Icon of slow speed on a mobile device

Slow connection - One device

Understand internet speed

You may decide your speeds are what they should be when you learn more about how internet and WiFi speed works. Click through the screens below to review a few key facts.

Network speed: The total bandwidth you receive from Quantum Fiber is usually stable and very close to your subscription speed. That's the signal that comes from our network to your modem or SmartNID. 

Illustration of house showing network signal coming in to modem

Device speeds: Inside, that network signal gets used across all of your personal devices. The device connection speeds will vary a lot based on the WiFi equipment used, building structure and environment, and the devices themselves.

Illustration of house showing device network inside

Bandwidth sharing: Some activities, like browsing the web, only use a few Mbps, while high-bandwidth activities, like streaming in 4K, require a much larger piece of the pie. Your total bandwidth is shared across all devices and activities on your network.

Illustration showing different online activities using different amounts of bandwidth

Device limitations: Your devices have a huge impact on your internet speeds. Mobile phones, computers, etc. that are even a few years old may have outdated WiFi technology and may not reach the speeds you expect from your internet service. Or a device issue could be causing it to slow down.

Illustration showing older devices getting slower internet speeds

Check your speed: Did you know you can check both network speed and device speed in the Quantum Fiber app? Open the app and go to Network Information.

 

  1. First, tap Check your network to see the total bandwidth. If this is much lower than the speed you're paying for, then continue troubleshooting.
     
  2. Next, tap Speed to this device or use our speed test page to check your device speed. Compare this to the expected connection speeds for different devices.

Based on what you've learned, is your device speed what you can expect it to be? If not, continue with the next step to troubleshoot your equipment and device.

My speed is fine
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