USI Support

Back to Support

Ready to Upgrade to 1 Gig?

Our 1 Gig internet is the most powerful in Minneapolis. Are you ready to upgrade and get the fastest speeds available? See below to make sure your hardware is ready to handle 1 Gig.

Verify that network adapters installed in your devices are Gigabit (1000 Mbps) capable.

Note: If you purchased your computer, gaming console, or other network-capable device within the last 2-3 years, they may already be equipped with Gigabit-ready network ports.

 

Windows Machines:

  1. Press Win (Start) + R on your keyboard to open “Run” command window.
  2. Type “ncpa.cpl” in the Open field, and press OK.
  3. Right-click on the network adapter icon, and choose Properties from the context menu.
  4. From the adapter Properties window, click the Configure button.
  5. Select the Advanced tab.
  6. Locate “Link Speed” or “Speed & Duplex” or “Connection Type” within the list, and select by clicking to highlight.
  7. From the Value drop-down menu, ensure there is a selection for 1 Gig Full (1000 Mbps).

 

Apple Machines:

  1. Click on the Apple icon to open the Apple menu, and select System Preferences.
  2. Find/open Network from System Preferences.
  3. Click to highlight the network adapter from the adapter column on the left, and select Advanced.
  4. From the desired network adapters Advanced properties, click on the Hardware tab.
  5. From Hardware, ensure there is a Speed selection for 1000BASE-T full-duplex.

Verify that your Ethernet cables are CAT5e or CAT6 grade cables.

Note: Look at the side of your network cables, and notice the cable type printed on them. If they are all labeled CAT5e, you are ready to go. If not, you can purchase new cables relatively inexpensively. In most cases, CAT6 cables do not provide a significant performance increase over CAT5e cables. However, if you wish to future-proof your network, you may consider using CAT6 cables.

Verify that your Router/ Switch is 1 Gigabit (1000 Mbps) capable.

Note: Even if every other part of your network is upgraded to Gigabit standard, if your router/switch are still Fast Ethernet, they will bottleneck your network. If you were provided with a router/switch from U.S. Internet, they should already be Gigabit-ready.

 

USI has tested many products and found the NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000 model wireless router to perform extremely well for high-performance wired and wireless connections. Contact our customer service if you’d like to obtain one from U.S. Internet.

 

Learn more about the NETGEAR Nighthawk R7000.

 

For a third-party website that compares WAN to LAN performance for many popular routers, visit this router comparison site.