Having a strong internet connection is essential for a productive work from home environment. If you can’t send emails, download attachments, attend zoom meetings, or load video content, you can’t work efficiently. Luckily, there are a couple of tips and tricks to get your internet connection up and running quickly.
Start with a Speed Test
The first thing to start with is a third-party internet speed test to see how fast your internet really is. A “fast” internet connection is often considered as having 25 Mbps (download), 3 Mbps (upload) bandwidth. If your connection is slower, contact your internet provider company for hardware solutions and take a look at the following tips.
Tips For Improving Speed
Limit big downloads and data-intensive apps
One major contributor to slow internet speed is automatic software or app updates during peak hours. Combat this by changing your updates to post-work hours. Additionally, other video or music streaming platforms, such as Netflix or Spotify, can take up a bunch of bandwidth while working. Instead, try pre-downloading playlists or movies prior to your workday.
Close unused tabs
Opened tabs in your internet browsers can take up a large bandwidth that you may not be aware of. Be diligent about closing any unused or old tabs to make your internet run faster.
Work offline whenever possible
If you’re needing to create documents or sheets during your workday, try using Microsoft Word or Excel over Google drive. Using non-internet intensive apps will help increase your bandwidth.
Improve your coverage
In a lot of cases, your internet speed can be significantly impacted by the placement and type of router. Many routers are not strong enough to reach every corner of your house and on top of that, if they’re not placed in the most central place, your internet speed will suffer.
For more tips and coverage questions, contact your internet provider to see if they can aid in any way.