How to Increase Download Speed

Frustrated with your transmission speed? Have you ever wondered if there is a way to speed up downloads? Although it is not possible to completely optimize your Internet connection and download speed, the following tips and advice will help you to improve somewhat.

Table of Contents

Server Speed

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Go to the Internet speed test page and record your download and upload speeds. You’ll want a gauge, so you can compare the former (slower) to the latter (faster).

To search for an Internet speed test site, enter the keyword “Internet speed test” into a search engine and find a free test site. There will be many options for you.
Once you have access to the Internet speed test website, enter the geographical location (if necessary) and conduct the test. The website will tell you the download and upload speeds. Record those numbers.

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Access where the computer stores DNS information. ^{[1] X Research Source} The location of this information is often not the same on different operating systems. Here are the instructions to access:

Windows 7/Vista: Open → Control Panel → View network status and tasks → View status (click to select wired or wifi connection) → Properties (Properties) → Internet Protocp Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties. When you get to this step, click on “Use the fplowing DNS server addresses”.
Mac OSX: System Preferences → Network → View status (click to select wired or wifi connection) → Advanced → DNS

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Delete the old DNS number and enter 2 or 3 open DNS server addresses in the box. Open DNS server addresses include “208.67.222.222” and “208.67.220.220”. Apply the changes when done.

If you want to find custom DNS server addresses, use apps like the Domain Name Speed Benchmark or the Gibson Research Company’s Namebench . These applications will check the system and give you standard addresses that you can use.

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Close the browser, and restart it, then test the speed of the new DNS address. Go to the speed test website you used before and see the increase in Internet speed after changing DNS..

Torrent Downloads

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Maximize the number of connections. Peer-to-peer connections download faster. To do this, you need to go to the program (BitTorrent, Vuze, uTorrent, etc.), and click Preferences → Settings → Bandwidth. Then set the maximum number of peer connections per torrent to 500.

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Implement your protocol encryption. This disguises the things you download so that your ISP doesn’t selectively throttle them. (ISPs will throttle if they know BitTorrent is doing a lot of downloads.) To perform:

Go to Settings (Preferences) → BitTorrent, and then, select “Protocp Enforcement,” and change it to “Forced”. Click “Apply” if necessary, and exit the screen.

Update

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Install a download accelerator. Accelerators are extremely useful. Some of them actually work very well. Download accelerators help you download things quickly and easily and organize your downloaded files. Some of the best download managers are Internet Download Manager and uGet.

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Remove the offending spyware. Spyware is software that installs itself on a computer, secretly obtaining information about an individual’s internet usage. Spyware and viruses use available resources, and slow down your computer. Spyware often sends reports about your internet usage, which consumes a lot of bandwidth.

Let’s start by running an anti-virus software to scan the entire computer. Turn off all programs before scanning. Start the scan program. Restart the computer and resume the scan again, just to be safe.
Scan your computer in safe mode. Clever programmers often create software that is hard to remove from a computer. To give your computer a chance to fight back, restart your Mac or PC in safe mode instead of normal.

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Install software that allows you to download from multiple servers. Many servers impose a maximum download limit on your computer, a speed limit that prevents you from reaching full speed. To get around this problem, you can download some “download manager” software (eg GetRight).

What will this program do? Software like GetRight will download the file, and then immediately search for the file in various locations. It will then download the file in parts from many different servers. Using software like the above can help you improve your download speed by up to 1000%.

Clean Virus

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Make sure you have an effective anti-virus program. Viruses will slow down download and browsing speed. You should regularly run an anti-virus program, especially when connected to the Internet. Popular antiviruses are BitDefender, Avast, and AVG.

Avoid Norton, as it will most likely degrade your computer’s performance and be difficult to uninstall completely.
Scan for viruses at least once a week, more often if you download files frequently.
Do not install multiple anti-virus programs at the same time.

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Download some anti-adware programs. The adware attacks your browser, sending ads and popups. Adware is installed when you download a program from the Internet, or when you mistakenly click on an advertisement board. These software will slow down the connection as they constantly fetch ads, usually from foreign servers.

Popular anti-adware programs are Malwarebytes, Spybot S&D, AdwCleaner, and HitmanPro.
You can install more than one anti-adware program. It is recommended that you install at least two different programs, as they often have different databases that scan differently. This means that one program can find things that other programs cannot.

