Speeds fluctuate for several reasons:

  • As equipment uses the broadband service each 1 consumes a portion of the total bandwidth. If there are many pieces of equipment (smart phones, streaming services, appliances) it is possible that the total bandwidth at a location is entirely consumed.
  • In-home Wi-Fi connectivity is highly dependent upon how far your device is from the router, how many walls are in the way, and how many other Wi-Fi devices exist. A wired device connected to the router works best for testing speed (bandwidth).
  • The speed test server can greatly affect the results. If you are testing with a server in Northern California, for example, there are a lot of service providers than can be in the mix. There is a chance for bandwidth throughput bottlenecks and higher trip time, also referred to as latency.