You have a very fast Internet subscription and are usually able to exploit its full potential. When it comes to download for freeHowever, things do not always go smoothly like oil: it is not uncommon, in fact, that you have to spend hours waiting for the download of this or that file which, contrary to what you expect, ends up hopelessly to proceed with the speed of a turtle!
Intending to remedy this, you have looked for some solution on the Internet and that is why you are here, on my website, with the hope that I can help you get the result you want. If this is the way it is, know that this is the guide to start with! In fact, below I will take care to explain to you how to speed up downloads on the most commonly used platforms: PCs, smartphones, tablets and consoles.
Do not worry if you are not a computer expert, as the steps that I am going to show you are easy to apply and also suitable for those who, like you, do not have much practice with the subject. So, without delaying a single second more, make yourself comfortable and carefully read everything I have to explain to you on the subject: I am sure that, at the end of reading this guide, you will be able to improve the situation at least a little. That said, there is nothing left for me to do but wish you good reading and good luck!
Index
- How to speed up downloads on PC
- How to speed up downloads on smartphones and tablets
- How to speed up downloads on PS4
How to speed up downloads on PC
Let's see together, first of all, how to speed up downloads on PC, applying a series of useful tricks in multiple areas and then acting on the individual settings of the programs involved.
General advice
Usually, the slow download speed does not depend on the software or the type of computer used, but it can be the consequence of a slow Internet connection or a network not configured at best. For this reason, before acting within any program, I feel it is my duty to give you some "tips" in order to improve the overall situation.
Firstly, if the computer in question is purely dedicated to downloading and / or streaming content, try to connect it to the Internet via Ethernet cable and not via Wi-Fi: in this way, the quality of the downloads will not be "altered" by the natural problems and limitations of wireless networks, such as lack of signal, interference on the radio channel in use, poor performance of the Wi-Fi card and so on.
Before proposing practical solutions, however, my advice is to check the actual speed of your Internet connection: after connecting the PC to the modem with an Ethernet cable (if possible), make sure that the other devices connected to the home network are not carrying out any download / upload on the connection (including streaming or online play) and, once this has been checked, perform a speed test using the well-known OOKLA Speedtest site or one of the other portals I have suggested to you in this guide.
Once you have obtained the results, if you believe that the actual connection speed does not correspond to that foreseen by your contract, do not hesitate to contact your operator (I explained to you how to call TIM, Vodafone, WINDTRE and Fastweb within my thematic tutorials) and to ask for clarification on the matter.
However, I would like to point out that speed tests like that of OOKLA have no legal value: in El Paese, the only officially recognized speed test is the Ne.Me.Sys software. by AGCOM, which I told you about in detail in this tutorial.
Once you have ascertained that your Internet connection is working properly, you can put into practice some "tips" to try to further optimize the download speed.
As mentioned earlier, try to favor the connection wired to wireless and make sure you are using an Ethernet cable of good quality and high category (at least one CAT6) which, in terms of data traffic, can really make a difference.
Vedi offers your AmazonAlternatively, if your computer is too far from the router, you can consider purchasing a pair of Powerline adapters, which are devices that plug into the electrical outlet and router and are able to transmit the network signal through the electrical network.
For this solution to be applicable, however, it is essential that the electrical system is in good condition and that the room where the router resides and the room where the computer is located refer to the same meter. To configure a pair of Powerline, simply connect the main adapter to the router (via cable) and the secondary one to the computer on which to have the connection (via cable or, if it is a Wi-Fi adapter, even wirelessly) : For more details, you can refer to my tutorial on how the Powerline works.
If you really are forced to use the Wi-Fi, you can still try to speed up the Internet connection by adjusting the network parameters: first, make sure you are using a radio channel relatively free and not "dense" of connected devices (1, 6 o 11, as regards 2.4GHz networks or any channel for 5GHz networks): this operation, which I told you about in my guide on how to change the Wi-Fi channel, must be carried out from the management panel of the router.
If your PC is particularly far from the router, you can try to move it and bring it closer or, if this is not possible, you can buy repeaters able to amplify the signal and, in fact, extend the reach of the network: I told you about it in detail in my dedicated buying guide.
