You also want to check the internet speeds from any device you’re seeing performance issues on.

Be prepared to answer a lot of dumb questions and jump through a few hoops as the customer-support rep goes through their checklist: Are you measuring from the router or the gateway? Unplug the gateway and plug it back in, etc. They might be able to run some diagnostics at their end and offer some suggestions to fix the problem before they send out a tech. If you’re seeing significantly lower speeds, call your provider and ask them to check your connection. If you have very high-speed internet service, such as gigabit fiber, it could exceed what your wireless network is capable of delivering to a single device.Ĭompare your baseline results to the speeds your ISP has promised to deliver with the plan you’re paying for. If you’re testing from a device that doesn’t provide the option for a hardwired network connection–your smartphone or a tablet or laptop that doesn’t have an RJ45 jack–you’ll just have to make the best of it. If your OS is already downloading an update, wait until it’s finished.

Bandwidth consumption might not drop to zero, but you want it to be as close to zero as you can get. Close any apps to keep them from downloading software updates while you test your connection. Press control-alt-delete to bring up the task manager on your Windows computer, or check Activity Manager on your MacOS machine, and look for network statistics (it’s labelled “Network”on OS X, “Networking” on Windows). To get the most accurate baseline speeds, check from a device that’s hardwired directly to your broadband gateway (i.e., your DSL or cable modem, not your router). The best way to do that is by visiting a third-party website such as Ookla’s or-if you don’t like Flash-the HTML 5-based.

Cox internet uptime status