Slow internet is one of the reasons we suffer from a headache. Encountering buffers because of slow internet during your favorite TV shows might make you want to crash your computer or router into the wall. But don’t worry there are things you can do to make it go faster. And these things don’t include techy solutions that not all of us understand, neither does it include expensive solutions. We collected an easy and cheap guide to make your internet connection faster.

Buckle up, since your internet is going to get faster.

Your router wants you closer

The same as we people feel a stronger connection to others when they are physically close to us, the same is with your WiFi router – he wants you near. If the signal of the router can’t reach you (and it won’t if you put it in the farthest corner of your house) you internet connection will suffer a lot. So put the router in a place where you hangout the most. If you need the internet for some entertainment while you chilling on your couch, put it next to the couch. We you like working from your home, put it there where you usually sit while working, just keep it close.

Sometimes you need to give it a break

This hack works every time with all devices: just turn it off and on. Sounds silly, but it actually solves a lot. Now talking seriously, you need to give your device a break and refresh it. And if you experience very serious speed issues you should even consider restarting it every day. Resetting your modem or router stimulates its connection to ISP and should make it work faster.

Get more data

You might now even know you have a data cap on your internet plan since ISP’s don’t advertise it, but you can check it in your monthly bill. Data Cap means that if you reach a certain amount of data used, the ISPs starts limiting your internet connection and reducing your internet speeds. If you do find out you have a data cap just talk to your ISP and ask for a plan with more data.

Get a VPN

VPN can be useful in two ways that deals with faster Internet connection: it can block ads and bypass ISP throttling.

Let’s talk about ads first. Even if you don’t mind seeing ads everywhere you go, your internet connection does, since the ads are slowing it down. What you can do is use an adblocker or use a VPN which has a built in adblocker, which will block ads and increase your internet speed.

If you get a VPN you will also be able to bypass ISP throttling. What does throttling mean? It is when your Internet Service Provider tries to limit certain traffic, for example it might limit data sharing or video streaming which requires a lot of data. It can even restrict whole domains. A VPN can help you bypass this throttling with their obfuscated servers, which makes you invisible online. And of course anonymous from your ISP.

Our top 3 recommended VPNs:

Surfshark ($1.99/month) – a fast VPN service that gives so much for very little: strong encryption, unlimited devices, etc. You can also use the dedicated coupon code “SHARKGEEK” to get the deal.

NordVPN ($3.71/month) – the best VPN out there that will make it easy for anyone to bypass region blocks, stream favorite TV shows and also stay secure and private while doing so. You can use the coupon code “TIPSFROMGEEKS” at the checkout to grab the best deal.

Perfect Privacy ($8.95/month) – Perfect Privacy offers a good and high-quality service but it’s pretty expensive compared to most other VPN service providers.

Get that antivirus software

It is always recommended having an antivirus and malware scanning software on your computer. Any viruses or malware hiding in your computer will cause major problems on your internet speed. Set your software running automatically and always looking for viruses and malware, if they find some help from computer technicians.

Get rid of cache

Everywhere you go, every page you visit your browser collects pieces of your data most often in the form of cookies and uses it for marketing. So if you see some ad following you around it is because of cache. Obviously these caches can result in slower internet. You can clear all your cache simply on your browser (settings -> advanced -> clear browsing history) or you can use such tools as Clear Cache browser extension which will clear all the cache with just one click. Make it into a habit, and increase your internet speed by at least a little bit.