#Download speed slower than speed test software

The result is that they may choose a slower speed to get a more reliable connection. If you have several walls to “go through”, or the end points are far away from one another, the signal will be weaker or more difficult for the devices to understand. For Wi-Fi, that generally means a protocol will be automatically selected based on the capabilities of both endpoints and the quality of the wireless signal. Like wired, you need compatible equipment at both ends of the connection. Wireless maximums are significantly more difficult to achieve.

#Download speed slower than speed test software

If speeds aren’t close to, say, 80% or so of maximum, it’s often because the software at either end is busy, can’t keep up, or there’s just not that much data to be transmitted that quickly. Even at the maximum specified cable length (100 meters), that’s all you need to get close to the maximum speed. To get the maximum speed out of your ethernet connection, you need equipment that supports it at both ends of each cable, and good cables. If your wireless devices are only capable of speeds that are slower than your wired connection, you’re done: your wired connection will be faster almost by definition.īut what about the others? Getting to maximum

Gigabit ethernet is faster than those plus one more. To begin with, we can see the most common ethernet speed - 100 Mbps - is already faster than three of the Wi-Fi maximums. 1000 Mbps (aka “gigabit”, typical in newer equipment).10 Mbps (rare these days, but may be present in older equipment).Wired ethernet in the home generally supports one of three maximum speeds: The various Wi-Fi protocols each have theoretical maximum speeds. If possible, wired connections should be used where speed is critical.

Even if higher, Wi-Fi speeds are significantly more affected by interference, distance, and signal strength, resulting in slower transfer speeds. The maximum speeds of many Wi-Fi protocols are slower than speeds offered by common ethernet connections.