Slow Internet or Slow Wi-Fi? How to Tell the Difference

“Slow internet” is the most misdiagnosed complaint we hear in Salmon Arm. Before you call your provider — or buy a faster plan you may not need — it helps to know which half of the connection is actually the problem: the internet line coming into your house, or the Wi-Fi spreading it around.

Test the line first: plug in a cable

The fastest way to rule out your internet provider is a wired speed test. Plug a laptop directly into the router with an Ethernet cable, turn off Wi-Fi, and run a speed test. That number is what your line actually delivers. Compare it to the speed your plan promises. If the wired test is close to the plan speed, your internet is fine — and the problem is the Wi-Fi.

If the wired test is slow too, the issue is the line or the modem: try restarting the modem, and if the slowness is constant, call the provider. That’s their equipment, and no router upgrade will fix it.

Then test by room

With the line confirmed good, test over Wi-Fi in each room where you actually use devices — the home office, the living room, the shop. The pattern tells you the fix:

• Slow everywhere, but wired is fast: the router is weak or badly placed. Moving it to a central, elevated spot — not the basement, not behind the TV — often fixes it.
• Slow in one or two far rooms: coverage problem. Wired access points or a properly designed mesh beat a cheap extender repeating an already weak signal.
• Slow on one device only: it’s the device — old Wi-Fi hardware, a phone mid-update, or a laptop doing a background backup. The network is fine.

When it’s neither

Sometimes both tests look fine and things still crawl. The usual culprits: a scheduled cloud backup eating all the upload during work hours, an old router that can’t handle today’s device count, or ISP slowdowns in the evening when the whole street is streaming. We see all three regularly across the Shuswap.

What we check on a visit

On-site, we test the line, map signal by room, check how many devices the network is serving and look at what’s running in the background. You get a straight answer: whether it’s the provider, the equipment or the coverage — and what fixing it actually costs. Many visits end with a router repositioning and settings fix, not a new purchase.

Want it sorted?

Call 604-328-8757 or email service@ithings.ca. We’ll test your line and your Wi-Fi separately and tell you honestly which one is slowing you down.

iThings Service — local IT support in Salmon Arm and the BC Interior. $50/hour, 7 AM–11 PM daily.