Slow internet getting you down? A lot of us feel that way, and with the whole “moving games online” approach (especially to the cloud, if you’re into that new trend), it’s a serious problem for a lot of us. Lag, rubber banding, disconnections – they’re the worst.
There’s little more frustrating than losing a great match in Halo or Counter-Strike thanks to a dodgy connection – and it also sucks if you’re streaming movies – but short of complaining to your internet provider, what are your options?
Well, it might surprise you… but you have some! There are things you can do at home to speed up your internet.
Before we get into those though, we just want to say that it’s worth running a few speed tests at different times and on different days.
If you’re consistently getting speeds lower than you’d expect given your internet package, it is worth getting in touch with your provider: no tips are going to solve the problem of poor provision. However, let’s see what else you can do if you think the problem is on your end, not theirs!
Tip 1) Restart Everything
Yes, restarting is a pain, but it’s often the fastest, simplest, most effective way to solve a bad connection, as it deals with many minor issues.
That means both the internet hub and your device – whether you’re gaming from a desktop, a tablet, or a smartphone. Turn off your game, power everything down, give it a good 30 seconds off, and then boot stuff back up and try again.
If your speeds are better after a restart, you can get right back to gaming. After all, those slots aren’t going to win themselves!
Tip 2) Rework Your Setup
Getting the perfect setup when you’re a gamer is a challenge – it’s like a work of art. You know what we mean here. You’re secure in your gamer’s room, with the bright lights, the fancy LEDs, a swish chair, and the expensive monitor.
You’ve got your casino of choice booted up. You’re immersed in your favorite poker variant or your top slots games. You’re excited, invigorated, and generally having a great time there… but the Wi-Fi router is on the other side of the house.
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Here, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Yes, one of the great things about modern internet is that we ditched all those annoying cables and frustrating hard-wiring requirements, but that doesn’t mean your Wi-Fi is completely flexible. You’ve got to have the router in a suitable position.
It doesn’t have to be right next to your gaming hub or actually wired in, but there are some things you should check. There should be no super thick walls between you and the router (we’re talking brick, concrete, metal, etc.).
They’ll mess up the signal. There should be no mirrors or other disruptions near the router. And, importantly, the router shouldn’t be on the floor; an elevated location is ideal.
And if all that fails? Wire it in. This can be annoying, yes – nobody wants more cables trailing around their home – but sometimes it honestly is the best option.
It also has the bonus of letting you know if the problem was something like a wall blocking the signal, or a fault with the router. If the wired version is perfect, chances are, there’s a problem with the signal. If the wired version doesn’t work well – call your provider.
Tip 3) Get A Booster
This is an extension of the tip above (pun intended), but did you know that if you do need a wireless connection and you can’t get your router close enough to your setup, you can get boosters from your provider to enhance the connection and make it go further? There’ll be a cost in most cases, but if it means you can enjoy your games without internet frustrations…
Boosters can help you overcome tons of distance-related problems and potentially get around issues like walls or other blockages, so it’s worth checking out your options!
Tip 4) Disconnect Other Devices
One of the problems we all encounter from time to time is other people using the same broadband and taking all the “juice.”
It’s frustrating, so if you’re trying to play games, check whether other people in your home are downloading movies, gaming themselves, or otherwise using internet-hungry options that may be slowing things down for you. If they are, see whether you can figure out a solution whereby you both get what you want.
Also, if you’ve got devices idling in the house or programs on your computer that you’re not using, sometimes turning these off or disconnecting them will give you a bit of extra power – less stuff demanding a connection can make your connection stronger and more consistent. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s worth a shot, especially if they’re idle devices anyway!
