How does this Etheric Networks speed test work?

This Etheric Networks speed checker begins by determining your Etheric Networks connection and then selecting the speedtest server closest near you.

When you click the GO button it will send packets of information from the speed test server to your device.

The Etheric Networks speed test is powered by Ookla and measures the ping (latency), download speed & upload speed between your device and the selected test server.

The total that it takes this packet to arrive and return from the server establishes your Etheric Networks broadband speed.

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How reliable is the Etheric Networks internet speedtest?

This Etheric Networks Speedtest is powered by Ookla which one of the most popular broadband connection speed test and provides accurate and consistent testing experience and results.

By automatically selecting a speedtest server closest to your location, this eliminates latency and bottlenecks which may distort performance metrics.

Ookla has a global network of over ten thousand speedtest servers in over 190 countries.

Source: Guide to Ookla’s methodology

To improve the accurateness of your test, it is recommended to run the Etheric Networks speedtest from a device connected directly to the Etheric Networks gateway modem or router.

This will help give an accurate result on the performance of your Etheric Networks broadband connection and assist to elimate the wireless related issues.

If you cannot connect your device directly into your Etheric Networks modem or router, ensure that the device that you are running this test is as near the modem or router as possible. Run the speed test at least twice and from two different devices to ensure that the issue is not on one of the devices.

What do the results from my Etheric Networks speed test mean?

What is the Ping metric mean?

Ping is also called latency which in internet connectivity terms means the time (or delay) it takes for information to traverse from one device to another. In this case, from your device using the Etheric Networks internet connection to the closest Ookla test server.

Ping sends information to another computer (in this case, the Ookla test server) and measures in milliseconds (ms) the total time it takes to get a reply back.

If the other device is far away or the network is busy it will take longer to receive a reply and therefore the ping value will be high.

This Etheric Networks speed checker will automatically choose a speed test server nearest to your location which will eliminate latency and bottlenecks which can skew performance results.

A quick ping (low ms value) means a faster Etheric Networks internet connection.

What’s a good ping result?

A typical ping rate to a device in the same city should be lower than 20ms. A good ping rate between cities you would expect to see ping values between 30-60ms, and between continents that figure can be over >200ms.

The speed test above will display the location of the Ookla test server so that you may determine whether your ping result is good.

What’s Jitter?

All data (e.g. an email, image, video, voice call, etc) is sent across the internet as a series of small packets. These packets generally move at a constant rate and are rebuilt back together at the destination.

Jitter is the rate of delay during the transmission of the packets.

Try to think of it similar to running a tap and then increasing or decreasing the flow rate of the running water coming out. When the flow becomes abnormal (because of the increasing and decreasing), the Jitter value goes up – which is not a good thing.

You don’t normally notice jitter because networking devices can smooth it out however, you will be aware of jitter whilst on a video and voice calls because the internet connection will momentarily disconnect or break-up.

Etheric Networks Download and Upload speed metrics explained

Read More:What does the Download and Upload speed results on my Etheric Networks speed test mean?

Likely causes of Etheric Networks slow internet performance

There may be a number of possible reasons why your Etheric Networks internet connection is not performing. Whilst we are unable address each and every possible cause, we have listed a number of common possibilities.

Based on your Etheric Networks internet setup, some of the suggestions may not be applicable in your scenario. Hopefully they may trigger possible reasons or get you on the right path to resolve the problem.

Is it the Etheric Networks internet that is slow or is it your device (PC/laptop/phone)?

You need to check how many apps are concurrently open on your device that could be utilising your system resources (mainly RAM memory and CPU) and your Etheric Networks broadband internet bandwidth.

If you’re on a PC, you may use the task manager to check your CPU and memory utilisation.

On other devices you could try restarting the device which should hopefully shut down all applications that may be running in the background.

Re-run the Etheric Networks speed test on the personal computer and your smart phone to see how the speedtest results compare between the 2 devices.

This should hopefully provide you with some info to work with in terms of whether the problem lies with your device or the Etheric Networks internet connection.

• What does the Etheric Networks download and upload speed actually mean?
• 5 Ways to Speed Up Your Etheric Networks Internet Speed
• DNS hack to speed up internet browsing on your Etheric Networks broadband

Is the Wifi connection the problem?

The root cause of the issue could be the Wifi connection and not the Etheric Networks broadband internet connection.

