The state network infrastructure is only one piece of the bandwidth puzzle. We continue to hear sporadic reports that internet provider capacity is strained. This makes sense. In many households, two or more members are telecommuting simultaneously. Often, children are doing distance learning, internet gaming, live streaming, or video downloads. This is an immense amount of traffic to support.
Here are a few other tips to help prioritize home network use:
- If household members are watching video like Netflix, consider downloading shows and movies during off-peak hours for later viewing, rather than streaming. Most services (Netflix, Amazon, and Vudu) offer this capability when streaming to a computer.
- For those who have unlimited bandwidth on their phone plans, we suggest using your phone for streaming. Check with your internet provider.
- Data caps are one of the biggest culprits of slow internet speeds. A data cap means you can use a certain amount of data every month—anything from a couple hundred megabytes to hundreds of gigabytes. If you exceed your data limit, your ISP will seriously restrict your internet speeds. And you'll notice. If you don't know whether or not you have a data cap, check your bill. It should be outlined in the fine print. If you keep exceeding your data cap every month, talk to your provider about a plan with a higher data limit.
- Reset your router every month or so to give the device a break and refresh your internet connection by turning it off then on again.
- This is a quick one—is your router in some remote corner of your house? If so, move it closer to where your computer is located. It will work better for you.