Ultimate Guide to Speed up Your Internet Connection

he 21st century is the age of speed: fast travel, fast communication, technology getting more and more mobile and of-course, faster. But even now, in the age ofspeed, some people still suffer from lack of a decent Internet connection. AlthoughInternet speed has significantly improved over the last few years, some of us still suffer with slow connections and browsing the web can prove to be a daunting task.Although one cannot force the ISP to provide faster internet, there are some solutions to making the most of your existing Internet connection.

Tips & Tricks to speed up your Internet

1. Keep a clean and secured computer

Clean your hard drive as often as you can. Try using an anti-virus software, but a very resource demanding one (check our list of the best free antivirus programs and paid anti-virus programs), look for a anti adware/spyware program. These bugs can drastically lower your Internet speed, so scan your computer regularly, also, try using a simple firewall, but keep in mind, heavy firewalls (such as Zone Alarm) require a heavy duty Internet connection, so if you don’t want to make it worse, look towards a firewall that is not resource hungry.

Also,another important thing you can do to make your browser faster, is to clear your history and other useless data your browser stores on your computer (except temporary internet files for sites you usually access), clear your cache and also make it bigger. A bigger cache for your browser means more information stored on your computer and faster load time for your regularly accessed web sites. This is a great way to speed up your Internet connection.

2. Upgrade your computer

If you have an old computer, with a low-end processor and little memory, then your computer might be the problem, not your internet connection. Try adding some more RAM and/or a more powerful CPU. If these are old and slow, they load web-pages slowly and even more slowly if they have complex graphics.

Another upgrade to keep your mind on is your notwork card (LAN card) or Modem Card. These are also physical components, in which you plug in your Internet cables (standard telephone cable or RJ45 connectors). These cars have a maximum connection speed (check the model or the manual to find out how much). Some older models are 10/100 Mbps, and these models are slow, and if you have a faster connection, they will limit the speed to their maximum (it’s funny, just today I had a course at school about this). You should try to get a 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN card for better connections.

3. Update your softwareIt’s important to keep your computer up to date and install the latest updates for all your software (including the OS). Updates normally include bug fixes and your programs should load and run faster, so keep an eye out for updates. But remember, never keep open programs you do not necessary need. Always have installed the latest version of your browser and OS, but also for flash player, shockwave and java.

4. Do not use slow programs

Try to get a fast web browser, this is the key for web surfing. Traditionally, Internet Explorer is considered to be very slow, specially the older versions. It also consumes more resources. Try using something like Opera, Firefox or Chrome (the fastest in my opinion). And another thing, do not get too many extensions, this advice is for any browser. Try to use only the necessary add-ons or extensions, because, if you pack your browser with them they will reduce your internet speed and your browser’s overall performance.

Resource hungry anti-virus and firewalls also have an impact on your computer and browser performance, so do not aim for something your computer can’t handle. Try to get some easy to use and resource friendly programs.

5. Keep an eye out for bandwidth consumption

Firewalls, anti-viruses, OS’s and other programs that use an internet connection eat up bandwidth, so try to set them to do only manual updates and close all unnecessary ones, this will free your bandwidth a great deal and you will see the difference. But remember to update them often, if they are out of date, than your performance will drop.

On the other hand, if you have a wireless network, protect it with a strong password. If other people connect to your wireless network, then your speed will definitely drop.

6. Try changing your DNS servers

It is wise to try changing the DNS configuration of your internet connection whenever you see a sudden drop in the internet speed. Here is a list of free and fast DNS serverswhich should be handy. Well worth giving this a try. Alternatively, try flushing DNS cache which can resolve the slow internet speed issues.

Extensions & Boosters

Extensions and programs that claim to offer you faster browsing are all over the Internet. The vast majority of them do not work, they don’t do anything to speed up your internet connection. But there are a few extensions and boosters that offer some boost in your browsing speed, although not quite noticeable.

However, here are the ones who have some impact on your Internet speed:

1. Webroot

Webroot is a great tool for getting rid of adware and spyware from your computer. It scans your computer with great precision and it consumes next to no resources. I recommend this tool in parallel with NOD 32. Both of these are really resource light and and do an excellent job keeping your computer clean and fast.

