Waiting for downloads to finish is no fun. After all, if you decide to save or install something you find online, you'll probably want to use or play it right away. Luckily, there are many ways to speed up downloads, but also several pitfalls to avoid when trying to achieve this goal. Here we will look at how to download large files faster, no matter how slow your bandwidth is. Speed ​​up downloads on very slow broadband connections There's no simple cure for a limited web connection, and we know that many readers are stuck on speeds below 2Mbps. Your first priority is to make sure nothing else is interfering with your bandwidth. band. This means turning off email, closing instant messaging programs, and making sure no other web pages are active. If you have a fast enough broadband connection, you don't need to be so strict about turning off services. Other web-based activities will impact download time, but simple web browsing will have a negligible effect. However, we don't recommend trying to watch a YouTube clip while waiting for iPlayer to download a program you want to watch as this will dedicate a lot of your bandwidth to buffering the video. Check what other devices are using your web connection. If you find your downloads are taking much longer than expected, other devices and software are probably using your web connection too. If you have an iOS or Android device, you can use the free Fing app (www.snipca.com/10068) to identify everything on your network. To use it just launch Fing and it will automatically search for all connected devices. Click an entry in the "Device List" to see what it is connected to. If you've used Fing before, click Refresh to rescan... middle of the paper... it's usually best to wait until you can connect to your home broadband, so you don't exceed your limits. download your phone. Unlimited data rates are generally subject to a fair use policy, so read the fine print of your contract. You can increase the speed of your connection by changing the server your phone or tablet uses to connect to the Internet. Google's DNS (domain name server) is faster than the server your ISP uses, so switch to that. You'll need a DNS editing app like Set DNS (www.snipca.com/10085). Once installed, you can use Set DNS to bypass your Wi-Fi connection and choose the faster Google DNS or OpenDNS instead. To use the free version of Set DNS (£2.28) you need to root your phone. However, there is also a paid version of Set DNS that allows you to override the DNS settings for your Android phone or tablet without needing to root it.