We all know the adage that noting is assured but death and taxes. Today we can add washing up and the frustration you feel when your home entertainment such as TV and surfing is interrupted by slow data speeds and adverts. Since we can’t help you live longer and I don’t really like washing up, let’s look at your IT speed. It won’t fend off death but faster data does mean that you’ll spend less time waiting for pages to load, files to transfer and movies to buffer. With all that time freed up, it’s like adding time to your life, which is nearly the same.
A few years ago it was also found that we, as TV viewers, waste a year of our lives surfing channels looking for something to watch. Whether that’s avoiding adverts or actively looking for something to watch foregoing the EPG and looking at what’s being broadcast in real time, that’s a lot of time that you could win back.
We’ve Reached A Point Where Shows Seem To Be Interrupting The Ad Breaks
Broadcast TV seems to have reached saturation point in terms of advertising. It certainly feels like the actual content of the show has been cut down so much that there’s a 50 – 50 split between the programme you’re trying to watch and adverts. And if the show wasn’t that good to begin with you’ve got very little incentive to keep watching.
What are your techniques for avoiding the ads?
People with good attention skills find it’s possible to read a book during the ad breaks. You get to see your shows and feel good about yourself because you’re getting some reading done too. And often as not, the book is better than the show so you can keep reading until something worth paying attention to starts happening again.
Maybe you’re not such a book fan you can, like I do, use the breaks to check on your social media. You’re killing two birds with one stone and can give thanks to the advertisers for spending so much money interrupting the action to give you a chance to tweet up to date!
Do you ever have the suspicion that all the ads come on at the same time? You’re not wrong! And if you’re the type to start surfing intending to come back when the ads are over, you’re falling into their trap! They don’t care if you watch the show or not, and by switching away you’re going to see more ads rather than fewer, you won’t see the whole ad, but you’ll see their message, and that’s enough for them.
You can always start waiting a few minutes before you start watching your favourite shows. Why not record all your shows, or at least pause them for 20 minutes when they start so you can then spin through the adverts? Depending on the handset you got with your TV decoder you can advance 30 seconds with each press of the >> button. Press it ten times when the ads come on and bingo, you’ll rejoin the action where it left off.
Block Out Ads Almost Entirely When Browsing The Web
If you watch a lot of content from YouTube or other free movie hosting sites then AdBlockPlus is a handy app which will make all your surfing more fun. Most of us never want to see the ads at the start of every clip, film or show we want to watch, and with an ad blocker you never will. It’s not only good for YouTube, Vimeo, and Daily Motion, ad blockers stop pop-ups and intrusive ads on most pages making most resources much easier to use. If you’ve ever tried to look at a story on a local paper’s website you’ll be familiar with the page failing to load or jumping all over the place as a plethora of different ads load at different speeds, videos autoplaying and ads which completely obscure the site you’re trying to view until you take action. Ad blockers put an end to all of that and make viewing the content you want to see a simple single click operation.
Once those pesky adverts have been taken care of, what other means do you have to increase speed and save time?
Incredibly banks, investment houses and stockbrokers place all their servers at the end of the room closest to the point that their internet service cable enters the building. The few metres’ difference in position might only make microseconds’ difference to the time it takes data to arrive, but if it means getting a deal which involves millions of pounds worth of stock, that time could make or break the fortunes of shareholders, pensioners and investors up and down the country.
While this time saving is extreme, getting the best cabling is still important for domestic users too. Professionally installed fibre, twisted pair and co-axial cable means getting the best quality wire for you budget. When your internet service provider first fit your cable they’ll often leave a surplus length of cable with the intention to let you move your router or modem anywhere you like. The problem lies with the extra cable being easily damaged, tripped over or pulled out of the wall. If there is a power source nearby it can cause interference which will slow down or interrupt your data supply.
Professionally Installed Fibre & Cable Is Tidy, Safer And Speedier
Professionally fitted cable will be securely and safely installed, taking into account power cables and other domestic appliances which cause magnetic fields or radio waves, causing potential disruption to the data as it comes down the wire. Professional installers will also safely secure it to the wall, or even inside the wall if circumstances and budget allow, making it safe from damage, trips, pulling and twisting.
Finally, check your internet data speed. Your provider will plaster claims of the speed that you’ll receive on their promotional materials, but these usually come with the caveat that these are the best data speeds you could get on a clear day with a stiff breeze behind it, the reality often falls far short of the providers’ claims. If you’re not happy with the results a speed check throw up get in touch with your provider. Many of the biggest providers have entered into a voluntary code since 2015 which says you must get the expected speeds, help you with any issues you have if you’re not getting full speed and allow you to exit your contract without penalty if they are unable to deliver the speed you are paying for.