Do you always find yourself having a hard time uploading your files?
You subscribed to a 40mbps Internet plan, but still, you find yourself consuming much of your time when you upload a file. That is why it is understandable that you will give everything to know how to boost upload speed because you know that it will increase your productivity.
As a freelancer, files upload and download have been a part of my job. Therefore, uploading and downloading speed is crucial for me. Because I do these tasks in almost every day of my life, I had encountered those times when uploading was at a snail’s pace.
Because the upload was slow, it consumed most of my time. I know that many people have this problem. Computer experts might not have a problem dealing with this issue. However, how about us ordinary people?
Therefore, I decided to do some research, and I found some ways to improve its speed. Even if I am not an IT expert and because of my job’s demands, I tried these ways myself, and they worked.
What You Will Need
Before reading further, take note that it is impossible to get a faster upload speed if it goes beyond your Internet subscription plan. However, what we are trying to solve here is during those times when we are not making the most out of our subscription plans, due to several factors.
Before we jump into the solutions, here are the lists of software, technology, or tools that you might need to increase the speed of upload. You don’t need to buy them right away. You may only need one or two of these items, depending on the issue.
- Ethernet Cable(Optional)
- New Router or Modem (Optional)
- Anti-Virus Software
- VPN (Optional)
- New DNS Server (Optional)
Step-by-Step Ways to Improve Upload Speed
1. Run a Speed Test.
Before assuming that you are having a problem with your upload speed, you should make sure that you do. First, know the speed that your ISP provides for you. As for me, I should be getting 100Mbps at max, and I am paying almost 90 dollars for it.
After that, run a test speed to determine if you are making the most out of your subscription. You can go to sites like fast.com or speedtest.net to know it.
Before putting your upload into a test, make sure that you turn-off or stop anything that might cause your Internet speed to slow down. It includes downloads, online gaming, streaming, and the like.
It is also advisable to do it during those times when you typically use your Internet at around the same time of the day. It is alright if the result is not exactly as what your ISP advertises it, but it should be forgivably close enough.
If you see that you indeed are having an issue with your Internet upload speed, then you should read further.
2. Determine the Cause of the Problem
Several factors cause the upload to slow down. Here are the common ones:
- Signal interference from other devices
- Several devices connecting on a single network
- Viruses and malware
- The low-speed is given by your ISP
- Outdated technology and software
- Downloading files
- Router’s settings
3. Try the Easiest Solutions First.
These solutions do not require extra gadgets, tweaking your software, or anything. The problem is probably due to device interference or distance of your device from the router. It is also possible that some objects in your home inhibit the signal from your router.
If you guess that it is the case, then try to go closer to your router. Also, remove the objects that are getting on the way, like the aquarium, microwave oven, telephone landline, and more.
Appliances can reduce the download and upload speed of your files because they can produce electronic interference.
4. Disconnect Devices That You Do Not Use
Internet speed is like one whole pie, and the devices are the people who will eat the pie. If you are all alone, you can eat the entire pie yourself. The same goes for Internet upload.
The fewer the devices connecting to the Internet, the faster the upload speed will be because only a few devices are sharing with it.
5. Use an Ethernet Cable
Sometimes the problem is due to an outdated device. The modem or router has to compensate for its slow speed.
As a result, the Internet slows down.
If your device is slow, you can consider using an ethernet cable. By using this tool, you can connect your slow device directly to your modem, thus, increasing the upload speed. Most of the time, the speed of a wired connection is faster compared to the Wi-Fi.
6. Purchase a New Router or Modem
Sometimes, the problem lies not in your device but to your router. The slowdown happens when the old router’s technology cannot handle several registered devices at once.
Therefore, if you are using an old router with a lot of devices connected to the Wi-Fi like Google Home, Xbox, smart TV, and the like, try upgrading your router into the latest model. Yes, small devices like smart lightbulbs do not take much data, but the problem is that the old router cannot handle several devices.
7. Get Rid of Malware and Viruses
Even though your upload is not slow, you still need to install anti-virus software on your computer for your device’s security and yours too.
In this article, we will focus on the effects of malware and viruses on the Internet upload speed. This malicious software can have this effect on the Internet because it uses our Internet’s bandwidth. Therefore, it is essential that we not only install anti-virus software in our devices but also regularly update it.
8. Use an Advanced VPN
Do not use just any other VPNs in the market. Use the ones that provide dedicated servers that offer the best speed. If you only happen to choose the slow and free ones, they might pick a server with tons of users connected to it.
VPN can be a lifesaver for increasing your upload pace in those times when you surpass the speed limitation set by your ISP. The VPN will rout you into a virtual private network where you can go around this imposed limit.
9. Try to Change the DNS Server.
Our ISP provides a designated DNS server that might not be the best choice. This DNS server’s location can be far from your site, thus, affecting your Internet upload speed.
Most of the time, the ones designated by your ISP only store websites IP address in a cache. Therefore, if you enter a web address that is not in that cache, the default server will find another server to get the necessary information to convert the web address to IP.
For this reason, public DNS servers became popular. Two of the examples are the Cloudflare and Google Public DNS. In this article, we will use Google Public DNS as an example.
It can be more advantageous in doing upload to use Google Public DNS because of the multiple servers it uses globally. For this reason, depending on the traffic and condition of the network, this server can respond to requests fast.
On Windows 10, you can change the DNS server settings by going to the Control Panel> Network and Internet> Network and Sharing, and clicking on the Change Adapter Setting located at the left.
By clicking it, it will open the lists of networking devices. Right-click on the device and choose Properties.
By clicking it, checklists will appear. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 and click Properties.
At the bottom, choose the “Use the Following DNS Server Addresses.”
You can choose among the available public DNS servers, which include the Google DNS, Cloudflare, and OpenDNS.
Conclusion
Do you think some of these suggested solutions will work on your upload speed issue?
Nowadays, file upload and download have been a part of our daily life. That is why it is right to find ways to increase the upload speed to save time when we should be doing something more substantial. Also, it feels stressful and frustrating to wait for your files to upload, especially if you are in a hurry.
That is why I hope I have helped you in one of these ways.
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