Wi-Fi Speed Test

Wi-Fi is often the slowest link between you and the internet. This test measures the speed you actually get on your wireless connection — download, upload, ping and lag under load — so you can tell whether a slow connection is your provider or your Wi-Fi.

Why Wi-Fi is slower than cable

Wireless signals lose strength through walls and floors, share the air with neighbours' networks, and switch speed as you move around. Every device on your network takes turns to talk, so a busy home means more waiting. A cable doesn't have those problems, so it shows what your line can really do. See Wi-Fi vs Ethernet for the full comparison.

Find out where the problem is

Run this test twice: once on a laptop plugged into the router with a cable, and once on Wi-Fi where you usually sit. If the cable result is close to your plan and Wi-Fi is much lower, your wireless network is the bottleneck and the fixes below will help. If both are slow, the problem is your line, router or provider — see why is my internet slow.

Map your home

Test in each room that matters — the home office, the living room by the TV, the bedrooms — and note the speed and ping. Your results are saved in your browser, so you can compare rooms afterwards. Patterns appear quickly: a fast room next to the router, a slow one two walls away, a dead spot upstairs. That map tells you whether to move the router, add a mesh unit, or run a cable.

2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz

Most routers broadcast more than one band. 2.4 GHz reaches further but is slower and more crowded; 5 GHz and 6 GHz are much faster at short range. If your device shows two network names, try the 5 GHz one when you're near the router. 6 GHz needs Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 on both router and device. More in 2.4 vs 5 vs 6 GHz.

Your device matters too

A new phone and an old laptop can show very different results on the same network, side by side. Older devices, cheap smart TVs and some USB adapters can't reach the speeds a modern router offers. If one device is always slow while others are fine, the device is the limit.

Quick ways to speed up Wi-Fi

Move the router to a central, open spot off the floor; keep it away from microwaves and thick walls; restart it; and update its firmware. Large homes often do better with a mesh system than with one powerful router. The full list is in how to improve Wi-Fi speed, with placement tips in best router placement.

Check ping and jitter too

Wi-Fi affects steadiness as much as speed. If calls stutter or games lag on Wi-Fi but not on a cable, look at the jitter and bufferbloat grade in your result, not just the download number.