1Gbps internet not reaching 1Gbps in speed tests, is that normal?

GoogalyMoogaly

GoogalyMoogaly

GoogalyMoogaly

Soldato
Joined
29 Aug 2010
Posts
8,660
Location
Cornwall
So I've just upgraded my internet to 1000/200.
When I run a speed test (e.g. https://www.speedtest.net/) I'm not seeing 1000Mbps. It varies from run to run, but it ranges from about 940Mbps to maybe even as low as in the 750Mbps region (although probably more likely to be in the 800Mbps range).
Is this normal?

Previously I had 500/100 and my speedtests would always come back a little over 500Mbps (when I had 400Mbps they would usually be a little over 400Mbps).

I'm wondering if because all my routers ports are ethernet and there'll be some overhead that I'll not see 1Gbps with this router.
Would it help if I got a router with 2.5G ports (my network is mostly 2.5G after the router)? I'm thinking 2.5G WAN port just in case I could get a fraction more and 2.5G LAN so that should eliminate any overhead issues.

Has anyone tried this and did it help or is it not normal to have this issue in the first place?
 
Who is your ISP?

From what I gather all the main ones that advertise 1gbps plans the actual download speed averages around 900mbps+. The likes on BT, community fibre e.g even state that.
 
Last edited:
As I understand there will still be contention in the network depending where you are and time of day etc.
Have you tried different hosts with speedtest? I've sometimes had better and more consistent results from a different host than the default.

I also use Fast.com though it can be a little optimistic.
 
I'm with Wildanet.

Yeah different hosts on speedtest.net can make a difference although it's not super consistent with any of them (I think there's even a Wildanet one in London). Never seen over 940Mbps.
Fast.com gave me 980Mbps one time and 650Mbps another.
 
You won't get more than 940 Mbps, and unlikely to if using 2.5 GbE networking because I suspect the ONT will have a 1 Gbps port even if the service is provisioned over 1 Gbps.

Presume the tests are all wired directly to the router? If so, it's likely ISP contention at play and little you can do. You'll find they only guarantee a certain speed - if you hit their guarantee they won't do anything about it.
 
That's a good point about the ONT box, hadn't thought of that.

Well that's disappointing, sorta wishing I hadn't bothered with the upgrade now, doesn't feel like I'm getting what I paid for (cuz I'm not).

I don't feel Wildanet made it clear that you wouldn't see the speed they advertised.
 
Looking on their FAQ:

We guarantee the broadband speed to your property as we run on our own network. However, speeds can fluctuate slightly depending on how many users are online at any given time – view our guide on testing your broadband speed.
Click to expand...
 
Glanza said:
Looking on their FAQ:
Click to expand...
I did see that, couldn't see any actual figures in there though. If it fluctuated between 980Mbps and 1020Mbps I don't think I'd have minded.

It does of feels like those days when they'd advertise 8Mbps internet but then you end up getting 3.5Mbps and people complain so they added "up to" in extremely small text.
But I don't see them advertising it as "up to 1Gbps". I doubt they'd be happy if each month I paid them "up to" the amount shown!
 
With overhead the maximum transfer speed of 1Gb is around 940Mb/s. The internet as a whole is not really setup to deliver that amount of speed to a single connection either, so a single user won't really notice much difference from a 500Mb connection in general usage.
 
Last edited:
I think I'm going to have to contact their customer services to get this sorted out. If they'd advertise 900Mbps and I was getting 940Mbps, that's be fine, but they advertised 1Gbps. And I'm not getting that in a vest case scenario, it can be far worse and Wildanet don't seem to specify a minimum guaranteed speed (which I think they legally have to).
 
Just know that the best-case outcome from this would be letting you walk out the contract - you can't make a 1Gbps port push more than 940Mbps of IP traffic. They shouldn't be advertising 1Gb really, everyone else calls their packages 900 or 940Mbps.
 
Last edited:
What's the ONT and router model? As others mentioned I suspect the connection between the two is limited to 1gb, and/or the router itself only provides 1gb LAN ports.
 
Orcvader said:
What's the ONT and router model? As others mentioned I suspect the connection between the two is limited to 1gb, and/or the router itself only provides 1gb LAN ports.
Click to expand...
The router definitely only has a 1Gbps WAN port (some Adtran model) not sure about the ONT box it looks pretty plain so hard to get much info.

Caged said:
Are you American? You make a complaint, they then try to put it right. You've suffered no real loss so there's nothing to sue for.
Click to expand...
Yeah a complaint is the first step obviously but if they can't fix it then maybe it's the next step. They advertised 1Gbps and I'm paying for 1Gbps (which they apparently guarantee).
 
Caged said:
Just know that the best-case outcome from this would be letting you walk out the contract - you can't make a 1Gbps port push more than 940Mbps of IP traffic. They shouldn't be advertising 1Gb really, everyone else calls their packages 900 or 940Mbps.
Click to expand...

Well most do say 1gbps, it’s just underneath they place an average speed of 900 or so.
 
At first glance, it does look like this ISP has shot themselves in the foot a bit on that front.

They say 1Gbps and they also add "We guarantee the broadband speed to your property as we run on our own network."

Whether Ofcom or the ombudsman would find sub-1Gbps performance to be actionable, I'm not too sure. Possibly they would, given all the focus in recent years on declaring minimum line speeds.

However, I agree, most likely the best outcome you'd get would be the right to sever the contract at no cost, which probably won't help you to get a faster connection.
 
I have a fibre package that says “Up to 1 Gbps depending on network conditions” that delivers 800-850Mbps to the PC wired to it and 650-700mbps to other device over WiFi.

As it costs the same as my previous WIMAX service that reached a whopping 18 mbps on a good day and saves me €25 a month by provide a VoIP landline, I’m not going to complain about 200mbps I don’t need anyway.
 
I just checked the ONT box, apparently the LAN port on it is a 10Gbps port, so if it's a hardware issue my end I guess it'll be the router. The gigabit Ethernet port possibly explaining the 940Mbps cap, but I don't imagine that's the cause of the dips into the 700Mbps range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom