You pay for 1,000 Mbps. You open Netflix, and it buffers. Your first instinct—naturally—is to wonder, "how do I check my internet speed?" You run a test. The needle jumps. It says you have 800 Mbps. You’re confused. If the speed is fine, why does the video look like it was filmed on a potato?
Speed is a fickle thing.
Most people think of bandwidth like a speed limit on a highway, but it’s actually more like the number of lanes. If you have a 10-lane highway but everyone is driving a tractor, you aren't going anywhere fast. Checking your speed isn't just about clicking a "Go" button on a website. It’s about understanding the path that data takes from a server in Virginia to your laptop in the kitchen.
The "One-Click" Reality of Checking Your Speed
Let's get the obvious part out of the way. If you want the quick-and-dirty answer to how do I check my internet speed, you go to Ookla’s Speedtest.net or Fast.com.
Fast.com is owned by Netflix. It’s simple. It’s clean. It tells you exactly what Netflix sees. If that number is low, your movies will buffer. Speedtest.net is more robust. It gives you the "ping," which is basically the reaction time of your connection. High ping? You’ll die instantly in Call of Duty. Low ping? You’re the predator.
But here is the kicker: those tests are often "optimistic."
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) knows when you are running a speed test. Some ISPs actually prioritize speed test traffic to make their service look better than it actually is. It’s like a car that only performs well when it knows a mechanic is looking under the hood. To get a real sense of your speed, you need to test at different times of the day—specifically during "peak hours" (usually 7 PM to 11 PM) when everyone in your neighborhood is also trying to watch The Bear.
Why Your Wi-Fi Is Probably Sabotaging You
If you’re running a speed test on your phone while sitting on the couch, you aren't testing your internet speed. You’re testing your Wi-Fi speed.
There is a massive difference.
Imagine your fiber optic line is a firehose. Your Wi-Fi router is a showerhead attached to that hose. No matter how much water the city pumps into the hose, the showerhead can only let so much through. Plus, Wi-Fi signals hate walls. They hate microwaves. They especially hate your neighbor’s Wi-Fi.
To see what you are actually paying for, you have to plug in. Get a Cat6 Ethernet cable. Plug your laptop directly into the back of the router. Turn off the Wi-Fi on the laptop. Run the test again. If the speed jumps from 200 Mbps to 900 Mbps, your internet is fine, but your router is trash.
Honestly, most "slow internet" complaints are just "bad Wi-Fi" complaints in disguise.
Understanding the Three Pillars of the Speed Test
When you look at those results, don't just stare at the big number. Look at the trifecta:
- Download Speed: How fast data travels to you. Crucial for streaming and downloading huge game updates.
- Upload Speed: How fast you send data. This matters for Zoom calls and uploading YouTube videos. If this is under 10 Mbps, your video will freeze every time you try to speak in a meeting.
- Ping (Latency): Measured in milliseconds (ms). Under 20ms is elite. Over 100ms is a disaster.
The Equipment Bottleneck Nobody Mentions
You bought the "Gigabit" plan. You have the fancy cable. You still see 400 Mbps. Why?
It might be your device.
Older laptops have network cards that literally cannot handle modern speeds. If your laptop was made in 2015, its internal hardware might cap out at a few hundred Megabits per second. It’s like trying to put a jet engine inside a lawnmower. The engine wants to go, but the chassis is going to rattle apart.
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Check your "Link Speed" in your computer settings. On Windows, you find this under Network & Internet settings. On a Mac, you hold the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon. If your "Tx Rate" or "Link Speed" is low, no amount of calling Comcast is going to fix it. You need a new Wi-Fi card or a new computer.
How to Get the Most Accurate Reading Possible
If you really want to know how do I check my internet speed with scientific accuracy, you have to eliminate variables.
Stop all downloads. Close the 47 Chrome tabs you have open. Tell your kids to stop playing Fortnite for five minutes. If your PlayStation is downloading a 60GB patch in the background, your speed test will look like garbage.
Then, run the test on three different sites:
- Speedtest.net (The industry standard)
- Cloudflare Speed Test (The nerd's favorite, provides way more data on "jitter")
- Fast.com (The real-world streaming check)
Cloudflare’s test is particularly brutal. It measures "Jitter," which is the variation in your ping. If your ping is 20ms, then 100ms, then 20ms, your connection is unstable. It'll feel laggy even if the "average" speed looks okay.
Is Your ISP Throttling You?
This is the conspiracy theory that is sometimes actually true.
ISPs sometimes "throttle" specific types of traffic. They might slow down BitTorrent or even certain streaming services during busy times. To test this, run a speed test normally. Then, turn on a high-quality VPN (like Mullvad or ProtonVPN) and run it again.
If your speed is significantly faster with the VPN, your ISP is likely throttling your connection. The VPN hides what you’re doing, so the ISP can’t "see" that you’re watching 4K video and therefore doesn't trigger the slowdown. It’s a sneaky move, but it happens more than people realize.
Better Numbers Through Better Placement
Before you spend money on a new plan, look at where your router lives.
Is it in a closet? Is it behind a fish tank? Water blocks Wi-Fi signals. Metal blocks them. If your router is on the floor in the corner of the basement, you’re essentially suffocating your signal.
Move it. Put it in the center of the house. High up on a shelf.
If you live in a big house, a single router won't cut it. You need a Mesh system. Systems like Eero or TP-Link Deco create a "blanket" of internet. You check your speed at the main hub, then check it at the furthest satellite. If the drop-off is more than 50%, you need to reposition the nodes.
Actionable Steps to Fix Your Connection
Stop guessing and start measuring. Start by running a wired test directly to your router to establish a "baseline" of what your ISP is actually delivering. If that number matches your bill, your ISP is off the hook.
Next, run the same test over Wi-Fi from three feet away. If there's a huge drop, change your Wi-Fi channel in the router settings—move from the crowded 2.4GHz band to the 5GHz or 6GHz band if your equipment supports it.
Finally, if you find that your "Jitter" or "Ping" is the problem rather than the raw speed, call your ISP and ask them to check the "signal-to-noise ratio" on your line. Sometimes a squirrel chewed a wire outside, or a connector has rusted. No amount of restarting your router fixes a physical hardware failure in the alleyway.
Keep a log. If your speeds are consistently 30% lower than what you pay for, call your ISP's retention department. Tell them you have the data. Usually, they'll magically find a way to give you a discount or send a tech out to find the "line noise" you’ve been complaining about.
Don't let them tell you it's "just Wi-Fi." Now you know better.