You could rule out the Wifi network network being the cause of the issue by connecting your computer directly to the Etheric Networks internet modem or router using an ethernet cable and run the Etheric Networks speedtest again.

If performance improves when you’re connected via an ethernet cable then this suggests that the fault may be with the Wifi network.

Other things to verify are:

• Are the WiFi channels you’re using for your Wi-Fi network network (SSID) overlapping with your neighbors?
• Is your Wireless frequency congested? Maybe you should consider switching to 5Ghz?
• Is your wireless signal from the modem or router obstructed?
• Does the performance improve when you are standing directly in-front of the Etheric Networks Wifi network modem/router?

The amount of devices connected to your internal network

Every device that is connected to your home network or Wireless network is utilizing the same Etheric Networks broadband internet connection.

If you have several devices on the internet, streaming films, streaming music, downloading or uploading files, video conferencing, etc, this may have an impact on the speed of your Etheric Networks broadband internet connection because the bandwidth has to be shared between all the devices.

Do you know how many devices are connected to your Etheric Networks internet connection? Do not forget about all the smart home devices, CCTV cameras, door cameras, Alexa/Google home hub or other similar devices that are continually connected.

Who is connected to my Wifi network?

• Have you checked that your wireless network password has not been compromised?
• Do you have an unsecured Guest Wifi network?

Nearby Neighbors could be using your Wifii network and using up all your Etheric Networks internet bandwidth downloading, uploading, streaming or running peer-to-peer file sharing over your Etheric Networks internet connection. Worse than that, they could be carrying out unlawful activities.

There are 2 apps that you may use to scan your wireless network to see who is connected:

• MS Windows users can use Wireless network watcher
• MAC users can use whoFi (who is on my Wifi)

Both applications will scan your Wifi network and display a list of the connected devices.

As an alternative, log into the Etheric Networks wireless router to see who is logged in to your Wi-Fi network.

Check out the tutorial on how to use both Apps

Wireless signal strength

If the device is not picking up a strong signal it will have an effect on the throughput, speed and internet performance irrespective of how fast your Etheric Networks internet connection is.

Situations that may affect your wireless signal are;

• Walls, doors or floors between your device and the Etheric Networks internet modem or router
• Household appliances such as baby monitors and microwaves
• Overlapping Wi-Fi network signal from your next-door neighbours
• General distance between your device and the Etheric Networks broadband internet modem or router.

Do I need a wireless network signal booster for my Etheric Networks broadband internet?

If you discover that you have Wi-Fi blackhole in your house, a Wifi signal extender also know as a wireless booster is the fix to increase your signal strength across the home.

The Wifi booster simply picks up the existing Wifi signal as it is becoming weak and then re-transmits the Wifi signal at a stronger rate to boost its coverage.

Place the Wifi network booster/extender where the Wifi signal from the Etheric Networks broadband internet router or model is becoming weak. Roughly where the wireless signal drops down to two bars. You can use your phone to determine where this is.

Health of your Device

Viruses or malware may slow your device and consequently the performance on your device. Viruses or malware may be working silently and concealed in the behind the scenes download and uploading information and thus slowing the performance of your whole internal network down.

When was the last time you ran a full Virus and Malware check on the device?

When’s the last time your Etheric Networks internet modem or router was rebooted?

In the same way as other Internet Service Providers, Etheric Networks’s broadband infrastructure is continually upgraded to support new features and changes in technology. Likewise, the internet routers or modem at your home will also periodically need to be updated to support changes in the Etheric Networks broadband internet network.

The update could be in the form of a software update or an upgrade of the physical Etheric Networks modem/router hardware to a the newest version.

You may be able to perform the software update by logging into the Etheric Networks modem/router. If you cannot do this or are not confident doing this, get in touch with Etheric Networks and they are able to either do this for you or guide you through it.

The type and age of the device

Newer computers, phones and other internet-enabled devices are generally faster than old devices due to advancements in networking technology and protocols.

Do you experience the same issues or newer devices?

Is the issue external to your property?

This is one of the most likely reasons for Etheric Networks internet issues. There are miles of cabling involved to bring the Etheric Networks broadband internet connection to your home.

The issue may be with the physical cabling that comes into your property and terminates into the modem or router in your property.

You should contact Etheric Networks who should be able to conduct the relevant line checks to see if there is a issue on the Etheric Networks broadband internet line.