If you're having slow internet speed, go through these steps in order to try to mitigate the issue.
At each step check your internet speed (click here) to see if it has increased/decreased/stayed the same
*remember 40 Mbps is decent.
Step 1. Close Unnecessary Tabs/ Applications
Step 2. Check Wifi Connection
a. Check if you're logged into the correct Wifi. If you are using PTS Wifi click here (if you forgot a password click here). If you're using your home router, make sure that your home network is selected.
b. Turn the router off and then back on (wait a minute or two before restarting)
Step 3. Move closer to your router:
a. If you are using WiFi, check to make sure WiFi signal is strong (easiest to connect your phone and see what the bars look like). The signal strength of the wireless will decrease the farther away you are from the router. Moving closer is a great step to boost the signal strength between your computer and the wireless network.
Step 4. Remove additional devices from the network:
a. If you have other devices connected to your wireless network, consider disconnecting them. These other devices connect and user part of your wireless's bandwidth, removing them even temporarily can increase the performance of your network. These may include smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, video streaming devices, other computers, smart home devices, etc.
Step 5. Ethernet Cable (click here)
If you have access to an ethernet cable, try attaching your computer to the ethernet cable and plugging it into your ethernet port, on the wall. If your computer does not support or have a direct Ethernet connection an adapter can be purchased to allow for this interface, such as a USB-to-Ethernet Adapter, USB-3-to-Ethernet Adapter, Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter, USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter.
Step 6. Disconnection from any VPN service:
a. If you are using any type of VPN (virtual private network) or RDP (Remote desktop) connection, disconnect from this service. By nature these system will slow your network connection due to the routing they are performing.
Step 7. Clear DNS Cache + Change Server (Only do this if you've tried all other options and still have 30 Mbps or less. Note that this is a bit more complicated and you should only do it if you feel comfortable navigating the back end of your computer).
a. Clear DNS Cache for Macs (click here) or Clear DNS Cache for PC (click here) (This will clear the history of all of the networks that you have joined)
b. Change Server (click here) (Settings could be on a certain server- try a different one! Could seem random, but try a couple of different servers) Need help finding the best server? (click here)