reconnecting to your cellular or wireless network by toggling your airplane mode.
2. Forget and Reconnect WiFi
Forgetting and reconnecting to a WiFi network is a strategy used in troubleshooting network issues. When you forget a network, you remove its settings including password and other login credentials to establish a fresh connection. This approach solves network-related issues concerning the configuration of a network and authentication issues.
3. Reset your Network Setting
Resetting network settings is a common way to resolve issues related to network and internet connectivity. You can manually set your network to either 4G or 3G, or choose automatic selection of your preferred network. It is important to note that your physical location can also play a role in network performance. While some areas may work well with certain networks, others may not.
How to reset network settings
Step 1. Open settings
Step 2. Navigate to SIM & network settings
Step 3. Select the network you wish to reset (if you have two SIM cards).
Step 4. Click “choose network” and turn off “automatically select network”
5. Now, set your preferred network.
4. Disable Background Data
Background data refers to the data that applications use when they are not actively being used by the user. It includes the data used for tasks such as checking for updates, sending notifications and keeping the content up-to-date. Although it can be useful, it can also slow your internet connection.
Disabling background data preserves your data bundle, increases your internet speed and extends your battery life. If you want to increase your internet speed, disabling background data for unused apps can help.
How to disable background data
Step 1. Long press on the app you want to disable
Step 2. Click app info
Step 3. Select mobile data & Wi-Fi
Step 4. Tap to disable background data
5. Clear your Cache
A cache is a type of temporary storage that helps in quickly accessing frequently used data. Cache is used by web browsers to speed up page loading and improve performance. However, a huge cache may slow down your browser and cause websites to load more slowly. Most apps and web browsers have a feature where they automatically save cache files. However, when the cache size becomes too large, it can negatively impact your internet connection speed. This happens because the app or browser needs to spend more time looking for files in the cache rather than downloading them from the internet.
Clearing your cache frees up space in your device’s internal storage and also improves your internet connection speed. If you haven’t cleared your cache in a while, consider doing so as it can significantly enhance your internet speed.
How to clear your cache
Step 1. Exit your mobile browser or app
Step 2. Long press and click app info
Step 3. Under storage & cache, tap “clear cache”
6. Disable Auto-Updates
Disabling automatic updates can help you avoid any interruptions to your internet connection while you are downloading or streaming. If you need faster connectivity and do not want any interruptions, it is advisable to turn off auto-updates for both apps and system updates.
How to disable auto-updates for your apps
Step 1. Open Google Play and select the top-right menu.
Step 2. Click Settings
Step 3. Under Network preferences, navigate to auto-update apps
Step 4. Choose “don’t auto-update apps”
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