How to stop internet downtime crippling your business

How to stop internet downtime crippling your business

When your internet connection goes down, your business can suffer disruption that wastes your time and hits your bottom line.

If that sounds all-too-familiar to you and your company, here are a few ways to reduce disruption caused by an unreliable internet connection.

1. Upgrade your old router

Consider upgrading your router if it’s more than five years old. Newer routers offer more reliable, stronger wireless signals, better security and faster downloads.

If you have laptops, smart phones or tablets that can operate using newer, faster wireless networking standards then make sure your router can perform at the same speed, too.

2. Check your computers for security problems

Security problems like malware and viruses can hit your internet speed by consuming your computer’s processing power and sending data across your internet connection.

Make sure you have good security software that’s working properly and gets regularly updated.

3. Reposition your router

If you rely on a wireless internet connection on your premises, where you position your router can dramatically affect the strength of the signal — and therefore the speed of your connection. Try and position it near the centre of your office, rather than leaving it in the corner by your phone socket.

If you still struggle to get a strong connection, consider getting a signal booster to improve coverage or connecting the most important devices to the router via a cable.

4. Check your contract

Some ‘unlimited internet’ packages aren’t actually unlimited. They have fair-use clauses or restrictions to ensure that one user’s heavy use doesn’t slow the service for others

If you exceed your package’s usage limit, you might be charged extra of have the speed of your connection capped. Your internet provider may also limit speeds at peak time, or slow access to sites that require a lot of bandwidth, like YouTube.

Ultimately, if your business requires a reliable, fast connection then you should consider investing in a fibre connection, if fibre is available in your area. However, these tips are a good way to make your connection more reliable without having to splash out on an upgrade.

• More ways to speed up your broadband
• Internet speed test
• Why your internet connection might be slower than you’d hoped

This is a guest post from Christian Nellemann, founder and group CEO of XLN Telecom, a specialist provider of small business broadband and phone services.