When shopping for a wireless router, the first detail that you’ll most likely look for is its signal strength. Indeed, you wouldn’t want any dead spot ruining your 50-gigabyte download. The good news is many of today’s routers can easily blanket your house with Wi-Fi. They’re already so powerful and efficient that your next door neighbor could effortlessly pick up signals from your overzealous Wi-Fi distributor.

Unless your neighbors are as trustworthy as your dog, sharing wireless Internet with them may not be exactly a wise move. For one thing, having too many computers sipping through your router may slowdown your surfing speed. Some ISPs are also setting limits on monthly bandwidths, so you might end up hitting your quota in just a week if you continue to be a good Samaritan to them.

But the strongest argument against sharing Wi-Fi with neighbors is the possibility of data theft. The fact that they could access your router or wireless Internet means that they could also very possibly access your computer, too.

This doesn’t mean that you should buy routers that have weak signals. If you want to rival Starbuck’s Wi-Fi strength, then by all means buy the best router that your budget allows. Just make sure that you limit the number of persons who could have access to your personal network. You could easily do this by setting up a password for your router. Another method by which you could restrict or regulate access is by pre-defining the hardware which could access your network.

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In this age where dial-up is already extinct and 1Mbps is considered as just a trickle, one would definitely be up in arms if his Internet connection chokes or coughs up kbps phlegm. An uprising is definitely in place considering that Internet Service Providers are now promising 20-foot waves whenever you surf the Net using their surfboards.

While many ISPs are notorious for exaggerating their connection speeds, they are not actually the usual suspects when your bandwidth slims down to a needle thread. Indeed, they wouldn’t dare you into jamming their customer service phone lines by scrimping you on your broadband diet.

Surfing With Malware

Not every slow browse is caused by greedy ISPs, though. Most of the time, the problem lies in your PC. If you haven’t invested in an antivirus program or in a registry cleaner, such as RegCure, then chances are is that your Web browser is being choked by malware. Malware is considered to be one of the major causes, if not the primary cause, of slow browse. If your ISP insists that the problem is not at their end, then you could bet your modem that it is coming from yours. Fortunately for you, slow Web browsing caused by malware could easily be spiked up by simply running your antivirus and registry cleaner. Those programs easily fix slow browses in a jiffy by ridding your browser of its excess baggage.

Update Your Browser

If your PC is as clean as a sterile gauze and your ISP insists that it is providing you with tsunami waves to surf on, then your problem probably lies on your Web surfboard. Faulty browsers could definitely make Web surfing a drag. Visit Microsoft or Firefox’s Web sites and see if they already have a new version. Check for patches, too, as browsers with too many holes are susceptible to malware attacks. We all know what those malicious software could do, so be diligent in searching for updates.

Unplug Your Plug-ins

If you could still finish singing Beyonce’s latest single while waiting for a Web site to completely load up or appear on your screen, then your browser might have some problems with its plug-ins. Plug-ins are small applications that enhances programs by adding functions or features to it. Many of these programs are made for browsers. They’re definitely welcome add-ons to Internet Explorer or Firefox. However, faulty plug-ins could also slow down your browser. The best way to know if this is your slow browse culprit is by disabling your add-ons or by choosing to open a version or copy of your browser that has no cosmetics on it. You could do this in IE 7 by clicking Start • All Programs • Accessories • System Tools • Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). If you’re using firefox, just click on Tools • Add-ons, then disable the items listed as your browser’s plug-ins.

Before you call up your ISP and complain that your DSL or wireless Internet connection is acting up like a dial-up, check your bandwidth meter and see if your service provider is really the guilty party. If you don’t have one, download a copy at Cnet or PC World.

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I was browsing for something the other day when I heard my sister throw out a series of profanities on her computer. I jokingly told her that her PC might answer back. She just smirked. She then vented her anger on me and asked why is her Internet connection is so slow. I was quite surprised considering that we’re using the same DSL connection via a wireless router.

I checked her PC and ran a series of bandwidth tests. Everything seems ok. In fact, her PC seems to warp around cyberspace a lot faster than my laptop. I also explained to her that bandwidth is not usually the culprit in slow chat response time since IRCs or IMs don’t require a 1mbps connection in order to relay messages on time. In fact, even a dial-up connection would do, unless you’re having a teleconference.

Before cursing your ISP, check your connection stats first. The Web site that you’re browsing might just be having a down time, or the person you’re chatting with might have just taken a few winks.

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Before you attribute slow browsing to a virus or spyware, there are a couple of things that you have to consider first. It’s very easy to blame it all on malware. However, you might be wasting your time scanning your entire hard drive for something that may not even be there.

Your ISP may claim that it’s making a 1mbps room for you, but more often than not, their claims are not exactly a hundred percent true or accurate. There are a number of reasons why this is so. First, your ISP may actually be cheating on you. Second, your DSL cable or modem may not be of a good kind. Third, your PC or software may already be obsolete and cannot recognize the new innovations that your ISP is using in providing you with high speed Internet access.

There are many tools or software that you could easily download on the Internet in order to determine the actual bandwidth that you’re receiving from your ISP. Check www.cnet.com for one.

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There used to be a time when online viruses were just pea-sized files that could easily be downloaded (inadvertently) on your PC via the Internet even on a dial-up connection. Hackers back then were very careful in keeping the size of their creations at a minimum since anti-viruses could easily spot and shoot down large files.

Things have changed since then. Broadband Internet access has revolutionized the way we surf the Web. Downloading files are now as fast as copying them from a CD to your hard drive.

Unfortunately, this massive increase in bandwidth has also spawned a new generation of viruses. Malware authors are fully aware that many users download materials on the Internet without verifying if it’s clean or authentic. As a result, many unwanted programs easily find their way to critical system files.

In order to prevent your PCs from being a gracious virus host, make sure that your firewall is turned on. An anti-virus is also a must. Without these two, your system registry will most likely be mangled. The irritating consequence of course is a PC beset with numerous problems that slow its processes down. Arggh!

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