Why Can't I Get the Full 2Gbps Speed on My New Fiber Internet?
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SpeedyGadget57
I just signed up for a 2Gb symmetrical fiber internet service with Metronet, but I'm only seeing speeds around 1400 Mbps for downloads and 500 Mbps for uploads. I've tried a bunch of troubleshooting steps, including connecting directly to the modem, testing different Ethernet cables (Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6a), and even using an Eero Max 7 router. My computer is fully updated and has a built-in 10Gb NIC, and I also tried another computer with similar results. My ISP says both my modem and router are running properly at 2Gbps, but my speed tests vary across different sites. I've tried both hardwired and WiFi connections, and they show similar speeds. Any ideas on what I can do to solve this?
Answers
Have you tried testing with a live Linux USB? If you're getting about 1400 Mbps, it sounds like you've got a good connection, and maybe there's something on the Windows side that’s limiting your speed. Make sure you’re not using any client bridging and connect directly to the router.
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Check your Eero app to see what speeds it reports. Sometimes browsers or security software can throttle speeds, so try using an app instead of a website for testing. You could also run a speed test server on one of your PCs and connect with the other. I’ve found using iPerf can be helpful too if your ISP has that installed on their servers.
SpeedyGadget57: The app shows that I'm getting 2Gbps both up and down, so it looks good on that end.
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It might be worth checking if your modem can actually handle 2.5Gb speeds. Sometimes the modem can be the bottleneck even if everything else is set up right. You said you have a fiber 10Gb modem from Nokia, so that should be good, but it's something to keep in mind.
CuriousCat07: It’s not the modem causing issues, since it’s an ONT, right? So you should be good there.
HighSpeedHero: If it's an ONT, it should handle that capacity without a problem!
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What kind of specs are we talking about with your PC? It could be a CPU or hard drive bottleneck. Also, check the task manager during your speed tests; that might shed some light.
SpeedyGadget57: I’m running a 13900KS at 5.6GHz with 32GB DDR5 RAM and an RTX 3090. I’ll check task manager during the test!
GlitchMaster13: When I looked at task manager, CPU was about 20%, RAM at 23%, and the network at 6% during the test.
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GamerGuy88: I'm not familiar with Linux, but I don’t have any bridging set up—just a direct line to the router.