Slow internet at home: what to check first

Before buying equipment or upgrading your plan, find out where the slowdown starts.

The answer in 2 lines. Check whether the slowdown affects one device, one website or everything. Then compare Wi-Fi with a computer connected to your router by Ethernet, if your equipment supports it. Restart the affected device and follow your equipment's restart instructions. Record the conditions and results before contacting your internet provider. Slow wired performance deserves investigation, but it does not prove that the outside line is faulty: equipment, cables and the test itself can also limit the result.

Start with these checks

Try another device and another website. If only one device or service struggles, investigate that before changing your home network.
Compare the same device near the router and in the room where service feels slow. Note whether moving closer helps.
If possible, connect a computer to a router LAN port with Ethernet and turn off that computer's Wi-Fi for the comparison. Keep the router's security features enabled.
Write down what you tested, whether other household activity was running, and whether the problem affected downloads, uploads or calls.

Stop: danger

Damaged outside equipment: do not handle a fallen cable or open a street cabinet. Report it through the provider contact printed on your bill; you cannot identify electrical hazards just by looking.
Smoke or sparking: stop using the equipment and stay clear. Do not handle a smoking power adapter or damaged electrical connection.

Make the comparison useful

A speed result is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. For a cleaner comparison, pause optional downloads and cloud backups, then repeat under similar conditions. Keep a note of the device, connection method and household activity. If your provider offers a connection test in your account, follow its instructions and save the result.

The FCC home-network guide explains speed testing, shared household demand and equipment limitations. Use its checklist to prepare your troubleshooting notes; it is general guidance, not a guarantee of a particular speed.

What the pattern suggests

Only one device is slow: restart it and check its updates before blaming the connection.
Ethernet works well but distant Wi-Fi struggles: investigate wireless coverage and router placement.
Everything slows during heavy household use: repeat when optional traffic is paused.
Wired and wireless connections both struggle: ask support to investigate equipment and service together.

What not to do

Buying a Wi-Fi extender before checking whether the wired connection also struggles.
Treating one wireless speed test as proof that the provider broke its promises.
Pressing the factory-reset button during routine troubleshooting: it can erase settings needed to reconnect.
Changing several settings together, leaving you unable to tell which change helped.

Know what you are comparing against

Find your plan name on your bill, then ask your provider for the corresponding Broadband Facts label. The FCC broadband-label information page explains the label: compare your observations with its typical download speed, upload speed and latency. Typical performance is not a promise that every device will reach that result everywhere in your home.

Keep the label with your service agreement. Ask support whether your computer, Ethernet connection or router could limit your test. For fixed wireless or satellite service, ask which service-specific conditions should be checked rather than following instructions intended for a cable connection.

Ask for a specific next step

Use the support contact on your bill or inside the account you normally use. Explain the wired-versus-wireless comparison and ask whether there is a known disruption, whether remote diagnostics show a problem, and what happens next. Request a case reference and written confirmation of any proposed equipment replacement or service visit. Ask about charges before accepting a visit.

If the issue remains unresolved, open the FCC Consumer Complaint Center, select Internet Service Issues and describe the speed or equipment problem. Include your provider correspondence and test conditions. Consult the FCC issue descriptions to choose the appropriate category. A complaint does not guarantee a refund. Credits, cancellation options and additional protections depend on your agreement and applicable state law.

Good to know

Download performance alone does not explain every dropped call or sluggish upload. Describe the actual activity that fails.
In a rental with building-managed internet, report the comparison to the building contact before changing shared equipment.
If you change a setting, record its previous value and test again before making another change.

Illustrative example: Jordan in Ohio notices that video calls fail in a back bedroom. The same laptop works near the router and over Ethernet. Jordan sends those observations to support and investigates coverage before paying for a faster plan.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on November 5, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for the general troubleshooting approach, broadband-label information and complaint channels; medium for identifying a cause without equipment diagnostics. Contract remedies and state protections require individual verification.