In this video, I explain why the devices in your home network might not get the maximum internet speed promised by your internet plan.

For more content on similar topics, check out my YouTube channel:    / @networkfromhome  

If you would like to read about other ways to improve your home network, check out my blog:
https://www.networkfromhome.com

If you’re interested in running a speed test on your internet connection, you can run one here:
https://www.speedtest.net/

0:00 Introduction
0:37 Analyzing the components in your home network
2:44 Analyzing the internet connection of your devices
3:37 Is it likely to receive the maximum internet speed of your internet plan?
7:36 Summary and conclusion

Why your internet speed doesn’t match your internet plan
When it comes to comparing the internet speeds of your devices with the maximum internet speed promised by your internet plan, there are a few different things to look at. You need to look at:

If your devices can support the maximum speed of your internet plan: specifically, you need to make sure your modem and router are manufactured to support internet speeds as fast as the maximum speed of your internet plan. In addition, you need to make sure that any ethernet cables in your home network are Cat5e or above.

How your devices are connecting to the internet: if you are performing a speed test on one of the devices in your home network, you should connect the device to your router with an ethernet cable. In general, wired connections to the internet will be faster than WiFi internet connections. WiFi internet connections can be impacted by the distance of the device from the router, as well as any obstructions between the device and the router.

Even if all your devices can support the maximum speed of your internet plan and you perform a speed test with a wired internet connection, it’s not likely that you will see the maximum internet speed promised by your internet plan. This is due to the fact that the internet speeds provided to your home at any given time are impacted by the other homes in the area that have the same internet provider as you. The more that other homes in the local area are using the internet at a given point in time, the less bandwidth your internet service provider can allocate to the devices in your home.

This is why you’ll often see internet plans detail maximum speeds “up to” or “as fast as” a certain internet speed. This covers them in the cases where you aren’t getting the maximum internet speed of your plan, which happens to be most of the time.

Conclusion
If you have any questions about the internet speeds your devices are getting when compared to your internet plan, please leave a comment below.