Slow loading pages, streaming content that gets stuck buffering, and failed page loads. These are all symptoms of a poor Internet connection, and they can all negatively impact your online experience. While a bad connection might be down to a poor mobile connection or bad WiFi, there are some quick settings and changes you can make that might easily remedy the situation.

Getting Online

We use the Internet more than ever before. We go online at home, work, and while travelling, and use it for everything from mobile banking to gaming. In a lot of cases, we also add extra layers to our connections, especially Virtual Private Networks. VPNs are especially useful when travelling, increasing security and privacy while allowing access to geo-restricted websites.

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Try A Different Server

VPNs improve security and offer enhanced privacy, and they effectively route your Internet connection through a remote server located in another country. If you find you have a bad connection, try using a different server in a different country. It is possible that your bad connection wasn’t necessarily a bad connection in the first place. Some websites identify VPN IP addresses and prevent their use – changing to a different server can help rectify this problem.

Reboot

Bad connections can be caused by system settings or software problems, and one of the simplest ways to fix these issues is to reboot. Switch off your device, leave it for 30 seconds, and switch it back on again. If this doesn’t work, you can also reset your router or modem.

Check For Updates

You should always allow operating systems to update with new patches. These updates can include security fixes for vulnerabilities, and they can also improve connections and make other improvements to your hardware and software. As well as allowing operating systems to update, you should allow software, including your VPN, games, streaming platforms, and other software, to update.

Update Firmware

Your device’s drivers and firmware also need regular updating, for similar reasons. Most hardware is set to automatically download and install firmware updates, but some users disable this feature or continuously delay the updates. Update the firmware on all of your devices, including:

Router
Modem
Mobile Phone
Computer
Smart TV

Use 5GHz

Most routers offer a choice of 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections. The 5GHz band has less range, but it generally suffers less interference and offers improved speeds. If you have the choice or are able to swap between bands, try swapping from 2.4GHz to 5GHz and see if it improves your bad connection.

Kill Background Apps

Modern mobile phones are extremely powerful. Many have multi-core processors that can handle running multiple applications and processes. But users tend to leave software and applications running in the background while also enabling various pieces of software to open on startup or run automatically at certain times. These processes can cause poor connections, so you should periodically check background apps and kill any unnecessary ones while also limiting the software that is allowed to run on startup.

Conclusion

A bad connection can ruin your time online, causing buffering issues, lag, and lost connections. Update your hardware’s firmware and the software on your devices, routinely check background and startup apps and try rebooting your devices to help improve performance.