"The internet is slow" is the most common thing we hear, and often the internet is fine. What is slow is the WiFi, which is a different system with a different fix. You can tell them apart in about two minutes, and the result tells you what to do next.
Your internet connection is the signal from one of our tower sites to the antenna at your property, down one cable, through the PoE injector that powers the antenna, and into your router. That is the part WebPerception delivers and the part we measure. Your WiFi is everything after the router: the radio signal that carries the connection through your walls to phones, laptops, and TVs. Walls, distance, building materials, neighbors' networks, and a running microwave all take a share of it.
When the connection is slow, everything in the house is slow, including a computer plugged into the router. When the WiFi is slow, the far bedroom is slow and the couch next to the router is fine.
The two-minute test
You need a computer with an Ethernet port (or a small USB adapter) and one Ethernet cable.
- Run a wired test. Plug the computer into one of the router's LAN ports, turn its WiFi off, and run a speed test. Write down the download and upload numbers.
- Run a WiFi test. Unplug the cable, turn WiFi back on, walk to the room that feels slow, and run the same test. Write those down too.
- Compare. If the wired number is fine and the WiFi number is much lower, the fix is inside the building. If the wired number is low too, keep reading.
A WiFi number lower than the wired one is normal; WiFi shares its airtime with every device on it. You are looking for a gap big enough to explain what you feel, or a wired number that is low on its own.
If the wired number is low: pause, then restart in order
A low wired test does not mean the connection is faulty yet. Two things explain most of them.
Pause the house. Stop downloads, streams, cloud backups, and game updates on every device for a minute, then run the wired test again. Anything else using the connection lowers the number you see, and a console quietly pulling a game update in the next room can account for the whole gap.
Restart in order. Unplug the PoE injector, the small power adapter for the outdoor antenna, for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Then do the same with the router. Give both a few minutes to come back before you test again. Injector first, router second.
While you are there, check that the injector shows a light, push both cable ends in until they click, and follow the outdoor cable toward the antenna looking for a kink, a crushed spot, or damage where it enters the building. Then run the wired test a few more times across the day and keep the numbers. A steady low number tells us more than one bad reading at 7 PM.
Reading the result
It is probably the connection when:
- The wired test is low too, not just WiFi.
- Every device is slow at the same time, including ones next to the router.
- It started after a storm, tree work, or construction nearby.
- The PoE injector light is off or flickering.
It is probably the WiFi when:
- The wired test is fine, but phones and laptops are slow.
- It is slow in some rooms and fine near the router.
- It got worse after moving the router or adding devices.
- One device is slow while the others are fine.
If it is the WiFi, our WiFi optimization guide covers placement, the two bands, and when an access point is the answer. If you were about to buy a new router, wait. A new router only helps when the wired test is already good and the WiFi is the slow part.
When to call, and what to have ready
Call or text (415) 892-7711 when:
- Wired tests, run more than once, stay well below what your agreement states.
- Speeds fall at the same time every day, or the connection drops during the test.
- The injector shows no light, or the antenna cable looks damaged.
- You would rather have us look. We can see the link to your antenna from our side and often spot the cause while you are on the phone.
Have your wired and WiFi results and the device you tested from, when it started, anything that changed nearby, and which lights are on at the injector and the router. Phone support and network monitoring are available 24/7/365. Office and sales hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific.
And no, we do not slow your connection down when you use a lot of it: there are no data caps, no throttling, and no usage-based overage charges.
The short version
- Wired test at the router, then WiFi test in the slow room.
- Wired fine, WiFi slow: the fix is placement, walls, or an access point.
- Wired low: pause the house, restart the injector then the router, check the cable, test again across the day.
- Still low on a wire: call. We can see your link from here.
Brian Y. of Novato described the pattern in a Yelp review: "We had some initial problems with it going down intermittently but they solved it. Nothing to do with their service - nothing but a bad crimp on an ethernet cable." A cable, a plug, a router in a closet. That is usually where the answer is.
If you are not a customer yet, the slow speeds guide shows how we approach a problem, and checking availability is the first step to finding out whether we can reach your address. Questions first? Contact us, or call or text (415) 892-7711.
