When trying to improve your internet connection speeds, it is crucial to ensure your connection is secure and private. You don’t want other people occupying your bandwidth, especially if there isn’t a lot to go around!

Your Wi-Fi’s default password needs to be changed to something extremely obscure so that any potential connection moochers won’t have access. Keep the password between roughly 10 to 16 characters (at minimum) with varying capitalization and punctuation or special character use. Always keep your password written down somewhere physically in a secure and not public location, just in case a device of yours is hacked.

Your password should be changed relatively frequently, every few months or so, to keep your Wi-Fi network safe and speedy.

If you clear your cache manually, try to remember to do it at least a few times a week. Do it every day if you are heavy into online browsing, especially on websites that you know track your history.

Depending on your internet service provider, your internet plan might have data caps in place. If you reach the limit and go over, your account might be charged an overage fee and your speeds might also be slowed. This is because internet service providers’ customers share bandwidth (think of cable infrastructure in place in neighborhoods) so if one customer goes over their allotted amount, other customers’ speeds will be affected.

Some ISPs have absolutely no data caps, including Spectrum. Their plans allow users to browse online, stream and game as much as they please.

Make sure you keep an eye on your family’s monthly data usage, especially towards the end of the month. You don’t want reduced speeds later in the month because of data mismanagement early in the month.

Ethernet cables are essential in providing a speedy, reliable and secure internet connection. Countless modern devices connect to the internet via Wi-Fi because it is much more mobile-friendly.  However, for devices that aren’t constantly moving, such as your desktop computer, TV and video game consoles, consider using ethernet cables instead of a wireless connection.

Using Wi-Fi to connect your video game console means your console will have to navigate a bandwidth that is being used by all the wireless devices in your home. If you give your bigger, stationary devices their own ethernet connection, their connections will be steadier and safer.

ISPs love to flaunt their advertised speeds, but anyone who has ever had internet service before knows it is extremely rare to actually get the advertised speeds. With a solid ethernet connection, this is much more of a likely possibility. It is a misconception that using ethernet cables in your home slows down your Wi-Fi. This is quite the opposite. Giving stationary devices their own dedicated connection frees up your home’s airwaves, so mobile devices like laptops and phones will benefit from a faster Wi-Fi connection.

A key thing to remember about internet speeds is to optimize whatever factors are in your control, including things like a wired or wireless connection. If you can do it, make your stationary devices connect to your modem via ethernet. It may not look pretty in your living room, but the speeds will be worth it!

Technology is always evolving. What was once a state of the art device can quickly become obsolete. If you have had your current router for more than a couple years, you are not getting the most out of your internet connection. You can try asking your ISP for an upgrade, but if they do not give you a newer router, check and see if you are allowed to purchase your own router.

If you are allowed to set up your own router instead of using your service provider’s, invest in a new model that has the capabilities you are looking for. Many high-quality routers exist at a fair price, so you should find a model that appeals to you and is compatible with your service provider.

If your router itself is powerful enough, add-ons such as Wi-Fi extenders are not necessary.

If you have updated your router, moved it to a more central location and quadruple-checked your internet plan to make sure you are not over your data limit and your Wi-Fi is still too slow, consider placing a Wi-Fi extender or two across your home. Wi-Fi extenders do as their name insinuates. They take your home’s Wi-Fi signal from your main router and extend it to rooms or places in your home that are far and experience weaker signals.

Some reasons to get a Wi-Fi extender include when a room on another floor has a slower connection (walls and insulation definitely slow the signal) or if your home is too spread out for a signal to reach that far. Interference from other devices in your home, believe it or not, also affect Wi-Fi signal strength the farther it has to travel.  This includes devices such as microwaves and radios, so keep that in mind if you feel like your Wi-Fi is weak in your kitchen!

Most Americans do not have many choices when it comes to their internet service provider. Sometimes the only option is to upgrade your current plan to a higher tier. Consult a representative from your ISP about any deals that may be available when upgrading to save you money.

The ISP has the final say in determining what your internet speeds will be. However, if you follow these suggestions, hopefully your connection will be improved. Be sure to consult your service provider if your internet speeds differ greatly from your advertised speeds.

If you’re looking for an internet upgrade, it’s smart to only pay for what you need. Take our FREE survey to determine how much internet speed your household needs.