Home internet speeds have gotten faster in recent years. For instance, Ziply Fiber’s 50-Gig service is one of the fastest speed offerings from an internet provider. The speeds of today would’ve boggled the mind of a 10-years-younger me, but there is still room for improvement.
Nobody wants to get slower downloads than they’re paying for, especially if your home is full of heavy internet users. Whether you’re streaming the latest binge-worthy Netflix show or running a smart home full of bulbs, locks and vacuums that need to stay online, broadband speeds can be vital. Cable connections can be relatively stable, but if you’re using a 5G home internet service, things can go awry fast. When my T-Mobile Home Internet experience got in the way of a recent X-Files rerun fest on Hulu, I wanted answers — and I’m not alone. Here’s what’s happening with your home internet’s advertised vs. real-world speeds.
What are advertised internet speeds?
Internet service providers love to focus on download usage. Those are the speeds the ISP highlights in its marketing when you’re shopping. Cable internet provider Xfinity, for example, offers plans with downloads ranging from 150Mbps to 1,200Mbps at my home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Those speeds are ideal if everything is going well.
This is an example of a typical broadband label.
When shopping for internet, pull up the ISP’s broadband “nutrition” labels to check out details on plan speeds. A plan’s “typical speed” may vary from the potential maximum speed. That is especially true for 5G home internet plans like Verizon 5G Home Internet, T-Mobile Home Internet and AT&T Internet Air. Verizon 5G Home Internet’s 100Mbps plan lists typical download speeds of 50-85Mbps, while its 300Mbps plan typically delivers 85 to 250Mbps. That’s a wide swing that shows the potential for volatility in your broadband speeds due to network congestion or equipment placement in your home. Expect more stability from fiber and cable connections.
Some users may experience the pleasant surprise of pulling down faster speeds than expected. “Consumers can get faster than advertised throughout because ISPs commonly over-provision links above the advertised service tier,” says Nick Feamster, professor of computer science at the University of Chicago.
Xfinity, for example, sells a 150Mbps plan in my neighborhood, but the plan’s broadband facts label lists a typical download speed of nearly 176Mbps. You’re probably not here because your internet is faster than expected. You’re here because you’re trying to figure out why it’s slower. There are steps you can take before you contact customer service.
What are actual internet speeds?
Actual internet speeds are the reality you live with. You may be paying for a gig plan (940-1,000Mbps), but when you run a speed test on your laptop from the kitchen, you’re only pulling down 620Mbps. In the backyard, you check your home internet speed on your phone and log 280Mbps. You test your desktop computer, which runs on Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi, and get 940Mbps. Your actual internet speeds are formed through a complex interplay of factors. It’s a dance between your plan’s speeds, your equipment (including the modem, router or gateway), network congestion and your online devices.
What does a speed test tell you?
Why is my actual internet speed slower than advertised?
In an ideal world, your download speed should be as fast as your internet provider advertises for the plan you’re paying for. In reality, you may get less (and sometimes more) than that. If there’s a significant difference, the first step is to troubleshoot your equipment. If that doesn’t help, talk to your ISP. The plan speed you choose can also greatly impact your experience. Small households with low internet use could get by with a 100Mbps download speed. CNET recommends speeds of around 500Mbps for a family of three or four and all their devices.
What can I do to get my actual speeds closer to my advertised speeds?
