How to speed up your 3G connection

Slow data speeds is something everybody wants to improve. Staring at the rotating wheel of a loading video is a frustratingly frequent appearance. However, help is at hand thanks to hack discovered by a member of the XDA forums, bahathir. Keep reading to find out how you can speed up your 3G speeds and improve your internet connection.

Your phone's data speed is about to hit 88 miles per hour thanks to this handy tip. / © Speedtest.net

Warning: Though the procedures we describe here have been checked to ensure your device's safety, any operation which involves rooting a device can potentially cause problems.AndroidPIT.com is not responsible for any damage which may be inadvertantly caused to your device, and please back up all of your data before proceeding.

What does speeding up my 3G data involve?

To optimize your connection you will need to modify the file containing the internet configuration settings which are used by your device upon connection. In doing so, you can enable what is known as "Van Jacobson TCP / IP header compression", which will essentially increase your 3G speed. Users have reported speeds of up to double what they previously had, but the effectiveness of the hack is dependent on whether or not your carrier supports the feature. 

What do I need to speed up my 3G?

• Root permission: learn how to root your device without voiding the warranty. 
• Options.7z archive: the folder which contains the ammended verision of the file already in your system folder which needs to be replaced for this to work. 
• ES File Explorer (or equivalent): a file manager compatible with root to allow you to enter the system folders and change file permissions.

ES File Explorer File ManagerINSTALL

How do I speed up my 3G data?

1. Download the archive options.7z and extract it with an archive manager like 7Zip. You will find a file named options.
2. Copy the options file onto your device in a memorable location by connecting it to your PC or using the SD card, if available.
3. Install and open ES File Manager (or equivalent) and give it root permissions ( menu> Root Explorer> ON> confirm).
4. Now find the options file from within the ES File Manage (press and hold and select Copy) which was previously transferred onto the device.
5. Go into the folder: (device) "/ system / etc / ppp" and paste options file, which you just copied, into it.
6. Change the permissions of the options file, (tap and hold on it: more> Properties> Edit (Permissions)> activate the three permissions in readable (owner, group, other), deactivate the three in writing, and activate the three in execut. Now press OK. Next to Permissions you should now find writing like "r-x r-x r-x."
7. Reboot the device.​

Step 3 (left), step 5 (right). / © ANDROIDPITStep 5 continued (left) and step 6 (right). / © ANDROIDPIT

That's it! If you want to check your increase in speed immediately, just install the app Speedtest.netand run some tests. Depending on the current online traffic and the server to which you are connected, the test may give quite different results, so give it a few tries at different times. 

Speedtest.netINSTALL

Problems with speeding up my 3G 

If you experience any problems connecting to 35, or find that there is no improvement, you can reverse the procedure by simply deleting the options file you copied earlier in the folder "/ system / etc / ppp".