One of the most frequent pieces of feedback I get about ToffeeShare is related to transfer speed. Many users are thrilled with the fast transfers, but a handful of others sometimes struggle with slower speeds. Often, it takes a bit of troubleshooting to pinpoint the issue, and in most cases, we manage to resolve it.

If you’re experiencing slower-than-expected transfer speeds, this guide walks you through a series of steps to identify potential bottlenecks. Starting with basic tests, like simply checking your internet speed, and progressing to more advanced options, these tips should hopefully help you get the most out of ToffeeShare.

1. Always start with testing your speed with a 'speed-tester' website

There are many websites like this that give you a good insight in the maximum attainable internet speed. Personally I usually go to speedtest.net which automatically chooses a server near you to make sure the maximum attainable speed is correctly measured.

This should directly give you a good insight in where the bottleneck lies:

  • If you notice the speed is much lower than what your internet provider promises, there may be a problem on their end. In this case you can try to see if there are other people with the same provider experiencing a similar issue. Usually a quick query on Google with your ISP name and location should give you some more details.
  • Is your internet speed good, the issue may simply related to the website you're visiting. In that case you can try option #3 or #6.

2. Test on another device to see if you notice any difference

By testing the connection speed on another device you make sure to rule out that your device is the cause of the low connection speed. If the second device is much faster it could be a couple of things:

  • Your WiFi connection is just bad and you should move closer to your modem/router
  • The device has too many applications or browser tabs open leading to a reduced internet speed - Simply close the applications or reboot your device.
  • The device may be too old to attain higher internet speeds. This has only a very small likelihood but should still be considered.

3. Disable your VPN (temporarily)

I notice that more and more people get tricked into using a VPN. Personally I'm not too fond of them as they may grossly impact your internet connection speed. There may be some cases when you want to use a VPN, but in many cases it's not really useful to have one. Almost all websites use an https connection which encrypts all your communication from and to the website, so a internet provider can only really the domain name of the website you're visiting, but nothing else. Also, in Europe for instance internet service providers are not permitted to look into their customer data without actual user consent or whenever illegal activity is detected.

On a side note: ToffeeShare traffic is peer to peer, with end-to-end encryption, so using a VPN would be superfluous and only make the connection slower.

4. Using a cable is (almost) always faster

Whenever you have the option it's almost always faster to connect your device (namely PC or laptop) to the internet with an ethernet cable. Ethernet cables are much less prone to interference, and the signal no longer has to pass through walls and other objects before reaching your device. Cables generally also have much lower latency, leading to faster back and forth communication which helps with initial loading times on websites and can have a significant effect while video calling (or gaming).

5. Reset your modem/router

Using a cable is always fasters solved the majority of all the internet issues I've ever had. Simply restarting the modem or router will in many cases resolve any unexplainable connection or speed issues. If you notice that after a while the speed decreases again, you might want to try option #8.

6. Advanced: Check your modem/router for other WiFi networks nearby

If you live in a crowded area, for example an apartment building. It could very well be that neighboring network connections interfere with your WiFi network. Many routers and modem nowadays have the option to see all neighboring WiFi signals and their respective channels and give you the option select a different channel, so that the signals do no longer interfere with one another. Use for example this guide to see if you can change the channel for your network.

7. Advanced: Change your DNS server (temporarily)

Sometimes you experience some strange behaviour where some websites and tools seem to respond fast and other take ages to load (or do not load at all). If that's the case it might help to change your DNS server. A DNS server is way for your device to understand which address a domain name is linked to. You could say that it's kind of the same as using a name to look up a phone number in an old phone book. These services however may often be prone to downtime or major delays, as they are increasingly often under attack.

A safe bet would be to change your DNS server to 8.8.8.8 and as a second option 8.8.4.4. These servers are hosted by Google and are usually very fast. Just don't forget to change back your DNS settings to the default after a while. Using Google's DNS does not cause any harm, but it does give them the possibility to see which domains you are visiting which may be a privacy concern.

Here you'll find instructions on how to change your DNS settings on multiple devices and operating systems.

8. Advanced: Disable 2.4Ghz on your modem/router

Most modern routers support both 5 and 2.4Ghz with the latter being the old signal frequency. Without getting to technical the frequency is used as the carrier for the connection between your device and the modem or router. The old signal make sure internet remains compatible with older devices, but some routers also have an advanced feature that'll automatically switch a 5Ghz capable device to 2.4Ghz when the connection is bad. The reason for this is that 2.4Ghz is able to much better penetrate walls and other objects and also travels a bit further than 5Ghz.

The problem with this however is that some devices will get confused by this and get stuck in an infinite connection loop. This has a serious impact on your internet speed and may sometimes cause the connection to stop working in it's entirety. Follow the instructions for you specific router to see how you can disable 2.4Ghz completely and see if it has any positive impact. If it does not you can safely turn it back on to make use of this low signal strength feature.