Want to know how to make your internet faster?

If you're an Antique, Vintage or Art dealer then you'll regularly be uploading new stock to your website, to reflect your stock turnover and to keep it up to date, but if you're doing this with a slow internet connection not only can it be massively time consuming but super frustrating too!

Here are our 7 tips on how to check and improve your internet speed, so you can upload stock quicker and get onto the job of doing what you love; selling antiques.

Tip 1 - Check your speed

a) You can check how fast your internet is running by doing a free speed test, provided by a company called Ookla. To do a speed test....

• If you're using a PC or Mac, do a test at www.speedtest.net
• If you're using an iPhone or iPad, download the free app at this link - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speedtest-by-ookla/id300704847?mt=8
• If you're using an Android device, download the free app at this link - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.zwanoo.android.speedtest&hl=en_GB

b) Your internet would be deemed as running slowly if...

• The "download" speed is less than 20mb
• The "upload" speed is less than 5mb

c) As a guide...

• A "fast" internet connection would look something like this...
  • A download speed of 500mb
  • An upload speed of 50mb
• A "medium" internet connection would look something like this
  • A download speed of 100mb
  • An upload speed of 10mb
• A "slow" internet connection would look something like this
  • A download speed of 20mb
  • An upload speed of 5mb
• If your connection is running any slower than this, then it has a problem. Read on for our tips

Tip 2 - Move your wireless router

Your router is the little box that you get from whichever internet provider you use, that people often stick in a cupboard or on the corner of a room, and I know they're ugly but tucking away your wireless router is the worst thing you can do for your WiFi signal.

Think about a TV mast which broadcasts the TV and radio signal in your local city. It’ll be on the top of a hill with a clear line of sight, not in a gorge or ravine. Take London for example, they have the two towers at Crystal Palace which sit on top of a hill so they have a clear line of sight around London (you can see them if you get on the London Eye for example)

https://www.thebigtower.com

Tip 3- Plug in using an Ethernet cable if you can

• Most wireless routers will have Ethernet (network) ports on the back of them, like the four yellow sockets in the picture above.
• You can use these to plug your computer in so it uses a cable rather than wireless. So if you have a desktop computer or something like an iMac near your WiFi router, then think about using an Ethernet cable to plug your computer in rather than using the wireless as chances are you’ll get a better quality connection.
• You can purchase an Ethernet cable online, or from your local computer shop.

Tip 4 - Change provider

Is there another provider that can provide a faster internet connection? Or, can your existing provider give you a better connection than the one you currently have? Often technology moves on and internet speeds get quicker, but unless you make a point of asking your provider then they don’t always automatically upgrade you. So it’s worth checking!

If you’re in the UK you can now use Ofcom’s speed checker to see what speed is available at your postcode, and compare it with what you’re actually getting (by following our speed test advice in tip 1)

• To access the speed checker visit https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/broadband-coverage
• You can also get more advice from Ofcom’s article here:- https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/broadband-speeds-code-practice

If you’re in the USA, you can use the following coverage checkers, and check the speed available with the speed you’re currently getting (by following our speed test advice in tip 1)

• https://geoisp.com/us/
• https://broadbandnow.com/national-broadband-map
• https://www.highspeedinternet.com/providers

Tip 5 - Make sure your computer isn’t doing things it shouldn’t be

What I mean by this, is if you have a virus, malware or something else nasty on your computer then it might be doing things on the internet and slowing down your internet connection. So always make sure you have up to date antivirus and anti-spyware software not only just for internet speed but also for safety of your files and data. If in doubt speak to whoever looks after your computers for you, or take your computer to a local computer shop

Tip 6 - Make sure nobody else is using your WiFi connection

Having multiple devices accessing one wireless router is bound to slow things down a bit, so have you considered that this could be the case with your slow internet? Always make sure that -

• Your WiFi is password protected
• If it is password protected make sure it's a strong and not-easy-to-guess password

If you need to change your WiFi password please contact your internet provider

Tip 7 - Resize pictures before you upload them

If you have a slow internet connection and none of the above work, then what? Well resize your images before you upload them to make them smaller!
For example, if you take your photos using the latest camera or iPhone, chances are they’ll be about 5mb each in size. And if you have 5 pictures per product that's a lot of megabytes to upload.
So resize them before you upload them so you’re uploading less, meaning it won’t take as long to load.
 

If you're unsure how to do it, see the links below for Mac and PC image editing software to resize your images:

https://www.batchphoto.com/blog/top-10-apps-for-resizing-photos-on-mac/

https://technumero.com/resize-images-quickly-windows/

Conclusion

Of course all of our dealers love what they do, but it takes the fun out of selling Antiques when you have to wait around for a pants internet signal! We're hoping these tips came in handy and you've gotten some use out of them.

Side note: Our websites are developed to be fast loading, so why not consider taking one with us to eliminate the risk of it being your website that is slowing you down?