If you’re an Xbox One or PC gamer, you will definitely notice how slow PlayStation 4 is when it comes to downloads. This is due to a flaw in how its console communicates with the PlayStation Network.
So, if you’re using a PS4 or planning to buy one, you should expect that downloads in it are slow. But, don’t worry because you can speed up the downloads in it by simply following some tips below.
Quick Tips to Speed Up Downloads
These tips don’t only apply on PlayStation 4, it applies on almost all gaming device. When too many devices are connected on your internet, its bandwidth is shared on all of them. So, when you’re streaming Netflix in 4K or downloading some files on your laptop, downloads on other devices will become slow.
Pause other streams and downloads so you can get maximum internet speed. This way, your PS4 can consume all the bandwidth of the internet connection.
If some PS4 downloads are in queue, it can also slow down the downloading process. Your console still has to share the bandwidth on all queued downloads, so if you want to download a certain game faster, you should pause other downloads first.
Downloading in the background while playing online games can also slow your PS4 downloads. Actually, it will drastically make the downloads slow. Other than that, the download itself can have a negative impact on how you’re playing – you will experience either connection problems, lag spikes, or both. So, just let the downloads finish first before playing.
Kill Running Apps
Killing any running apps or processes is one of the quickest ways to increase the download speed on any device. This is an effective way and you can easily kill any running apps in no time. Here’s how:
1. Press and hold the PlayStation (PS) button on the controller. Hold it until a menu appears on the screen. Make sure that your PS4 is running.
2. Highlight the “Close Application(s)” option and tap the X button.
Pause and Resume Downloads
Another trick to speed up downloads is to pause the download first, then resume the downloading process again. If you think that your PS4 is dragging a new game download or a large update, this tip can help you speed it up.
You have to access the download queue to do this. You’ll see it under Notifications.
1. Press the Playstation (PS) button one time to access the dashboard of PS4.
2. To highlight Notifications, tap the “Up” cursor on the left joystick or d-pad. Then, tap the X button.
3. The “Downloads” option will appear on the list. Highlight this option and tap the X button.
4. Highlight the item you are currently downloading then tap the X button. After that, choose the “Pause” option.
5. Tap the X button again on the download you’ve highlighted. Then select the “Resume” option.
Wait for a few moments until your download resumes again. The downloading process should be quicker this time and the estimated download time that is displayed will be shorter. If the downloading speed becomes slow again, you can repeat the steps above.
Put PlayStation 4 in Rest Mode
If you’re not using your PS4 and you have some spare time, try to put your device on Rest Mode to improve download speed. Before enabling Rest Mode, you should close all applications first, as we have mentioned earlier.
Also, enable the background internet access before putting the PS4 on Rest mode so that it continues to download while the device is on standby. Go to the Settings menu of your PS4 and look for the “Power Saving Settings” option. Then, tap the X button. After that, select the “Set Features Available on Rest Mode” option and enable the “Stay Connected to the Internet” option afterward.
You can now put PS4 on Rest Mode. Just hold the PS button and look for the “Power” option. Then, choose the “Enter Rest Mode” option under it. To see the progress of your download, you have to turn on the PS4 again.
Use a Wired Connection
A wireless connection is prone to interference. Other than that, it’s a little slow compared to a wired connection. You cannot control the weather or the wireless channel of your neighbor even if you already have a modern router. So, if you want to have a more stable internet connection to speed up your downloads, don’t use the wireless network and use the Ethernet instead.
Doing this will improve the performance of your PlayStation Pro and Slim hardware revisions, not just the original PS4. This is an easy fix, especially if your router is just placed near your console. All PS4 models have an Ethernet port on the back. Look for it and connect one end of your Ethernet cable to it. Then, the other end should be connected to the Ethernet port of your router.
On the other hand, if your router and console are not close to each other, let’s say they are in different rooms, you can use an Ethernet powerline adapter. This will allow you to use the cables that are installed on your walls already.
If you still want to use a wireless connection, you should use 5GHz. You should also run a wireless scan so you can identify what is the best channel to use. This can also help you avoid any interference that can slow down the downloads.
