Even a small business can sap a lot of data, which can lead to slower speeds and high latency. Network latency will lead to lag and could potentially cause your computers to have trouble connecting to the network. If you’ve ever had an issue with your computers intermittently losing their internet access, then latency is most likely the culprit. In the world of business, everything needs to be lightning fast, or you could potentially lose customers, waste time, and lose money. Luckily, there are some simple tips that can help you get your internet back on track and blazing fast.
1. Switch from WiFi to Ethernet
Many people prefer the convenience of being cord-free, or at least minimizing the number of wires and cables they have to worry about. Using WiFi is a great way to get quick and easy access to the internet from anywhere in a home or office. However, it does have its drawbacks. Currently available technology is not capable of transmitting data wirelessly nearly as quickly or efficiently as a physical cable can. Wifi networks will always suffer from slower speeds and higher packet loss than a wired connection, and can experience interference from any number of other gadgets in the office. If the blazing fast internet is what you’re looking for and you are currently using WiFi as your means of connection, it may be time to consider plugging your computers back into the ethernet to get a faster connection without network latency problems experienced on wireless networks.
2. Restart Network Hardware
It is something of a cliché in IT to tell people that they need to restart their equipment for it to function correctly, but in many cases it is right, and it just works. Your modem and router are no exception. Network hardware often has a cache of memory that it uses for various processes. When that memory begins to fill up, things usually take a turn for the worse regarding network latency. By restarting or merely unplugging the router and modem and plugging it back in, you allow the equipment the chance to clear its cache and start running like new again. If employees are complaining of slow connections from their office computers, a restart can help them run faster, too.
3. Be Wary of Programs that Drain Bandwidth
Your internet has a limited bandwidth that is determined by your internet service provider when you select a plan. If you start to approach this limit, your connection will be throttled, meaning your speeds in other programs will begin to slow down. For example, if you have a device that is downloading updates on the WiFi at 8Mb per second, and your bandwidth is only 10Mb per second, you will have just 2Mb per second of bandwidth for all other devices on that network. This will skyrocket your latency times and can make your internet unbearably slow. It is best to monitor how much bandwidth various programs on your computer and network consume and to shut off anything you aren’t using if it turns out to be a bandwidth hog. The IT administrators should monitor all devices and programs across the network to determine areas to reduce bandwidth, too, such as multimedia streaming services that employees may use that aren’t required for work-related purposes.
Fidelus Technologies, based out of New York City is a Professional and Managed Information Technology Services company focused on customer success and business efficiency. Our services provide seamless networking, data center, wireless, security and unified communications expertise for medium and enterprise sized businesses. We have a consultative life cycle approach that includes requirements gathering, assessments, solution design, planning, project management, engineering, adoption and evolution (training) services to fully support the IT needs of your organization.
If you’re looking for more information on how Fidelus can help with your organizations technology please contact us here. To access our in-depth analysis on how IT teams across the country are using IT services and products within their organization please visit our infocenter by clicking on the link below.
2017 U.S. IT Services Report sponsored by Fidelus
