Speed Up Your Internet Connection

Does your dial-up Internet connection remind you of that Snickers bar commercial? You know which one I mean – “not going anywhere for awhile?”

Don’t worry – you’re not as destined for drudgery as those poor souls on the commercial. There are simple steps you can do to solve the problem on your own. Here are some step-by-step techniques for increasing a slow Internet experience.

1. Upgrade to the highest speed modem you can. Where cable modem or DSL may be unavailable or too expensive, make sure you have at least a 56k modem.

2. Be sure you are using your ISP’s fastest line for your modem. If you have a 56k modem, don’t use a 33.6 dial-up number.

3. Don’t panic when you do not connect at 56k! 53k is the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) legal limit for dial-up connection speed to make sure that it does not interfere with voice telephone quality. However, the best you will probably ever connect at is 48.8k.

4. Regularly clean out your cache file (Netscape) or Temporary Internet Files (Internet Explorer) for faster performance. Your cache file is storage of your most recently visited web sites so you can access them faster each time you visit. However, a clogged cache file can do just the opposite, causing surfing in general to be slower.

Clearing your cache file
Internet Explorer:
Select – View(Tools for IE5 users -> Internet Options -> General -> Temporary Internet Files
Click on Delete and click OK when asked.

Netscape (Communicator):
Select - Edit | Preferences | Advanced | Cache Select - Clear Memory Cache
Select - Clear Disk Cache

5. Check the clarity of the phone line you are using. If you can hear static in the background when you are using it to talk to a person, this will clog up the line when you use it to transfer data with your modem. Call your phone company if you have excessive line noise.

6. Increase the RAM in your computer. While a more expensive option, it will improve how fast your browser goes, especially if you have a low amount of RAM to begin with. Remember, your connection is only as strong as your weakest link.

7. Hit the “Stop” button on your browser if you do not want to wait for a page to finish loading. This will immediately stop the hourglass icon from appearing and will enable you to go where you want. This is useful when you already see the link that you want to follow.