How to Accurately Test Your Wi-Fi Speed (vs. Your Internet Line Speed)

Understanding the Difference: Internet vs. Wi-Fi Speed

Think of your internet connection like water coming into your house through a main pipe. Your Internet Line Speed is the maximum flow rate your ISP delivers through that main pipe to your modem.

Your Wi-Fi Speed is the speed you get when that connection is broadcast wirelessly from your router to your devices (laptops, phones, tablets). It's like using a garden hose connected to a sprinkler – the water pressure coming out of the sprinkler (Wi-Fi speed) will almost always be less than the pressure in the main pipe (internet line speed) due to factors like hose length, kinks, and sprinkler design.

How to Test Your True Internet Line Speed (Ethernet)

To measure the maximum speed your ISP is actually delivering to your home, you need to bypass Wi-Fi limitations. This gives you your baseline speed.

1. Use a Computer: Preferably a laptop or desktop computer capable of handling your plan's speed (e.g., has a Gigabit Ethernet port for faster plans).
2. Connect via Ethernet: Plug an Ethernet cable directly from your computer into a LAN port on your router (or modem, if it's a combined unit).
3. Minimize Other Usage: Ensure no other devices are heavily using the internet during the test. Close unnecessary applications on the testing computer.
4. Run the Test: Go to SwiftSpeedTest.com and click Start.
5. Record Results: Note the Download, Upload, and Ping speeds. This is the closest measurement to what your ISP provides.

How to Test Your Wi-Fi Speed

Now, let's measure the actual performance you get over your wireless network. This will likely be lower than your Ethernet test result.

1. Disconnect Ethernet: Unplug the Ethernet cable if you just tested with it.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi: Ensure your device (computer, phone, tablet) is connected to your desired Wi-Fi network (usually the 5GHz band for better speed testing, if available).
3. Position Your Device:
   • First, test relatively close to the router (e.g., same room) to get the best possible Wi-Fi speed.
   • Then, test from locations where you commonly use Wi-Fi (e.g., living room, bedroom, office) to see how speed drops off with distance and obstructions.
4. Minimize Other Usage: As before, ensure minimal network activity from other devices.
5. Run the Test: Use SwiftSpeedTest.com on the Wi-Fi connected device.
6. Compare Results: Compare the Wi-Fi test results (Download, Upload, Ping) to your Ethernet baseline and note the difference in various locations.

Common Factors Affecting Wi-Fi Speed

If your Wi-Fi speeds are much lower than your Ethernet speeds, consider these common culprits:

• Distance from Router: Signal strength weakens rapidly with distance.
• Obstructions: Walls (especially brick/concrete), floors, large appliances, metal objects block or reflect signals.
• Interference: Other Wi-Fi networks (neighbors), Bluetooth devices, microwaves, cordless phones can interfere, especially on the crowded 2.4GHz band.
• Router Capabilities: An older router (e.g., Wi-Fi 4/802.11n or older Wi-Fi 5/802.11ac) cannot deliver the speeds of newer standards (Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 or 802.11ax/be). Its processor might also be a bottleneck.
• Device Capabilities: Your phone, laptop, or tablet also needs to support modern Wi-Fi standards to benefit from a faster router.
• Network Congestion (Wi-Fi): Too many devices connected and actively using the same Wi-Fi network can slow it down.

Improving these often involves steps outlined in our 10 Ways to Fix Slow Internet guide, like router placement, changing bands/channels, or upgrading hardware.