Set up a Proxy Server
A lot of people say that setting up a proxy server solved their download issues. A server proxy is like an internet gateway, which is most commonly found on a corporate network.
It is possible to increase the speed of your downloading process by getting a PC on your local network to do the heavy lifting. This is effective, especially for early models of PlayStation 4. All you have to do is download a proxy server and run it on your local machine. CCProxy can be used by Windows users. For Mac users, on the other hand, they can download the free app called Squidman and use it as their proxy.
Configure CCProxy for Windows
You have to get two bits of information to configure your console to use the CCProxy – the port number and the proxy address.
Open CCProxy and click “Options”. Then go to the “HTTP/RTSP” for the port number and “Local IP Address” option for the proxy address.
Configure SquidMan for Mac
Hold the Options key. Then, click the Network icon located at the upper-right corner of your screen. Open the Squidman app and go to Squidman and choose Preferences located at the upper part of the screen. Remember the HTTP Port under the General option. Click the Clients tab afterward.
You have to add IP addresses that can be used by the proxy you’ve installed. Click New and type “192.168.0.0/24” if your IP address on the previous step looks like ”192.168.0.X”, so it can be enabled for the entire range. You can also type “10.0.0.0/16” if your IP address looks like “10.0.0.X” so the whole range can be enabled.
Then, click the Save button and select the Stop Squid option to stop the proxy server. To start the server again, click the Start Squid option. You can now configure your console.
1. Choose the Settings option on the menu. Look for the Network option and tap the X button.
2. Highlight the Set Up Internet Connection option. Tap the X button afterward.
3. Based on your current setup, choose between the options Use A LAN Cable or Use Wi-Fi.
4. Choose the Custom option and tap the X button when you’re asked how you want to set up your connection.
5. Select your WiFi network. You will be prompted to insert your WiFi password. Type it in.
6. Choose the Automatic option for IP Address Settings. Then, tap the X button.
7. Select the Do Not Specify option for DHCP Host Name. Then, tap the X button.
8. Choose the Automatic option, for DNS Settings. Then tap the X button.
9. Also, choose the Automatic option, for MTU Settings. Then, tap the X button.
10. Select the Use option for Proxy Server. Tap the X button afterward.
11. Then, put the port number and proxy address for your server. Highlight the Next option and tap the X button.
12. Once done, select the Text Internet Connection option and tap the X button afterward. Wait for a couple of minutes until the whole process is complete.
You should remember that in order to access the internet, your PS4 should use this proxy. Your PS4 won’t be able to connect to the internet if your proxy’s IP address changes. If you’re just browsing the PlayStation store, playing online games, or streaming movies, you don’t have to run a proxy server.
You can also undo the changes you’ve made if you don’t want to rely on the proxy server all the time. In other words, you should set up the internet connection of your PS4 again and select the Do Not Use option when required for a proxy server.
Change DNS Servers
Here’s how you can change which DNS servers are used by your PS4.
1. Choose the Settings option on the menu. Look for the Network option and tap the X button.
2. Highlight the Set Up Internet Connection option. Tap the X button afterward.
3. Based on your current setup, choose between the options Use A LAN Cable or Use Wi-Fi.
4. Choose the Custom option and tap the X button when you’re asked how you want to set up your connection.
5. Select your WiFi network. You will be prompted to insert your WiFi password. Type it in.
6. Choose the Automatic option for IP Address Settings. Then, tap the X button.
7. Select the Do Not Specify option for DHCP Host Name. Then, tap the X button.
8. Choose the Manual option, for DNS Settings. Then tap the X button.
9. Add two DNS servers. Choose one under the Primary DNS field and one under the Secondary DNS field. Choose the Next option and tao the X button.
10. Also, choose the Automatic option, for MTU Settings. Then, tap the X button.
11. Select the Do Not Use the option for Proxy Server. Tap the X button afterward.
12. Once done, select the Text Internet Connection option and tap the X button afterward. Wait for a couple of minutes until the whole process is complete.