2. Opera Turbo

One of the best internet boosters I have ever seen, and the best part about it is that Opera has this tool integrated in their browser. This tool speeds up your internet browser’s loading time for websites quite a lot. If there was ever a real tool for internet speed-up, Opera Turbo is that.

3. FastestWeb

An extension developed for speed. FastestWeb is exactly that. It makes life easier for you by working in the background of your browser and making it surf the internet faster. Although this is not magic potion making your browser lightning fast, it does make it a little more faster and you should notice the difference. This extension is available for both Chrome (download link) of on Firefox (download link).

Common Sense

• Do not open new windows when clicking on a link, just open them in new tabs in the same window. This will conserve resources and make your overall browsing faster.
• Do not overcrowd your browser, try to keep enabled only the extensions you need and do not open lots of tabs either. They consume memory and therefore, your browser will work harder.
• Disable flash, there are lots of flash blockers available on the web store, and they do a really good job. Flash files are usually very big, so the use of one of these tools will definitely change your browsing speed.
• Learn keyboard shortcuts for your browser, each of them have their own shortcuts, but it saves you lots of time when browsing.

If you have a slow connection or a dial-up connection, contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and think of upgrading your connection to a better one. If there is no juice left in bandwidth, then you cannot squeeze more out of it.

A Wireless USB Stick that Expands your Phone’s Storage (And a Giveaway)

What do you do when your mobile phone has limited storage and there’s no option to add an external SD card? How do you carry all your videos and documents where there’s not an iota of space left on the device? Yes, you do have cloud-based services like Dropbox or Google Drive that add virtually unlimited storage to your phone but you’ve to be connected to the Internet to access your files.

This week I’ve been testing a wireless USB stick from Sandisk that adds storage to your phones and tablets much like a regular USB drive. To get started, you plug the USB device into your laptop or desktop computer and let it charge for about an hour or two. You can also transfer the files to the stick from the computer through Windows Explorer or Finder on Mac.

Once the device is charged, you tap the little power button on the stick to turn it on. Now install the Sandisk Connect app on your mobile phone, go to WiFi settings on your phone and connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot created by the USB stick. That’s it.

The content of the USB drive can now be accessed from your mobile phone. You can stream audio and video files stored on the stick, you can browse photos, open PDF files and other documents in associated mobile apps and you can easily transfer files between the phone and the wireless drive. It is much like plugging a USB stick into your mobile phone but without the wires.

The Wi-Fi network has no security by default but you do have an option to add a password to prevent other nearby devices from connecting to the USB stick.

Unlike using cloud storage, Sandisk’s Connect USB stick requires no Internet connection (it will create a hotspot that your mobile device will connect to) and multiple devices can connect to the same USB drive over Wi-Fi. So if you are carrying an iPad and an Android phone, not only can the two devices connect to the stick simultaneously but it can be used as a temporary medium to transfer files between the iOS and Android device.

The USB stick itself is solidly built with a transparent protective casing though it is obviously heavier and looks bigger than regular USB sticks. The Sandisk mobile app does have some issues but none of them are a deal breaker. In my testing, the iPad app frequently crashed especially when reading big PDF files. The Android app would not allow me to browse the web using cellular connection while the phone was connected to USB drive over Wifi.

Sandisk Connect (Amazon, Flipkart) is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and is available in various capacities from 16GB to 128GB. If you are running out of storage space on your mobile phone and upgrading is not an option, the Connect stick is probably the easiest way to expand your phone’s existing storage.

SanDisk Connect Giveway

SanDisk India is giving away 5 units of the SanDisk Connect Wireless USB stick to @labnol readers in India. All you have to do is fill this short form to participate in the giveaway. SanDisk will announce the winners on November 30 (Monday). Good luck!

Top 10 Free Antivirus Software for Windows

After talking about premium antivirus software, now it’s time to talk about their free counterparts. You might know many of these antivirus software, but here is the list of best free antiviruses. Before we start, remember that these versions do not offer the same protection as their paid versions. They don’t have all the features of afull paid antivirus and do not do as good of a job, so I won’t compare them with those versions, but from a free antivirus perspective. If you like an antivirus and the protection it gives, support the developers and buy the product.

