The speed to download data from the internet is influenced, in addition to obviously the type of connection you are paying for, also by the computer you are using and the network to which we are connected. If your PC is full of programs that slow it down, if you are using a non-optimized browser or if you have some kind of virus inside, the internet will be slower and slower to open websites, download data and play content in streaming.
In addition to the problems facing the programs, there may be hardware or optimization problems that prevent our browsers from navigating as fast as we wish.
In this guide we will show you how to surf the Internet faster by acting on the most famous web browsers (ie Chrome and Firefox), how to quickly check if there are viruses or threats that download without our permission, how to carry out effective tests to understand when fast goes our line and finally we will show you the tricks to make the network we are connected to faster, so as to always obtain maximum performance.
READ FIRST: How to measure Internet speed "> Opera is the fastest to surf with slow connections, Edge in Windows 10 is the fastest to open websites on Windows 10 and what seems to consume less battery on laptops, but it is also very simple and without advanced features.
Firefox and Chrome are the most complete browsers, with the support of all types of plugins and extensions, so much so that they almost become operating systems in their own right, certainly fast, but which can become very heavy on computer resources.
In other articles we have also seen more specific guides to optimize these two browsers :
- How to make Firefox fast
- How to speed up Google Chrome
On less powerful and low memory computers, it is better to use a lighter browser in order to avoid saturating all the memory immediately: we recommend trying Slimjet or alternatively one of the browsers to download for all the computers that I have presented on the dedicated article .
2) Tricks to always have a fast browser
To have faster internet, we must remember what the golden rules are for each browser:
- We don't open too many tabs at once (a good limit is 5-6, never more)
- We don't open too many browser windows (they often hide and we don't realize we have multiple instances of the same program)
Of course, there are also other tricks to overcome the problem of too many open tabs or excessive consumption of RAM.
For example, we have seen at least how to manage many open tabs in other articles:
- How to free the memory occupied by Chrome and Firefox, however keeping the addresses of the sites that were open marked on a page so you can recall them when needed
- How to pause inactive Chrome tabs to save memory
- How to decrease RAM memory consumption in Firefox
Another way to surf the internet without keeping a thousand tabs open at the same time is to use online services such as Pocket or Instapaper to save web pages to read later.
In practice, the interesting articles are marked in an online notepad that can be organized in various ways and remains available at all times.
3) Reduce the number of extensions installed on the browser
Chrome and Firefox can also become very slow if we have more than 20-30 extensions installed.
In fact, each extension is an additional program that takes time to load and that remains running by taking up memory; they add functionality to the browser, but it is not necessary to keep many running simultaneously.
In general, it is best to temporarily disable unused extensions or uninstall them if you never use them.
Some tools are useful to understand which are the heaviest extensions that slow down the browser and the internet:
- From the Chrome task manager that opens from the tools of the Options menu, you can see which extensions occupy the most RAM memory.
READ ALSO: Open Chrome and Firefox super fast without external extensions and plugins
4) Clear cache and browsing history
In a sense, the browser is like a machine: it needs routine maintenance.
During use it loads and saves data for the future and to create a history that allows you to speed up the loading of sites already visited in the past.
In the long run, however, this cache becomes increasingly large ending up causing the opposite effect, slowing down overall performance.
So every now and then it is good to clear cache and all browser browsing data; in this regard, we recommend reading the guide to empty the cache in Firefox, Chrome and others, so that you can always have a quick and fast browser (we can empty the cache even once every 2-3 months, just remember to do it periodically).
5) Check for viruses and threats on your PC and browser
It is always worthwhile, occasionally, to check with the ADWCleaner program, the best one to clean up Chrome, Firefox and any virus browser.
We download this program on our PC, then we start the integrated scan inside: the program will immediately report the dangerous extensions and additions, even if hidden inside the browser.
READ ALSO -> Download paid antivirus: free trials and updates
Even if we have a good antivirus, it is always advisable to integrate the virus scan on the PC with a tool like Malwarebytes, excellent for periodically scanning the computer for threats that keep the line busy and download a lot of data, slowing down the browser and any other device connected to the network.
To find out more about other programs to protect our PC, we recommend reading the article How to remove malware and viruses from the infected computer.
6) Optimize the network parameters, in download and upload
To speed up the Internet, in some circumstances, we can work some changes to the internal parameters of the system.
