10 ways to speed up your internet connection today

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Are you suffering from slow internet speeds at home?

Also: How to convert your home’s old TV cable into powerful Ethernet lines

Connectivity drops, bottlenecks, lagged content streaming and downloads, and slow speeds are all common problems with home internet services — and it may not be the fault of your internet service provider (ISP). True, the routers typically provided by ISPs are basic and may not be able to handle modern-day data demands, but there are ways to improve your speed relatively easily in 2023. 

Below, we explore common reasons why your internet might be slow and offer suggestions for fixing them. 

If you have constant speed problems, your bandwidth is the first thing you should consider. 

Ensure you are on a package that can cope with today’s array of devices and their demand for bandwidth. ZDNET’s Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols noted that a minimum speed of 30Mbps is recommended. 

While many areas are only served with cable connections, fiber provides the best speeds. If you want a fiber service but your ISP doesn’t offer one, in some cases, you can register your interest with your ISP — and if enough people follow suit, this might mark your location on the map for earlier installation projects. 

Also: The top satellite internet services compared: Starlink and alternatives

The general rule is that you will need more bandwidth if you have multiple devices and streaming services on the go. 

Your internet provider may throttle your service if it decides you use too much bandwidth. This is more common when you are on a basic package. If this is the case, you must call your service provider. You might also need to renegotiate your package, upgrade, or, if you aren’t being offered a good deal, switch providers entirely.

If you are already on a high-speed package and you are suffering slow internet speeds, despite the service you’re paying for, you should check your connection. If you are paying for a subscription of up to 30Mbps, for example, and are only receiving speeds of 2 or 3Mbps, it may be an issue with your internet service provider (ISP). 

 The free services below will ping and check your download and upload speeds.

It’s also worth checking in with your provider to see if there is an outage or other known issue in the area. An easy way to do this is to type your ISP’s name and “outage” into a search engine or visit its website for live outage notices. 

Also: The best internet speed tests

You could also ask neighbors if they are having trouble. Several years ago, my whole street was booted offline after a maintenance worker accidentally sliced through our main fiber cable. (You can imagine the uproar).

Flickering lights on your router (often yellow or red, but it depends on your router model) may indicate a problem outside your home, such as with physical cables or junction boxes. 

Sometimes, being unable to access web domains is not down to

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Wi-Fi Security Tips: 10 Ways to Avoid Home Network Hackers

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET’s collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

Your home Wi-Fi network might not be as safe as you think. In 2021, internet crime cost Americans more than $6.9 billion. While phishing and scams contributed to the losses, personal data breaches were also significant. In many cases, those personal data breaches could have been prevented by just a little home network security.

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The average US household has more than 10 devices connected to its home Wi-Fi network. From laptops and tablets to phones, smartwatches and streaming devices, the number can ramp up quickly, and each is potentially vulnerable to hacking. With so much data stored on those devices — credit card numbers, bank records, login credentials and other personal and private information — you want to ensure you’re protecting yourself from hackers if your network is ever compromised.

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A secure home network will help reduce the risk of getting hacked and having someone access your sensitive information. Not only that, it will keep away unwanted or unauthorized users and devices that would slow down your connection or freeload on the internet service you pay for.

It’s fairly simple to create and maintain a secure home Wi-Fi network. Below, you’ll find 10 tips for securing your network. Some are more effective than others at keeping hackers and freeloaders at bay, but all are useful in their own way. Keep in mind that nothing can guarantee absolute security from hacking attempts, but these tips will make it harder for anyone to compromise your network and data. (For more Wi-Fi tips, check out how to tell if your internet provider is throttling your Wi-Fi and our tips on how to speed up your Wi-Fi connection). 

How to secure your home Wi-Fi network

Here are the basics for protecting your home Wi-Fi network. Keep reading for more information on each below.

1. Place your router in a central location.

2. Create a strong Wi-Fi password and change it often.

3. Change the default router login credentials.

4. Turn on firewall and Wi-Fi encryption.

5. Create a guest network.

6. Use a VPN.

7. Keep your router and devices up to date.

8. Disable remote router access.

9. Verify connected devices.

10. Upgrade to a WPA3 router.

Place your router in a central location

Strong network security starts with a smart setup. If possible, place your router at the center of your home. Routers send wireless signals in all directions, so strategically placing your router in a central location will help keep your connection to the confines of your home. As a bonus, it will likely also make for the best connection quality.

For example, if you have internet in an apartment where neighbors

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5 Ways To Increase Your Business enterprise With Know-how

“I’d like my company to continue to be stagnant.” No entrepreneur, owner, or CEO at any time uttered those words. You can be absolutely sure none at any time will, possibly. That’s because corporate advancement is normally an overarching aim for any group. Increasing your company will come with its difficulties, of program, like figuring out which methods will make it best for you to scale and develop.

A single thing’s clear: You want to develop a very clear-lower expansion strategy. And technology desires to perform a substantial component in that method. Soon after all, we’re living in a principally technological environment. If you’re not earning the most of the tech at your fingertips, you consistently miss out on options to fortify your brand’s position.

The place can you begin? Under are a handful of approaches that you can leverage technologies to develop your business’s footprint. Try these recommendations, whether or not you’re a micro startup or a mid-size company headed toward a Fortune 500 foreseeable future.

1. Automate repetitive manual processes.

Is it truly worth automating all the senseless to-dos in your organization in buy to grow? Yes, in particular if you do the quantities.

McKinsey investigate analyzed the normal tasks of numerous occupations. They concluded that about 33% of the responsibilities of six out of 10 jobs could be automated. For example, let’s say your firm is modestly sized at 50 personnel. If your staffers perform a conventional 40-hour 7 days, 30 of them are frittering away 13 hrs. In other text, you are shedding approximately 400 several hours weekly to spend staff to deal with repetitive duties.

To be sure, not all jobs can be automatic. Having said that, you owe it to on your own to obtain kinds that can. For example, is your finance division group processing payroll or inputting invoices by hand? Then, commit in software program to get rid of the tedium—and lessen the opportunity of human mistake.

Examine out your profits and expert services procedures following. Do your salespeople or aid agents have to reduce and paste facts? Are they pressured to swap concerning two or more packages that really don’t converse? Glance for techniques to combine people devices to cost-free up everyone’s valuable time so they can concentrate on growth-dependent obligations.

2. Attempt to make buyer very first impressions stickier with tech instruments

Tons of articles or blog posts spotlight the relevance of growing your company by retaining consumers. It’s real that retention tends to be a lot less pricey than acquisition. Nevertheless, you just can’t hold on to your consumers until you get them in the door. So put a premium on providing impeccable very first impressions that urge folks to adhere all over.

The right form of engineering can assist you in wowing your ideal prospects through an unforgettable shopper working experience. Just take 1st-time logins, for occasion. Okta stories that asking a visitor to set up an account turns off 37% of prospective customers. So what can

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