We’ve come a long way since having to endure the sound of a dialup modem just to check email. However, having high speed internet doesn’t guarantee your speeds will always be top-notch. There are a host of factors that affect internet speed regardless of your plan.
A slow internet connection can impact your employees’ ability to effectively do their job, meet deadlines, and maintain their sanity. In today’s fast-paced world, every business needs high-speed internet to function.
Is your business experiencing a slow internet connection despite paying for high speed? If so, here are 6 easy ways to speed it up.
1. Hire an IT professional to set up your internet and wireless connection.
Establishing a reliable high-speed internet connection involves more than just plugging in a modem and router and setting up a password. Although you can do it that way, hiring an IT professional will get you better results.
An IT tech can tweak the settings on your router, modem, and devices to maximize the available speed. For example, an IT tech can set your router to operate on a channel that isn’t being used by other wireless devices nearby. Changing the channel your Wi-Fi operates on will avoid interference from other devices that can curb your speed.
An IT tech can also use a tool to help you find the clearest channel before changing your router’s channel.
2. Don’t upgrade your internet plan impulsively.
When employees complain about slow internet you might want to call your internet provider and get a bigger plan. Hold off on that until you know what you need for sure. Bandwidth and speed aren’t the same, and you might not need more bandwidth.
“Bandwidth is how much data can be transferred and processed at any given moment, Invision IT consulting explains, “and speed is affected by how many devices are asking to transfer and process that data.” In other words, if your network is congested with 50 employees accessing the network at once, increasing your bandwidth won’t increase the speed.
3. Increase the number of connections.
If your internet is slowing down because you have a large number of people accessing the network at once, install multiple connections to distribute the load.
4. Supply employees with the right devices.
Slow internet speeds are commonly caused by the device attempting to access or broadcast the network. Devices are limited by hardware like the wireless card, processor speed, and RAM.
Providing desktop and laptop computers with the right hardware is the best way to ensure all employees have access to your high-speed internet. Likewise, banning the use of personal mobile devices will preserve bandwidth. Some apps consume a significant amount of bandwidth and if each employee connects a mobile device to the company network, it will eat up the bandwidth.
You may want to rethink allowing employees to use their own devices for this reason alone. Some people are attached to their older devices for sentimental reasons and can’t be talked into using new equipment. For example, there will always be someone who insists on using one of the first Dell laptops ever created.
If you prefer to keep your BYOD policy, make sure to outline the hardware requirements for accessing the company’s Wi-Fi network. For instance, all devices will need to support 802.11 wireless LAN standards or it won’t connect to the network. Go one step further and require employees to use devices that meet certain specifications. They might grumble about it if they don’t mind using a slower device, but your business will suffer without this restriction.
5. Use top-of-the-line networking equipment.
Your router and modem brands matter. Some brands perform better than others, despite identical specifications on the box. Don’t hesitate to invest in high-end networking equipment. It will last longer and perform better.
6. Provide ethernet connections for every desk.
For employees who don’t wander around while they work, an ethernet cable will help. Have a professional run an ethernet cable to each of your employees’ desks so they can connect directly to the modem and bypass the router. If enough people use ethernet whenever possible, it will reduce the congestion on your Wi-Fi network.
7. Take action.
Now that you know several ways to speed up your company’s internet connection, start with the simplest solutions to see if your issues are resolved. When your employees have access to fast internet, working efficiently and meeting their deadlines will be easier.
