It is clear that almost every user would like to increase the speed of access to the Internet, not only so that the pages open faster, but also so that the content downloaded from Internet resources loads faster or the multimedia components are played without delay. In this regard, it is proposed to consider how the Internet speed is increased in Windows-systems, and whether it can be done at all. And for starters, a little dwell on some of the simplest practical solutions.
Internet access speed: general questions
Before considering the main topic, let's dwell on some important issues that many users completely lose sight of. All those who are trying to at least somehow increase the speed of access to the World Wide Web should clearly understand that the most important limitation is what kind of speed line the provider allocates to you. If you have a connection with a speed of, say, 100 Mbps, no matter how you try, you will not jump above this limit.
Another thing is that the declared speed at a certain point in time may not correspond to the specified limit (which usually happens). Here you should not forget about the bandwidth of the same router or the fact that several more devices (for example, mobile phones) can be connected to the same wireless line. For a 3G modem, an increase in Internet speed can be achieved, for example, if you install it closer to the window in order to get rid of possible barriers that can negatively affect the signal transmission.
In general, if the speed of the existing connection does not suit you, why not immediately contact the provider and switch to another tariff plan with a speed limit, say, at 1 Gbit / s? But in this case, it should be borne in mind that you still will not reach the maximum speed. This is especially true of restrictions even on the sites themselves, such as DepositeFiles, from which information is downloaded. The same can be said of torrent trackers. If at the moment there is no necessary number of distributing terminals, even in forced mode, downloading will still not reach the required speed, not to mention the restrictions set in the software modules of torrent clients.
The main ways to increase the speed of the Internet
However, if we discard all conventions, we can try to increase the speed for an existing connection. At the very least, an increase in Internet speed in Windows 10 or in systems of a lower rank can be achieved. There are several main ways to do this:
- Reconfiguring DNS server settings
- Changing the QoS Packet Scheduler Options
- changing the power settings for the network card and the computer system as a whole;
- use of the COM port extension;
- the use of specialized third-party utilities.
DNS server settings
So, the first thing to increase the speed of the Internet on a laptop or on a stationary computer terminal is to experiment with the network settings that relate to the IPv4 protocol. In particular, primary attention should be paid to DNS addresses. As a rule, in the case of a wireless connection for them, the choice of parameters will be set to automatic mode, and for the wired value, they will be entered manually. You can try to increase the speed of the Internet by changing such addresses. In the simplest case, just find out these values from the provider and enter them in the appropriate fields.
If this does not give an increase in speed, try using free combinations, say, from Google or Yandex. It may well be that just such an approach will give a positive result.
Settings for increasing the speed of the Internet in the settings of the packet planner
Another technique is to slightly change the parameters of the so-called QoS packet scheduler and activate its functioning. To do this, you need to enter the group policy editor (gpedit.msc) and select the network item in the administrative templates.
Through a double click or PCM menu, you need to enter the editing of the bandwidth limit parameter, turn it on and set the value to zero, and then save the changes made to the options.
Checking the health of the scheduler
Now we need to check whether an increase in Internet speed has occurred. To do this, you first need to make sure that the scheduler itself is active and works without failures.
We call up the status window of the existing connection and click the properties button, after which we see whether the checkmark is set in front of the scheduler item. If it is active, try to go to some page or start the download of files. In principle, you can track the real connection speed through the most common “Task Manager” on the performance tab, by selecting the network item.
Note: additionally, in the tree of active processes, sort them by the use of network traffic, see which services or applications consume it to the maximum, and then force them to complete if necessary. For complete certainty, if the applications or services found are present in the startup section, deactivate them there too.
Configuring network adapter options
Another technique to achieve a partial increase in Internet speed is to reconfigure the default network adapter settings. The fact that its drivers must be up to date is not discussed. If necessary, update them using automated programs like Driver Booster.
However, make the main emphasis on viewing power information in the “Device Manager”.
On the corresponding tab, the checkboxes must be unchecked to save power and wake the system from sleep mode, and save the changes. Similar actions must be performed for all devices that are in the network adapter group, even if they are virtual.
Set power options for the entire system
Similarly to the previous settings, you can get a slight increase in Internet speed by changing the main power scheme. This is particularly true for laptops.
Despite the fact that setting the high-performance mode can lead to a faster discharge of the battery, nevertheless, in this way an increase in the performance of the network card is achieved (precisely due to the removal of restrictions on the power supply to the network adapter itself). In general, if the economy mode is set, many functions of the operating system itself and installed equipment will not be unavailable, but will not work as it should. In principle, if there is a problem with the battery, you can remove it and use only stationary power from the network. You can also enable high performance only for the period of Internet access. In Windows 10, you can even mark a browser as a game when for it enhanced performance mode will turn on automatically. To do this, you just need to make the appropriate settings in the virtual game console (Win + G).
COM port extension
Finally, consider another option for improving system performance when working with the Internet, which not all users know about. It consists in increasing its throughput programmatically.
In the “Device Manager”, go to the properties of the corresponding port and select the maximum value in bits per second (for example, 128,000) from the drop-down list for the bandwidth on the parameters tab. Such a solution is especially relevant when the provider provides the user with a dedicated line with an access speed higher than that which is set in the operating system default parameters.
TCP Optimizer
To increase the speed of Internet access, you can use many specially designed utilities for this.
One of these is the TCP Optimizer program, which is available as a portable version that does not require installation. You need to run it with admin rights, then select your adapter and set the access speed slider to that provided by the provider (although usually the application determines this parameter automatically). After that, it remains only to note the point for setting the optimal speed (Optimal) and save the settings.
NameBench App
NameBench is another program to increase the speed of the Internet, which is as easy to learn as the previous utility. Its main difference is that it works on the basis of independent selection of the necessary DNS servers. The optimal browser in it is also automatically determined, but if necessary, you can change it manually, and then activate the server search (Start Benchmark button).
Upon completion, the recommended configuration will be presented. After that, go to the properties of the IPv4 protocol, as described above, and enter the addresses found in the appropriate fields for configuring DNS servers, then again save the installed options.
Parameters of some programs
Sometimes it is advisable to use special programs to speed up downloads. For example, in applications under the general name Downloader, it is desirable to set the settings so that the maximum number of simultaneously available mirrors is used to download files. In applications like torrent clients, as in the case with the COM port settings, you should set the maximum download speed and, if possible, remove restrictions on downloaded traffic. But the number of simultaneous downloads is better to reduce, because with several active downloads, the speed is distributed across all downloads, which leads to a general increase in download time for all active torrents.