Waiting for downloads to finish is no fun. After all, if you've decided to save or install something you find online, you'll probably want to use or play it right away. Fortunately, there are many ways to speed up downloads, but also several pitfalls you should avoid in your quest to do so. Here we 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 easy cure for a limited web connection – and we know that many players are stuck on speeds below 2 Mbps. Your first priority is to make sure nothing else is interfering with your bandwidth. This means turning off your 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 have a difference in download time, but simply browsing the web will have a negligible effect. However, we don't recommend trying to watch a YouTube clip while you're 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 which other devices are using your web connection. If you find your downloads are taking much longer than expected, other devices and software are probably also using the web connection. 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, simply start Fing and it will automatically search for all connected devices. Click on an entry in the “Device List” to see what it is connected to. If you've used Fing before, click refresh to launch it again...... middle of paper...... it's usually best to wait until you can connect to your home broadband to don't do it. Don't exceed your phone's download limits. Unlimited data rates are usually subject to a fair usage policy, so read the fine print of your contract. You can increase your connection speed by changing the server that your phone or tablet uses to connect to the Internet. Google's own DNS (domain name server) is faster than the server your ISP uses, so switch to that instead. You will need a DNS modification application such as Set DNS (www.snipca.com/10085). Once installed, you can use Set DNS to override connecting over Wi-Fi and choose the faster Google DNS or OpenDNS instead. To use the free version of Set DNS (£2.28), you need to root the phone. However, there is also a paid version of Set DNS that allows you to override the DNS settings of your Android phone or tablet without needing to root it..