How Do I Know My Wi-Fi Speed?

Even though we pay our internet service providers (ISPs) for a specific Wi-Fi speeds, we don’t always get exactly what we pay for. Unfortunately, the truth is that the average speed is a few megabits per second (Mbps) less than what we see on paper. This can happen for a few different reasons, which is usually due to obstacles in your Wi-Fi connection.

It is important to make an effort to know what your true Wi-Fi speeds are, but it is also important to first know if your Wi-Fi signal strength is hindered by obstacles. A strong Wi-Fi connection has everything to do with the Wi-Fi signal strength. Here are some of the obstacles you might be aware of (or should be aware of):

Wi-Fi Signal Obstacles

There are a few more obvious obstacles that your Wi-Fi signal goes up against and then there are some that may not be so obvious. For example, your Wi-Fi signal strength can be weaker due to:

• wireless network interference
• physical objects
• too much distance between devices
• too many people are trying to connect to your network’s access points

Each of these obstacles can slow down your Wi-Fi speeds. Sometimes, more than one of these obstacles happens at one time.

Some of the lesser obvious interferences include using an older device that doesn’t have backwards compatibility with older standards, frequency channels overlapping, activities like encryption and packet translation.

When put together, these obstacles can really slow down your network speeds. While some of these interferences may be out of your control, most are easy to identify and address. One place to start is by checking your Wi-Fi router to see if it needs to be reset. However, the best place to start is with a Wi-Fi speed test.

Testing your Wi-Fi Speeds

You can also learn more about your true broadband and Wi-Fi speeds with ScreenBeam’s Complete Guide to Wi-Fi Networking. Keep up with the latest technology news by checking out ScreenBeam’s blog.