Why is my internet download speed so low when I pay for 1 Gbps?

Also, check your upload speed—it really affects latency, and it’s good to know your UL to DL ratio. If you have fiber, speeds should be about equal. You might want to do a traceroute to see if anything's slowing you down on the provider’s side. Just type "tracert google.com" in your command prompt and see where the numbers go up.

For speed testing, I recommend trying a site like Cloudflare’s speed test. It’s reliable. Also, remember that the type of drive you're downloading to can affect your speeds. If you're using services like Steam, changing servers may help boost your download rates.

First off, double-check that you're actually using the wired connection. Make sure the Wi-Fi on your PC is turned off, just to be safe. Also, it's important how you're testing your speed—what method or site are you using? And what exactly are you trying to download?

Don’t forget that your internet speed doesn’t guarantee every download will run at that speed. The server you’re downloading from also has to send that data quickly. You might not have control over their upload speeds, which can impact your experience.

Using Speedtest.net is a great way to get an accurate measurement of your connection. If it still shows low speeds, you might want to go ahead and try connecting directly with an Ethernet cable and see if that changes things.