Vedi offers your AmazonIt is not necessary, however, change DNS servers in use, at least not in this context: although they can speed up Internet browsing and speed up the "resolution" time of web addresses, they have no positive effect on the speed of downloads since, to download a file, it is sufficient to resolve the 'address of the server on which it is located only once.
After applying these precautions, check that the download speed from the software you prefer has actually increased and, if you still do not have satisfactory results, follow the instructions that I am about to give you in the following sections of this chapter. If, on the other hand, you need to improve the quality of the streaming, I suggest you take a look at my guide dedicated to this topic.
How to speed up Chrome downloads
Google Chrome already has a integrated manager able to organize the data download bandwidth: for this reason, the use of third-party software or extensions aimed at this type of optimization is rather superfluous.
However, to make sure that the files are downloaded at the fastest available speed, I recommend that you always use the closest mirror to your location: if, for example, a website allows you to download files from a server located in the United States, one located in Russia and the other in Europe and you are in El country, choose the last choice. Also, if you can, choose to download from HTTP / HTTPS, in place of FTP: the latter protocol, in fact, may not always be managed optimally.
Finally, if the poor quality of the downloads depends neither on the Internet connection nor on the sites used but on a general slowness of the browser, I recommend that you delete all unnecessary extensions, delete cache and temporary files or, in extreme cases, of return the browser to its initial settings. To learn more, feel free to check out my guide on how to speed up Chrome.
How to speed up downloads on uTorrent
If you're interested speed up downloads on uTorrent, there are two fundamental operations to perform: open the door of the router dedicated to the incoming connections of the program and correctly set the options related to the management of the band.
So first, locate the port to open on the router: if you use uTorrent for Windows, go to the menu Options> Settings located at the top, select the item Connection located on the left side of the window that opens and take note of the port used for incoming connections. On MacOS, you can get the incoming TCP port used by the program by going to the menu uTorrent> Preferences located in the upper left part of the menu bar and selecting the tab Network.
Once you have identified the door to open, make a note of thelocal / private IP address computer (if you do not know how to proceed, follow the instructions I have given you in this guide) and access the router management panel, typing the IP address of the latter in the address bar of the browser. If prompted, run the login indicating the required credentials.
If you've never logged into your router before, try the combinations admin / admin o admin / password; if these are not correct, I suggest you read my guide on how to see the modem and router password, to try to recover them quickly.
Once logged in, go to the section of the management panel dedicated to LAN network configuration, then move to the area forport forwarding, start creating a new one rule and set as public / local port o initial / final the port used by uTorrent, and how server address the IP of your computer. For more information about it, I refer you to reading my tutorial on how to open the doors of uTorrent.
Once this is done, you need to set the client to make the best use of your connection: if you use Windows, you can take advantage of the automatic optimization function accessible from the menu Options> Setup Wizard (up). In the window that opens, check the boxes Band, Network e Automatic port mapping, select a location near you from the drop-down menu at the top and click on the button Start testing to proceed with the connection test and automatic software configuration. For all the relevant insights, take a look at my guide on how to speed up uTorrent.
If you use a Mac, unfortunately you cannot use the automatic connection optimization function, so you have to perform a connection speed test and manually set optimized parameters in the software settings. In reality, nobody forbids you to do the same thing on Windows too, but the automatic procedure described above is undoubtedly more convenient there.
In any case, to proceed, close all active programs on your computer, make sure that other devices on the network are not carrying out download / upload operations and perform a speed test, using one of the tools that I have listed in this guide.
When finished, write down the values of download for free e upload received, access the menu uTorrent> Preferences> Band uTorrent for macOS or to the menu Options> Settings> Band of uTorrent for Windows and, after removing the check mark for the automatic bandwidth management, fill in the fields proposed as follows.
- Max speed download: must be equal to 90% the download speed obtained from the test.
- Max speed upload: must be equal to '80% the upload speed obtained from the test.
- Num max. of active downloads / torrents: set the value 4 or 5.
- Num max. of peers connected by torrent: set a value equal to 1.4 * the maximum upload speed.
- Max number global connections: set a value equal to 400 for connections up to 10 Mbps e 800 for those of 20 Mbps and up.
Finally, press the button for save the changes applied and restart the program: in most cases, the results should be visible immediately.
How to speed up your downloads on Steam
In addition to applying the Internet enhancements I told you about in the opening section of this chapter, there are some client settings for Steam (Valve's famous digital distribution service for games) on which it is possible to act, in such a way as to improve the performance of the downloads and the gaming experience.
To begin, launch the game client, log in to your account if necessary, then click on the menu Steam located at the top and then on the item Settings, which resides within it. Now, get to the section Download, by clicking on the homonymous entry located in the left sidebar, and make sure that the download region is the closest one available for the position you are in; otherwise choose another one, using the appropriate drop-down menu.
Next, locate the tile Restrictions on downloads and make sure the box corresponding to the item Limit the band to is not selected. Finally, if it is your intention to prevent Steam from downloading data while playing streaming, remove the check mark from the box next to the item Allow downloads while in game and instead check the resident box next to the wording Limit the speed of downloads when streaming.
Finally, if you prefer game updates to be downloaded only at a certain time of day (even in the background, if the program is running), put the check mark next to the wording Automatically update games only between and use the fields located immediately below to define the time interval you prefer.
Once the necessary changes have been applied, click on the button OK placed at the bottom, to make them effective.
How to speed up Epic Games downloads
The launcher of epic Games provides for the possibility of intervening, albeit in a limited way, on the download options: in this case, it is sufficient to verify that no bandwidth limits have been applied, even unintentionally.
To do this, start the game software, log into your account (if necessary) and click on thegear located at the bottom right, to open the client settings. Finally, locate the box Pref Renze and make sure that the box corresponding to the item Manage download speed is not selected; otherwise you will remove the check mark from it.
How to speed up downloads on smartphones and tablets
Downloading data through the smartphone or tablets happens in a slow and tiring way and this prevents you from enjoying the content you prefer to the fullest, forcing you to face interruptions and delays caused by the so-called "buffering"? In this regard, there are some steps you can take to try to improve the situation.
- Check the signal strength your phone / tablet's Internet network and, if necessary, place yourself in a place that offers a better view. For data download and streaming, however, always try to prefer the Wi-Fi network.
- Check that your device is configured to use the faster data network among those available (e.g. 4G / LTE or 5G). To do this, go to the menu Settings> Mobile network> Mobile data> Preferred network mode di Android, or to the menu Settings> Cellular> Cellular Data Options> Voice and Data di iPhone / iPad.
- Disable any VPNs, if you can. While they are very useful for securing your connection and / or disguising your IP address, VPNs can significantly increase latency (or ping) and negatively affect data download speeds. To check whether or not there are active VPNs, go to the menu Settings> Network and Internet> Advanced> VPN di Android or Settings> General> VPN di iOS / iPadOS.
If you are interested in learning more about the issues seen in this section, or if you want some more advice on how to improve downloads on smartphones and tablets, I refer you to reading the thematic guides on my blog: how to speed up the Internet on Android and how to speed up the Internet on iPhone,
How to speed up downloads on PS4
As for the improvement of the data download on PS4, you can follow roughly the same general indications that I gave you in the chapter of this tutorial dedicated to the computer: strengthening the Wi-Fi or using the Ethernet connection (also with the help of Powerline adapters).
In this regard, if you have the possibility, prefer one wired connection to Wi-Fi, since, despite the improvements that have taken place with modern wireless standards, the Ethernet connection is always the least “subject” to interference and able to guarantee greater stability.
So, after connecting the appropriate cable to both the PS4 and the router, reach the menu Setup> Network> Configure Internet Connection console and choose options Use a network (LAN) cable e Typical.
Also, I recommend that you set up your PlayStation 4 to download in rest mode: this preference, although it does not improve the download quality "directly", allows you to use the downtime of the PS4 to download the necessary material from the Internet.
To apply this approach, head to the menu Settings> Power Saving Settings> Set the functions available in sleep mode and make sure the box Stay connected to the internet is ticked; if you do not know how to set the PS4 in rest mode, I refer you to reading this guide of mine.
If you are interested in learning more about all the issues seen in this section, or if you need further clarification regarding the improvement of downloads and ping on the PS4 console, I invite you to read my specific guides on the subject, full of clarifications and useful advice.
