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How to double the speed of your home internet connection in 60 seconds

Updated Nov 22nd, 2019 4:29AM EST
BGR

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How much do you pay for home internet service? $30 a month? $50 each month? Maybe even $75 per month or more, depending on your internet service provider and which speed option you choose. And if you’ve cut the cord and ditched your cable TV service, you have to pay even more each month for home internet because you don’t get the “promotional” rates included in ISPs’ infamous double play or triple play packages.

I pay Time Warner Cable a preposterous $90 per month after taxes and fees for home internet service alone. No TV and no home phone service… just internet. Seeing that kind of money leave your account each month is painful enough without the added distress of knowing that the actual speeds you experience when you connect wirelessly are nowhere near the max speed you pay for. But don’t worry, because we’re here to help.

Even if you’re standing right on top of your wireless router while using your smartphone, smart TV, tablet, laptop or desktop PC, you’ll never see speeds as fast as you would with a wireless connection unless you’ve got a pricey professional-grade router. And if you’re on the other side of your house connecting to Wi-Fi, the speeds you actually experience might only by 60%, 50% or even less than the maximum speeds you should be getting.

If you’re on a smartphone checking Facebook, the slower speeds aren’t really a big deal. But when it comes to your computers or to streaming movies and TV shows to your smart TV, you want every single megabit-per-second that you paid for. That’s only going to happen if you use a wired connection, but not everyone wants to install ethernet in their homes since it’s a huge hassle.

Forget ethernet — the TP-LINK AV2000 Powerline Adapter Kit will give you wired internet speeds of up to 2,000Mbps and there’s absolutely nothing to install. Plug one box into your regular power outlet near your router and then plug the second box into a power outlet near your computer or smart TV. Then connect your devices using standard ethernet cable and you’re done.

The TP-LINK AV2000 Powerline Adapter Kit is the best-selling new release in the Powerline Computer Network Adapters section on Amazon, but not everyone wants to spend $99.95. If you don’t need speeds quite that fast, there’s also a TP-LINK AV500 model that supports up to 500Mbps for just $44.95. That’s more than fast enough for most people.

Maren Estrada Deals Editor

Maren Estrada has been the Editor of BGR Deals since it launched in 2013. She has more than 20 years of experience testing more than 1,500 products, and reviewing a wide range of consumer electronics including mobile devices, smart home products, computers, and home appliances.

Previously, she was a leading consultant specializing in copywriting, product development, and new product launches.