With the vast majority of Australians relying on a stable internet connection to go about their daily lives𑁋from Zoom meetings to social media browsing𑁋slow internet speeds can be frustrating, to say the least. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to get faster internet speeds that don’t involve an ethernet cable or having to fiddle with your Wi-Fi router. In this blog, we clue you in on a few tried-and-true remedies for a slow internet connection.

1. Check for Wi-Fi signal interference

A common cause of poor Wi-Fi signal (and by extension, slow internet speed) is having ordinary household devices interfere with the Wi-Fi signals of your connected devices. Bluetooth speakers, baby monitors and even wireless security cameras can cause your laptop or mobile phone to experience a sub-optimal internet speed.

If you want to check what devices might be disrupting your Wi-Fi connection, you can carry out a simple Google search for “WiFi analyzer” followed by the name of your device’s operating system (e.g. “WiFi analyzer Android). From here you’ll be presented with a lot of apps you can use to scan your household for common devices that could be causing interference. 

2. Change your Wi-Fi frequency

When it comes to your home Wi-Fi network, your devices will either be connected to your router via the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi frequency band or the 5GHz band. The thing is, while the 5GHz band can produce higher internet speeds, its signal isn’t as good at going through walls or travelling up/down stairs as the 2.4GHz band. With this in mind, boosting your internet speed may just be a matter of repositioning yourself to your router or switching between bands accordingly.

3. Optimise your internet bandwidth 

It’s important to note that your router only has a finite amount of bandwidth by which it can accommodate the data demands of your connected devices. High definition streaming, gaming and online video calls all eat into your router’s bandwidth which can cause a sluggish connection if everything is happening at once. Luckily, there is a way to sidestep this issue. By accessing the Quality of Service feature via your router settings you can prioritise the different applications in your household. This will allow you to regulate your network’s internet access and dedicate more bandwidth, and therefore more speed, to specific online activities. 

4. Clear your cache 

One of the easiest ways to speed up your internet is by streamlining your actual web browser.

After a while, you can expect your online activity to inevitably gather some digital clutter that can pump the brakes on your internet speed. When this happens, it can simply be a matter of clearing your cache (as well as your cookies) to achieve a welcome boost in browser speed.

5. Upgrade your internet plan 

Sometimes a slow internet connection can just boil down to what broadband plan you have. After all, not all internet plans are built the same𑁋some will offer high maximum speeds than others. With that in mind, it can be a good idea to get in touch with your internet service provider and find out if you can upgrade to a high tier nbn plan that can deliver greater maximum internet speeds. 

It might even be an idea to switch from your current internet provider to another that offers an assortment of internet plans to suit your budget, as well as your speed preferences.

Get fast internet with MATE

At MATE, we’ve got your internet speed needs covered with an affordable range of unlimited data nbn plans. With internet packages suitable for light internet users through multi-person households, we’ve got a plan for everyone!