In particular we have seen in other articles:
- 5 Windows tricks to speed up the connection
- What slows down the network speed (wifi or wired) and the internet connection
Following all the advice we talked about in the various guides created on the site, we will finally be able to speed up the Internet and make the most of the available bandwidth, without fear that the slowdowns will be caused by an infected PC or a browser too heavy for our system .
7) Change the Wi-Fi channel
Once the browsers have been set up, we can try to surf the Internet faster by changing the channel of the wireless network to which our PC or device is connected.
To do this we will have to access the advanced modem settings in our possession, so that we can act in the menu reserved for Wi-Fi settings.
As a rule, simply enter the following addresses in any browser:
-192.168.1.1
-192.168.0.1
-192.168.1.254
Let's try them all and see which of them answers, so as to immediately show the modem access window.
Once this is done, enter the login credentials (username and password, which are usually admin / admin if we have never changed them) and explore all the menus until you find the item Channel (or Channel ) within the settings for the wireless networks.
On a 2.4 GHz wireless network we will have to be careful to choose a free channel or with the least number of networks in the vicinity: we recommend trying channels 1, 6 and 11 immediately (those most compatible with all devices) and to try, in the second instance, also the other channels (we recommend 3, 8 or 10).
We avoid using channels above 11 (12 and 13), since they are not very compatible with many devices (smartphones, tablets in particular).
For more information on how to access routers correctly, we refer you to reading our guide -> Enter the router to access the settings easily.
If, on the other hand, we wanted to check how many Wi-Fi networks are in the vicinity of our home, in order to immediately choose the best channel, we recommend reading the following guide -> Connect to the wireless channel of the WiFi network with the most powerful signal.
8) Connect to the Internet via cable
Instead of using wireless for any device, we can try to connect "fixed" devices (ie those that we do not move from their position) via Ethernet cable, so as not to suffer from problems related to interference with Wi-Fi.
The devices that "lend themselves" very well to cable connection are obviously fixed PCs (desktops), but also TVs, consoles and anything else that is not a mobile device (ie smartphones and tablets).
If the modem is close enough to the device (less than 3-4 meters), we can try to pull a quality Ethernet cable and use one of the modem's LAN ports for the connection: the speed reachable by cable is unparalleled and you will actually feel the difference.
A quality Ethernet cable can be purchased on Amazon for just under € 10 -> AmazonBasics - RJ45 Cat-7e Ethernet network cable .
If, on the other hand, the device is too far from the modem but it is not transportable, we recommend focusing on Powerline technology to be able to connect using the electrical outlets in the house, using the Wi-Fi connection as little as possible.
We can deepen the discussion by reading our guide -> How the Powerline works, secrets and limits.
9) Change the DNS
Another widely used method to speed up any Internet connection involves the use of new DNS for the connection, so that we can contact the new pages we want to open on the browser faster.
In order to quickly change the DNS on any PC with Windows, we recommend using the free DNS Jumper program.
We install and start this program, select our network to connect to the Internet in the Select Network Adapter menu, choose the DNS service we want in the Choose a DNS Server menu and finally click Apply DNS to make the changes effective.
If we do not know which DNS to choose, let's rely on Google's ones (i.e. 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or press the Fastest DNS button , present in the program, to be able to immediately set the fastest DNS for our line.
To learn more about DNS servers and their usefulness, we recommend reading our dedicated guide -> How to optimize the internet by changing DNS servers.
10) Change modem or Internet operator
If all the advice we have given you has not led to any speed increase on our Internet line, we can only follow two ways: change modem or change Internet operator.
The first way is the simplest one of course: a new modem is chosen, faster and more performing, so as to obtain an increase in speed and Wi-Fi coverage.
To choose a new modem for modern Internet connections, we recommend you read our guide -> Best Modem to buy (fiber, dual band, wireless AC).
If instead the problem is the speed of the line offered by the operator (we can test it with many sites), changing modems may not be enough: we will have to focus on a new operator that offers dedicated optical fiber (FTTH) or FTTC (also called VDSL o Mixed copper fiber ).
To follow this path, more difficult but with much more concrete results, just read our guide, where we will mention the various technologies currently available and we will show you the best offers that you can subscribe -> Best Optical Fiber: check coverage and offers.
We always carry out a coverage check and, if the fiber is available, we activate it as soon as possible, so as to have a high speed of browsing the Internet with any device.
READ ALSO: Programs to keep the net and internet fast
