Turn off software that slows your Wi-fi
What you need: Glasswire; Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 Time required: 20 minutes
Glasswire is a free network-monitoring tool that analyses which programs use up your PC'S internet data in real time and presents this info in clear graphs. It’s a great way to identify programs that are slowing your Wi-fi connection. You can then use it to block the culprit, or uninstall it from your PC manually. This version includes Virustotal, which lets you quickly scan any suspicious items using over 60 antivirus databases. We’ll show you how to enable Virustotal and use Glasswire's most useful features.
STEP 1
To download Glasswire, go to www.glasswire.com, click the green Free Download button, then run the downloaded setup file. The program has live colourcoded graphs showing download traffic in yellow 1 and upload traffic in red. Double-click a spike in traffic to see what’s causing it. Glasswire also notifies you about certain events – for example, when a program starts using internet data for the first time. Click the New button 2 to see the program name in your PC’S notification area 3 . Here, click the Info button 4 see its version number, manufacturer, and so on. Block any item 5 you’re not sure about to speed up your Wi-fi.
STEP 2
You’ll notice that the timeline pauses if you click any item within it. To resume it, click the play icon 1 . You can take a screenshot of the program window 2 if you notice suspicious network activity. You’ll then see the option to save the screenshot on your PC, after which you can email it to someone who might be able to advise you. By default, Glasswire shows you network activity from only the past five minutes, but you can extend this duration 3 .
STEP 3
Glasswire also lets you check what programs have used the most internet data over a certain period. First choose your period of time 1 , then click Apps 2 . You’ll now see all the programs, apps and processes 3 that have consumed data during that time period. You can sort these items in ascending or descending value of data consumed by clicking the arrows 4 . To get a more detailed insight, click the Usage tab 5 . Uninstall any data hogs you no longer need.
STEP 4
By default, the Usage tab displays your data usage – broken down into apps, hosts ( IP addresses) and types of network traffic – for the previous 24 hours, but you can change it to the previous week or month using the dropdown menu 1 . You can show only apps or only traffic by clicking their tabs 2 . The graphs show incoming and outgoing traffic 3 but you can choose to show just one of these by clicking the menu icon 4 , then choosing Incoming Only or Outgoing Only.
STEP 5
One of Glasswire's latest features is the option to scan programs and files using Virustotal - the online tool that cross-checks suspicious items against over 60 antivirus databases (including those of Kaspersky, Microsoft and Avast). The feature is not enabled by default. To turn it on, click the Glasswire dropdown menu 1 , Settings, then Virustotal 2 . Here, click Unlock (which then becomes Lock) 3 , tick both boxes 4 , then click OK 5 .
STEP 6
If you're unsure about the safety of a file or program, click the Virustotal button 1 to scan it. You’ll see a green (safe) or red (unsafe) line in your notification area. If red, you should block the item 2 immediately, uninstall it and ensure its setup file is permanently deleted from the file location 3 . Press Shift+del to do that. Doing so will speed up your Wi-fi.
STEP 7
Glasswire’s Alerts tab 1 lists all the items that have used internet data on your PC. It’s a good idea to review this from time to time, checking there are no suspicious items on the list. Uninstall any that you don’t use or recognise. The Glasswire dropdown menu 2 lets you display a mini viewer 3 showing live network activity 4 . Click Settings 5 to see options to change the program’s font size, graph colours and other settings.