The The Clark County School District is the fifth-largest school district in the U.S. with about 320,000 students.
This year, because of the pandemic, the first day of school was supposed to consist of online classes.
But the first day was nothing but anxiety and frustration for many students and parents.
Many students were unable to log on to the school software.
Instead, students login screen said they couldn’t access the website.
And the school district said it was a nationwide outage.
According to the software company, their website saw a 70% increase in usage on the first day.
But, many parents argued that the district and their software provider had plenty of time to figure this out.
In March 2020, there was a 1000% increase in the number of downloads of education-related software.
They were well aware there would be an increase in website traffic.
Clearly, the school district and its partners should have been more prepared for the added traffic on the first day of school.
But these days, if your computer is running slower than normal, it might not be due to added traffic.
The reality is, with the pandemic our computers are feeling overworked.
Many people think their computer is running slow because of increased internet traffic.
Of course, there is a lot more traffic with schools and many workers operating from home.
And internet usage has skyrocketed 70% since March 2020.
But this huge increase in internet usage may not be the reason your computer is running slow.
You see, people are on the internet all day long, whether for work, school, or entertainment (movies, gaming, etc.).
While you’re online, your computer collects a lot of data and files, which can bog it down.
And hackers have increased their activity in hopes of finding new victims through ransomware and other malware attacks…
So, here are the top three things to look for if you notice your computer is sluggish.
You are using a VPN.
Everyone should use a virtual private network (VPN). It provides a secure internet connection by hiding your IP address, which prevents websites from tracking you.
But, a VPN also has to work harder since it is rerouting all your internet through an additional server. So using a VPN can take a little more time than going without one.
To help your VPN run a little smoother, choose a server closer to your home.
For example, if you live in L.A., don’t pick a server in N.Y., instead, choose one in Las Vegas.
Also, contact your VPN provider.
Many companies offer free VPN’s, but the free ones are usually slower.
You can usually pay for a premium membership that gives you faster speeds at an affordable price.
You work or watch Netflix in bed.
Computers are also meant for use on flat, hard surfaces, such as a desk.
That’s because they have internal fans that move hot air away from the machine.
This means any type of soft surfaces (bedsheets, pillows) will block the fan, and the hot air has nowhere to go.
So, plopping your computer on the pillow next to you while you watch Netflix can cause your computer to slow down.
If you notice your computer feels like it is on fire, this means it is overheated and can’t move the hot air away.
In the short term, this can cause your computer to run slower.
But, over time this can cause your computer to shut off or crash.
So always make sure your computer is free from any type of blockage or dust, and avoid streaming movies all night in bed.
Video chat all day.
Whether it’s work, school, or visiting with family, video chat usage has skyrocketed.
The problem is video chat uses a lot of internet bandwidth.
If your computer is running slow it can cause spotty video conferencing.
This can make your business meeting less productive, not to mention it’s annoying.
To make video conferencing run a little better, consider disabling HD video.
The reduced quality is barely noticeable and will mean less bandwidth needed.
Also, when you are not speaking during your meeting turn off your microphone.
This means that your computer has one less piece of data to transmit.
Now, while it’s true that today’s computer usage is at a level we have never experienced before…
If your computer is running slow it may not be your internet connection.
It could be one of the three reasons mentioned above. If so, you now have the tools to get back up and running fast.
