Related: Will Using a Network Switch Slow My Internet Down?Īssuming you're not using a dusty old 10/100MB switch with your new fiber modem or running the test with a really old laptop with a 10/100MB port, this is just as good as running the test on the router itself as long as your hardware is up to snuff. If you already have a setup in place with a network switch connected to your modem/router, you can always plug into that instead. Plug the device directly into your modem and conduct the test that way. Test Using an Ethernet ConnectionĪnother good solution, if you can't run the test on your router, is to use a device with an Ethernet interface such as a laptop, desktop PC, or even a game console. In terms of proximity and efficiency, it's pretty tough to beat running the test right on the hardware that pipes the internet connection into the rest of your network. If you have a modern router with beefy internal hardware, there's a good chance that you can conduct a speed test on the router itself by logging into the router's control panel and starting the test there. Remember just a moment ago when we emphasized that a speed test is actually testing the connection between the test device and the speed test server? Ideally, you should test your internet speed with a device that is connected as closely and efficiently to the modem as possible. If testing your internet speed using your phone is out of the question (in cases where your internet speed is higher than what your phone and Wi-Fi router can handle,) then what should you do? Test at the Router Level If your overall broadband speed is higher than what the Wi-Fi gear in your house can handle, you'll always get inaccurate results running a speed test using a Wi-Fi device.
This includes not only smartphones but everything else on the network using Wi-Fi including tablets, laptops, game consoles, streaming devices, and smart TVs. Why? Because, except for folks with slower connections, the overall speed of the internet connection (as measured directly at the modem) is faster than what a single connection between the Wi-Fi hardware and any Wi-Fi device can handle. If you're getting speed test results that are a fraction of the internet speed you pay for while using your phone, the likely culprit behind the bottleneck is your Wi-Fi router and/or the Wi-Fi device you're running the test on. The second your maximum bandwidth exceeds the capacity of any piece of network hardware between your modem and the testing device, you're going to get inaccurate results. The device, in this case your phone, has to navigate through your home network first and every single thing between that device and the speed test server is a potential bottleneck. Your Phone's Wi-Fi Connection Is a Bottleneck You are connecting the device you're running the speed test on to the speed test server. We've looked at how internet speed tests work in detail, but here's one relevant point to keep in mind: The key detail is this: any time you conduct a speed test, you are not connecting your general internet connection to the speed test server. To understand why people often get slow speed test results when testing from a smartphone, we have to look at how speed tests work. Related: How Do Internet Speed Tests Work? (and How Accurate Are They?) But that outcome is to be expected in most cases. Who wants to pay for the top-tier internet package only to get the budget-tier speeds? Usually, when we dig a little deeper, we find out the person ran a speed test on their smartphone and they're upset the result is a fraction of the anticipated speed. Why is it way slower than what I'm paying for?" A question we often field from our concerned neighbors and friends is "I ran a speed test on my internet.
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