Over the years, I’ve done a lot of moving about in Los Angeles and dealt with a lot of different online problems. From online dropping when I need it most, to dealing with slow speeds, I wanted to find a way to increase my connection speeds and consistency, no matter which zip script I call home. &nbsp,

I’ve lived in everything from a Edison box material tower in downtown LA to a Santa Monica beachside house with an exclusive contract tied to a slow internet supplier. At my current residence in Hollywood, I feel lucky, at least I do. No shaky building materials are present, and I may pick my internet service provider. And it’s quite good, I don’t have many complaints.

However, the majority of my LA friends and family have negative internet, which is crazy because you’d expect a city like LA to have high-quality, easily accessible internet all over, not just in some areas. And I can just imagine what smaller communities across the US deal with regarding Companies.

Despite how shaky it may be, I’ve managed to accumulate a toolbox of free ways to use the computer to its fullest potential. Although there are options for fixing the issue, such as adding a Wi-Fi extension, the majority of these options don’t require you to invest any, which is always a good place to start.

These are my computer speed-improving tips you can use before you move, straight after you move or where you live right today– and you can do it for free or for very much cash.

What I Found by Testing Internet Connections at Home: Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: What I Learned

Improve your internet company before you move.

First of all, thanks if you’re moving somewhere fresh. Next, guilty. Even if you have good planning ( ask me about my main shift in 2023 ), moving is a pain in the butt. There will still be things that don’t go as planned, and you can start packing your containers weeks in advance, make a list for changing your address, and employ movers.

An often overlooked element of moving is considering internet service providers, particularly when you’re evaluating areas. Many of us don’t offer ISPs much thought until we’ve really signed the lease/mortgage and moved, in contrast to square footage, the number of rooms, or local institutions.

1. Ask questions second

Do your online research and speak with the salesperson or landlord before visiting a new location. Question your potential neighbors about the nearby online choices, whether they are cheap, quick, and trustworthy. Check to see if they have solutions or techniques they use to boost their web.

2. Use online resources

You can also check out any site with your state’s bandwidth map site, if it has one, to see all of your computer choices. The California Interactive Broadband Map is available in California. You can screen for ISPs based on your location so that only fixed bandwidth and mobile options are displayed when you enter an handle. Some websites include posted upload and download velocity, but beware that charts may not be up-to-date. Although they don’t display testimonials for local ISPs, websites like this do a good job of presenting a good picture of the options available to you.

CNET has a complete list of all the top online support providers&nbsp, across the nation, if you want more of our advice. Each tale is broken down by state, city, or city, with comparisons and educational reviews to help you choose the best local ISP.

Check out: My Month With AT&amp, T Internet Air: How Did It Fare?

3. Investigate the construction components used in your home.

Another thing to do before you move is to verify the building elements of your future home. To attach your various products to the internet at home, modems send over-the-air radio waves. However, these signals may be impacted by the materials you use ( as I did in my previous concrete-and-brick loft apartment ). &nbsp,

Even though your internet connection is fast and reliable, your actual residence may interfere with your message and impede your communication in your home. This is because Wi-Fi signals have an especially difficult moment penetrating materials like steel, masonry, and masonry. Common building materials like plywood, drywall, and glass don’t have as much of an impact on your Wi-Fi signal as those that are denser. &nbsp,

Improve your internet service right away after moving.

You’ve just moved into your new place, and now it’s time to pick an ISP. If you don’t know your area’s options, use websites like ours or the FCC National Broadband Map&nbsp, to see which ISPs are available. Similar data can be viewed by logging into the websites of AT&amp, T, Spectrum, or Xfinity for your new address.

4. Get to know what speed you actually need

Start with your estimated requirements before choosing an ISP. That’ll give you a quick overview of how fast internet is, how much internet you use, upload versus download speeds, data caps, and more.

Don’t miss: My T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Experience: What Works and What I Wish Was Better

Unfortunately, you might still encounter issues with connection strength and speed after installation and once you begin using the new service.

5. Try it out before you fully commit

Most ISPs, including&nbsp, Spectrum, &nbsp, Verizon, &nbsp, Cox&nbsp, and others, provide a 30-day money-back guarantee. This typically means you can end your internet service within 30 days and receive a full refund without having to pay an early termination fee ( aside from any installation or restocking costs ). Other ISPs, like&nbsp, AT&amp, T&nbsp, ( 2 weeks ), have different refund guarantee policies or none at all ( Frontier ).

I took advantage of this to try out three ISP services in my new home. The three providers ‘ promised speeds differed after the service was connected.

6. Don’t rent a router from your provider

Use your ISP’s equipment instead of theirs, which is another way to speed up internet speeds. Use their modem instead. It’s convenient to rent a router from your ISP, but it can add up to being more expensive over time. Additionally, there are only so many options for routers, so renting one may not be the best one for your home. &nbsp,

It can be frustrating to realize that your ISP-provided router can’t even provide you with higher speeds. Make sure you’re using the appropriate cables when connecting your modem to your router and router to your devices, as older Cat5 cables may not support your faster speeds. ( Cat6e and newer generally support consumer internet speeds. )

Read more: Should a Router Be Purchased or Released? The incorrect choice resulted in nearly$ 1K in lost income.

Get better internet service at your current home

Maybe you’re not moving and have had a bad experience with the internet at your current home for some time. You can still increase your internet speed no matter how long you’ve lived there.

I want to stick to the theme of not spending money to get faster internet speeds, but you might have to consider paying more if you have slow internet at your long-term residence.

7. Observe the others

The one relatively cheap thing you can do is look into your internet service contract and see if you can cancel early without any early termination fees. Then, you can experiment with different ISPs that might work better.

8. Upgrade your equipment

However, upgrading your router is one of the simplest ways to increase your speeds if you’re tied to a contract or want to make your current ISP work. Yes, it costs money, but it can be a solution to your internet issues because it is a one-time purchase, not a monthly plan. &nbsp,

I’ve had a Netgear Nighthawk R66700 router for a while, which is regarded as a generally good brand. Despite having a high-speed plan, I wasn’t experiencing great speeds at home. &nbsp,

I made the decision to switch my home setup to a mesh router system ( more specifically, the Eero 6 Plus ), after consulting with a few CNET colleagues. In larger homes or those with dead zones, which is a problem in my current apartment, this system offers more reliable Wi-Fi coverage than the average single-unit router.

Depending on the mesh router system, several routers are placed around your home, and they all work as a single unit, keeping you connected no matter what room you’re in. Although building a mesh network is expensive, there are still options like Google’s Nest WiFi and Netgear’s Orbi AC1200.

Don’t miss: I’ve Used 5G Home Internet for Years and I’ve Found It Closes the Gap With Cable.

I know that Wi-Fi extenders might seem like the answer for getting better speeds in your home, especially because they’re pretty inexpensive, but extenders don’t perform as well as mesh networks, and they don’t typically work as a cohesive unit across your home.

Unfortunately, a mesh network won’t work as a miracle solution for everyone because, as I previously mentioned, each home has its own particular issues. A broken Ethernet cable or a firmware update for your modem could do the trick. It could even be as simple as restarting your router. That occasionally works, we all are aware of.

The best way to test your setup’s weak point is to run a speed test, connect to various devices, use Wi-Fi close to your router, and reboot your various internet devices, all for free.

Of course, it’s possible that you run through all these suggestions and find that none will fix your particular situation. Although unfortunate, there is always the last resort, increasing your service level and paying more to speed up internet. &nbsp,

Which is, for better or worse, a modern necessity.

Read more: Two Technicians Talk About the 5 Worst Places to Place Your Router in