1. Avast! Free Antivirus

Meeting again with Avast!, but now, in spotlight is the Free Avast! Antivirus. This is, in my opinion, the best free antivirus available. In the free version, all you have to do is register (for free) once a year and you get top notch protection on your computer, emails, downloads and IMs. It has a powerful heuristics engine that allows it to find almost every virus around. The experience gathered over the years (since 1988) by its developers shows really well in Avast!

2. Panda Cloud Antivirus

I must admit that Panda antivirus does not differentiate itself from other free antivirus software in any way when it comes to protection. It offers the same level of detection from viruses, trojan, spyware, adware, worms and malware and its features are not that specific. The thing that made Panda Cloud Antivirus the second position in my list is the fact that it is, as the name suggests, Cloud based. What that means, is that when you scan your computer, it doesn’t use resources from your computer, but it operates in the cloud, keeping your computer working as normal.

3. Microsoft Security Essentials

I know Microsoft is new to the internet safety game, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t develop a great antivirus. Microsoft Security Essentials is a great antivirus, it’s incredible easy to use and it’s absolutely free! It updates automatically and, being produces by Microsoft, it actively interacts with Windows and it’s perfectly integrated in the operating system.

4. Avira AntiVir Personal Edition

Avira is another example of a really good free antivirus program that has very much to offer. Excellent protection, user friendly and it consumes next to nothing from your resources. I’ve used it for some time and must say I’m really happy with the results. It detects most threats and it works in silence in the background. It’s perfect for laptops and netbooks, but also for your own personal computer.

5. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

AVG is again on our list of best antivirus programs, this time, the free version. This antivirus works great and its top notch detection stats are impressive. If you are looking for a really good free antivirus, with cool features, like link scanner and email scanner, than you should definitely try AVG Anti-Virus, it’s one of the best.

6. Comodo Antivirus

Comodo Antivirus is a fairly good antivirus program. After making all the steps in installing it (it requires some extra steps from your usual antivirus), I saw a nice looking antivirus with a detection rate of up to 90% and a resolving percentage of 60%, but I recommend to use in parallel with another antivirus that provides more cleaning power. Its detection engine is really good, but you might think of getting another software if you want to clean your infected files.. Those numbers are what makes Comodo come on our list of best free antivirus programs.

7. Immunet Protect FREE

This is a fairly good antivirus, much like Panda Cloud Antivirus, it works in the cloud, keeping your computer working free. It offers really good protection against bots, worms, viruses, trojans, keyloggers, and spyware, so a full protection. This was a surprise, but Immunet is a really good antivirus and it has my thumbs up and recommendation for anyone who wants to try it.

8. PC Tools AntiVirus Free

PC Tools AntiVirus is one of the most basic antivirus programs you will find. It has some features, but don’t get excited. I featured it in this list because it is still better than other free antivirus software, but not by much. If you are not an avid internet browser, and more of the type that only sends emails, it will get the job done, but any more than that, I recommend something stronger.

9. Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is 9th on our list because it doesn’t run in background, so no real time protection and it cannot protect you in real time. Technically, it is not an antivirus. But, the reason it is on our list is because when you run into a problem with malware or worms, trojans and such and your top of the line antivirus can’t handle it, all you have to do is run Malwarebytes and the problem is solved. This little program can handle anything you throw at it. I recommend keeping it on a USB flash drive and when your computer crashes, try giving it a scan in safe mode with this program, it might just save you from a “format C:/”.

10. ClamWin Free Antivirus

ClamWin Free Antivirus is not the best free antivirus. Although you may know it from the Linux version (CalmAV), this is more a basic tool that you use to scan your computer. The reason ClamWin is at the bottom of the list are: no real time protection, lack of features and a little tricky to use. But, on the other side, it does make a really good detecting tool and it doesn’t use many resources.

Keep in mind, the system I tested all these antivirus programs is an Intel i5 750@ 3.5 GHz with 4 GB of DDR3 Memory. Try to find out if these powerful antivirus programs will work well on your systems, as some require lots of horsepower.

There you go, top best antivirus software around. But keep in mind, there is another antivirus that is better than all of those put together! Do not click on suspicious ads or links, do not open spam mail or add in your IM list bots or people who you don’t know. And most important of all, update your antivirus on a regular basis and don’t think just because you have an antivirus software installed you’re protected and you can do whatever you want on the web, be on the guard and help your antivirus, your in this together!