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Run your anti-virus and anti-adware program in Safe Mode. You can detect more virus-infected files in Safe Mode, and make scanning more efficient. You can access Safe Mode by restarting your computer and holding down the F8 key. Select Safe Mode from the list of options, then run your anti-virus and anti-adware scan as usual.

If you have difficulty removing viruses, and anti-virus software cannot remove the threat, you may need to format your computer and reinstall the operating system.

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Avoid future viral infections. After cleaning viruses and anti-adware, you should see improved connection speed. It won’t do you any good if your computer is infected with a virus again, so make it a habit to browse the web safely to avoid wasting time on this problem in the future.

Avoid downloading illegal files. Although there are many pirated files that are completely safe, they are still the main reason why your computer is infected with viruses. Make sure you download the file from a trusted source.
Do not download unknown attachments. E-mail is also a tool for spreading viruses. You need to carefully review the attachments and download only the necessary files. Even mail from trusted friends or relatives can go viral without them knowing, so check carefully before opening “holiday photos”.
Do not click on the billboard. Lots of billboards and dialogs will try to trick you into thinking you need to click. A common trick is to create a dialog box that resembles a virus scan window. The dialog box will say your computer is infected with a virus and the only way to fix it is to click on the dialog box. This is never true.
Check out articles online for more tips on avoiding viruses and malware.

Hardware Upgrade

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Update network device drivers. Make sure your device’s Speed and Duplex settings are both set to maximum. Device settings, for example, can be at 1 Gbps Full Duplex will give optimal speed.

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If you have a router, back up and reset the router’s page (refer to the articles on how to access the Router) and update the firmware. This will ensure your router is operating at its best.

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Make sure that the router is not subject to any interference. On a wireless router, the signal is broadcast 360 degrees, which means you will lose some of the signal if you leave the router in a corner of the house. Foil can be used to make the signal go in one direction, and broadcast stronger in the classroom or living room.

A few other common effects may be:
- Use a long coax cable to connect the modem. ^{[3] X Research Source} Short cable will give faster download speed.
- Place devices that can cause interference, such as phones, away from computers and routers.

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Clear the modem’s cache by unplugging it. The modem cache also needs to be refreshed from time to time, and you can easily do this. Just unplug the modem for about 10 seconds, then plug it back in. Do this from time to time to refresh the modem cache.

Other methods

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Find a wireless gateway that provides a higher speed connection. If you use a laptop, you can find a wireless port that offers a faster connection. You can find it at your university, internet cafe, library, home or relative — someone you know has a high-speed Internet connection.

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Turn off all unused programs when loading. When you download a large (or small) file, turn off unused programs to download. Communication programs can consume a lot of bandwidth.

If you need to use those programs when loading, use one computer to load and another to run the program. You can go to the library, borrow friends, etc. to access another computer.

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Install an optimal Internet connection. Your Internet connection may not be optimal. For example, if you use DSL but live far from the central office, you will experience weak download speeds. In that case, you can change to another ISP or use a cable.

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Do not upload information while you are downloading. If you upload files while downloading other things, you are placing a tremendous burden on bandwidth. It’s like turning on the cold faucet all the way, turning on the small hot water tap, and then wondering why the water isn’t hot. The same goes for bandwidth. If cold water (upload) is opened all the way up, it will be difficult to feel warm water (download).

Set the upload bandwidth to 90% or less of the upload speed. This will leave bandwidth to process the download request.

Advice

Some download accelerators work fine, but others don’t. Choose a program that is highly rated and has a large download.
Maybe your computer is slowing down the download speed. Upgrade the memory, upgrade the CPU, install anti-virus software, and clean the hard drive. If you use a wireless network, make sure that the network card is up to date and does not have any software errors.
Higher Internet speeds may cost more, but totally worth it!

Warning

Some Internet optimizers will confuse the Internet connection if you do not configure it correctly.
Be sure to follow the correct procedure when updating your router’s firmware.

Things you need

Computer
Internet connection
Space on the hard drive to store files
For best results – computer needs at least 1G RAM and 1.5Ghz processor.
Some good software.

Steps