Speed tests are useful — but only if you run them the right way. Many “bad” results are actually caused by Wi-Fi issues, older devices, or a busy home network (not your internet provider).

There are two common questions:

• Is my internet provider delivering the speed I pay for? Test with Ethernet if possible.
• Why is my Wi-Fi slow in some rooms? Test on Wi-Fi and focus on router placement and signal strength.

If you can, plug a laptop or desktop into your modem/router with an Ethernet cable. This removes Wi-Fi from the equation. Close all apps that use the internet (cloud backups, streaming, game downloads).

Speed tests measure what’s available at that moment. If someone is streaming 4K video or downloading a large file, your test will be lower. For a fair test, pause big downloads and ask others to stop streaming for 5 minutes.

Network conditions change by time of day. Run a test:

• Morning (less congestion)
• Evening (more congestion)
• Weekend (often busy)

• Download = streaming, browsing, downloading files
• Upload = video calls, sending files, cloud backups
• Ping / Latency = responsiveness (gaming, video calls)
• Jitter = stability (high jitter can cause choppy calls)

That usually means:

• Router is too far away or blocked by walls/floors
• Too many devices on one Wi-Fi band
• Old router, or the router is placed low / behind furniture
• Interference from neighbouring Wi-Fi networks

If you want, run a quick test right beside your router, then test again in the room where Wi-Fi is weakest. The difference between those numbers tells you how much of the problem is Wi-Fi range.

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