Why is my internet slower than what I pay for?

Three different numbers get called 'internet speed': what the package advertises, what arrives at the router, and what reaches the device. They can differ by a factor of ten. Knowing which one is the problem determines whether the fix is free or requires a phone call.

What you'll need

• A device
• Ethernet cable (optional)

Step by step

1. Test over ethernet first.Plug a laptop directly into the router and run a speed test. This is your real line speed with wifi removed from the equation.
2. Then test over wifi in the same room, and again where you normally sit.The difference between these three numbers tells you exactly where the loss is happening.
3. Compare with what you are actually promised.Advertised speeds are typically 'average' figures achieved by half of customers at peak time. Your contract has a minimum guaranteed speed — that is the number that matters.
4. Test at different times of day.Evening congestion is real. Slow at 8pm and fine at 11am is a contention problem rather than a fault.
5. Check what else is using the connection.Cloud backups, game and console updates, and video streaming in other rooms all compete. Pause them and retest.
6. Check how many devices are connected.Modern homes have twenty or more. Each one polls, updates and syncs even when nobody is using it.
7. If wired speed is far below the guaranteed minimum, report it.Providers must let you leave without penalty if they cannot meet the guaranteed minimum. Keep a record of your test results.
8. If wifi is the bottleneck, fix the home network.Reposition the router, use 5GHz nearby, add a mesh node or run ethernet to the rooms that matter. All within your control.

Tips

• Speed is not the same as responsiveness. For video calls and gaming, latency and jitter matter far more than the headline number.
• Older devices often cannot use the full speed regardless. A laptop with an old wifi standard caps out well below a modern one.
• Run speed tests from the same site each time. Different testing services give different figures and only the trend is meaningful.

Common mistakes

• Testing only over wifi — It measures your home network, not your broadband. Wired testing separates the two.
• Testing on a phone across the house — That is the weakest point in the chain and tells you nothing about the line.
• Upgrading the package when wifi is the bottleneck — A faster line changes nothing if the wifi cannot carry what you already have.

Questions people ask