Internet Speed Tests Are Lying to You—But It’s Probably Your Fault

From streaming apps to the wrong cables, common slip-ups are skewing your broadband results

Your internet feels slow. So what do you do? You whip out your phone, launch a speed test, and stare at those jittery numbers crawling across the screen. Frustrated, you wonder why your provider’s “ultrafast” plan feels anything but. But here’s the kicker: most of the time, your internet speed test results aren’t wrong—you’re just running them wrong.

It’s not your fault, really. Most folks don’t know that the tiniest mistake can throw off a test by dozens of megabits. And those flashy numbers? They often don’t reflect real-life internet performance anyway. So before you rage at your ISP or consider upgrading, let’s slow down and look at what’s actually messing up your results.

You’re Probably Running Background Apps Without Realizing

This one’s easy to overlook. You hit “Go” on your speed test while Spotify’s humming in the background, five browser tabs are open, and your system’s uploading a bunch of photos to the cloud. That’s like trying to measure how fast a car can go while dragging a trailer full of rocks.

When other apps are consuming bandwidth—especially ones that sync data, stream video, or handle large downloads—they silently steal from the pipe you’re testing. The result? A much lower speed than your connection is actually capable of.

Even worse, other gadgets on your Wi-Fi can distort the numbers too. That smart TV in the next room playing Netflix? Still part of the equation.

One quick fix: unplug or disable other devices temporarily. If that’s not an option, at least pause your backups, streaming, and syncs. And yes, close those dozen Chrome tabs.

Sometimes one sentence is all it takes: stop testing your internet while your house is still using it.

Wi-Fi Might Be Killing Your Test Results

Sure, Wi-Fi is everywhere. It’s easy. It’s wireless. But it’s also messy—interference, signal strength, and even the walls in your house can make your internet feel slower than it is.

If you’re testing your connection on Wi-Fi, you’re not actually testing your internet provider. You’re testing your Wi-Fi performance. That’s not the same thing.

For a more accurate reading of your actual broadband speed, you’ve gotta plug in.

• Use an Ethernet cable to directly connect your device to the modem or router

• Disable Wi-Fi temporarily while running the test

• Run multiple tests to account for fluctuations

This isn’t about nostalgia for cables—it’s about accuracy. Wireless adds too many variables. Got a concrete wall between you and the router? Good luck getting reliable data through that.

Your Router Might Be the Real Bottleneck

Believe it or not, your old router might be sabotaging your test more than your ISP ever could. A lot of people shell out for blazing-fast 500 Mbps plans but still use a cheap router they got in 2016. That’s like pouring Ferrari fuel into a lawn mower.

Routers have speed ceilings based on their age, standard, and chipset. If yours doesn’t support gigabit Ethernet, you’re capping your speeds—no matter how good your ISP’s end is.

Here’s how some popular standards compare:

So yeah—if your router’s stuck on Wi-Fi 4, don’t expect it to deliver on your 1 Gbps promise.

Time of Day Makes a Bigger Difference Than You Think

Internet speeds fluctuate. That’s just the reality of shared networks. During peak hours—typically 6 to 10 p.m.—more users mean more congestion. So if you’re running your test after dinner while half the neighborhood is streaming or gaming, expect slower results.

And ISPs know this. Some even tweak network performance dynamically, prioritizing certain traffic and throttling others, depending on usage and demand.

Running a test at midnight versus 8 p.m. can give you completely different numbers. Try it and see.

So what’s the takeaway? Don’t test once and draw conclusions. Run several tests throughout the day. Look for patterns, not outliers.

You Might Be Using the Wrong Test Site Altogether

Not all speed tests are built the same. Some are optimized for mobile. Others use servers too far from you. A few even throttle their own testing speed to “simulate real-world usage,” which, honestly, just confuses people.

Ookla’s Speedtest.net is the most popular for a reason—it lets you choose your test server, it’s fairly neutral, and its data is widely trusted. Google’s built-in test, by comparison, has been criticized for being overly conservative.

If you’re suspicious your provider is throttling specific services like Netflix or YouTube, consider tests that focus on actual content delivery:

• Fast.com (from Netflix) focuses on streaming speed

• Cloudflare’s speed test highlights latency and jitter

• TestMy.net allows real download/upload file tests

Different tests serve different purposes. Use a few and compare.

Some People Expect Gigabit Speeds on Devices That Can’t Handle It

Here’s the sneaky part: some devices—especially older ones—just can’t process speeds over 100 Mbps, even if your network can deliver it. Blame it on the device’s Wi-Fi chip, outdated drivers, or weak processors.

You might be running a test on a laptop from 2015 and getting frustrated. But that laptop’s Ethernet port? It’s 10/100 only.

Your phone might support newer Wi-Fi, but only on certain bands. Some budget Android phones, for instance, still come with Wi-Fi 5 only on 2.4 GHz.