Check Your Wi-Fi Speed

Use DFNDR’s Wi-Fi Check feature to check the current speed of your Wi-Fi network. This feature will perform a connectivity test, check your download speed, and check your DNS and network security. This is an easy litmus test to decipher whether or not your Wi-Fi is up to optimal speed. Click here to check the speed of your Wi-Fi:

Wi-Fi Moochers

If you leave your Wi-FI open to the public — i.e. without password protection — then there will be a huge freeloader problem. Too much traffic on your Wi-Fi will significantly reduce its speeds, as there is only a finite amount of bandwidth available for your network. Be sure to make your Wi-Fi network private if it isn’t already, and to closely monitor the amount of traffic you allow access to your network. Further, a private network ensures that your network is more secure, too. It’s safer to access your banking or other sensitive information on a private network.

Old Equipment

Like all other technologies, Wi-Fi routers are continuously evolving as the years go by. Thus, older Wi-Fi equipment is bound to be slower than the new, more developed equipment. Check the model of your Wi-Fi gear to ensure that you have the latest and greatest model; otherwise, your Internet will likely be slower than usual. If your router is more than a few years old, then it might be time to upgrade your device. Doing so will help to increase the security of your network, too.

Out of Range

Proximity is key when it comes to the strength of your Wi-Fi signal. As a result, it is imperative that you are relatively close to the Wi-Fi router. Too much distance from your router can result in incredibly low speeds and lag time. Make sure to move your router around the house a few times to find the optimal spot.

Router’s Security Settings

First of all, make sure that there is a viable security setting present on your Wi-Fi router. Otherwise, your Wi-Fi will likely be slowed down. Open networks make it easy for people to steal your Wi-Fi. According to USA Today, WPA2 with AES is your best security option for your Wi-Fi network.

Google Wi-Fi

Google Wi-Fi does have its downsides. It is not the fastest option on the market and only has limited control options. However, there are several reasons why this particular router is at the top of the list. Google Wi-Fi, unlike many other Wi-Fi routers in its class, specializes in offering far-reaching coverage throughout the entire house. It is extremely easy to set up, offers traffic prioritization functionality, and is one of the cheapest routers available.

Asus RT-AC88U

The Tri-band version of this particular router is literally one of the fastest routers on the market. It can handle heavy traffic in any setting without diminishing user speed or experience. In addition, it has eight external LAN ports and a USB port, and allows for multiple user input and output. It is quite pricey but its high cost is well worth it.

D-Link AC5300 Ultra Wi-Fi Router

The D-Link AC5300 Ultra Wi-Fi Router has a lot going for it. It’s a tri-brand router and as such offers amazingly fast speed. It is also very easy to configure, enabling a user to customize settings without studying the manual beforehand. Furthermore, the router offers full house coverage to multiple devices using eight antennas to ensure that the entire home has high-speed Wi-Fi at all times. The only major downside to this particular router is that it will take up a lot of room on your desk.

1. Restart Your Device

The simplest option to speed up functioning is often simply to restart your device. Before making any big changes, just try turning off and then restarting your phone or tablet to allow it to reset its systems. This will often solve the slow functioning issues.

2. Make Sure Your Software is Updated

It is easy to skip updates and ignore the notifications that you need to install new software. However, devices often aren’t as comfortable running with outdated software, so the systems can be clunkier and everything can take longer. To fix this, simply make sure you are looking at your phone’s settings from time to time and checking to ensure that your software is updated.

3. Use Static Wallpaper

The first step in changing your device is to pay attention to your homescreen. Despite how cute and fun those live wallpapers can be, they can really slow down the functioning of your phone, as well as drain battery and storage space. If you have a moving image on your home screen and your phone seems a little slow, think about switching to a static image.

4. Uninstall Apps You’re Not Using

Any app that is on your phone takes some amount of data and storage even if you’re not using it, which means that it contributes to your phone taking longer to operate. Make sure you are regularly going through your apps and deleting those you aren’t using, along with the data associated with them.

5. Turn Off Auto-Sync

It is easy to check the box that offers auto-sync options for different apps and services to keep them constantly updated. However, allowing your device to constantly be in syncing mode drains battery and negatively impacts performance. To stop auto-syncing, go to Settings and under the Accounts option, simply switch off the Auto-Sync button.

6. Turn Off Animations

Android incorporates animations when transitioning from app to app or screen to screen, as well as just during its normal functioning. Reducing or turning off these animations allows your phone to run faster and more efficiently. To do this, go to Settings, then About Phone, and scroll down to the System section to find the Build Number. From there, turn on Developer Options and look for Window Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale, and Animator Duration Scale. Turn off or reduce each of these to save time.

7. Install PSafe Total

PSafe Total is a product with features designed to speed up your Android phone, clean up your apps, and delete audio files. These systems automatically keep track of what you’re using, turn off apps running in the background, and generally clean up your device to make sure that it is running as quickly and effectively as possible.