Improve your internet speed for Windows 10 devices

One of the big changes in Windows 10 is the way the windows updates are received.

Here are 2 tips how to help you gain some control back...

 

Peer-to-Peer downloads from Windows Update is by default ON

What can be a real performance killer for your internet connection is the fact that Windows 10 by default is setting your computer to share your Windows Updates via a peer-to-peer (P2P) system. Your computer will download available updates and simultaneously share them to other users, potentially using up all your up and download bandwidth. You can control whether peer-to-peer downloads are enabled from the "Choose how updates are delivered" link under "Advanced options" here.

If you have multiple Windows 10 computers in your home network you will have benefit from leaving the setting to "PCs on my local network".

Windows 10 Updates

 

Use the option Metered Connection on your Wi-Fi connection

On the home editions you have no choice, the updates are simply downloaded and installed the moment they come out.
On the Pro editions you have the option to delay them.

These Windows Updates can be very big, and slow your internet down, or use up your data. There is a trick to prevent the updates from downloading, and that is to tell Windows 10 that you are on a metered connection.
When the metered connection is set to "ON" the Windows Update are not downloaded, not just a way to control your bandwidth usage but also to control when the updates have to be downloaded.
Unfortunately this only works on Wi-Fi connections, not when you connect with a LAN cable.
You can find this in open the Settings app and select "Network & Internet".
Scroll down in the list of Wi-Fi networks and select "Advanced options".
Activate the "Set as metered connection" option here.

Note that this only affects the current Wi-Fi network you’re connected to, but Windows will remember the setting for this specific network in the future.

Windows 10 Metered Connection

 

Use "Data Usage" to find out which program is using the internet.

In Windows 10 is a build in Data usage monitor. It tells youthe total amount of data used over your LAN and Wi-Fi connection. And even some detail on which application is been responsible for it. A great help if you want to find out how much data you are using on your internet connection. It can help you to detect spyware and background routines slowing down your internet conection. It is not perfect, it does not detect 100% of the data traffic and it can not be Reset, it simply gives you the last 30 days, but a welcome tool to troubleshoot you internet.
Navigate to Settings -> Network & Internet. Select the top item on the left hand navigation pane “Data usage”.
Here you’ll see a general overview of the last 30 days. The circle will show you data used over different connections Etherne and Wi-Fi.

For more details of the usage per application, click on the small link under the the graph labeled “Usage details”.

data usage

 

 

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