How does the Windstream speedtest work?

The Windstream speedtest begins by determining your Windstream connection and then selecting the speedtest server closest to your location.

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

The Windstream speedtest is powered by Ookla and measures the ping (latency), download speed & upload speed from your device and the test server.

The total that it takes this data to arrive and return from the server establishes your Windstream internet speed.

How reliable is the Windstream internet connection speedtest?

The Windstream speed test is powered by Ookla which one of the most popular internet connection speedtest and provides accurate and consistent testing experience and results.

By automatically choosing a speed test server closest to your location, this eliminates latency & bottlenecks which may distort performance metrics.

Ookla has a worldwide network of over 10,000 speedtest servers in over 190 countries.

Source: Ookla reliable speedtests

To improve the accurateness of your test, we would recommend that you run the Windstream speed tester from a device directly connected to the Windstream gateway modem or router.

This will help to provide an accurate reflection on the performance of your Windstream broadband connection and assist to rule out the wireless related issues.

If you are unable to connect your device directly into the Windstream modem or router, make sure that the device you are running the test is as close the modem or router as possible. Also run the speedtest at least twice and from two separate devices to make sure that the issue is not on the device.

Exactly what do the results from my Windstream speed test mean?

What does the Ping metric mean?

Ping is also referred to as latency which in internet connectivity terms means the time (or delay) it takes for data to travel from one device to another. In this case, from your device using the Windstream broadband connection to the nearest server.

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

If the Ookla test server is far or the network is congested then it may take more time to receive a response and the ping value will be high.

This Windstream speedtest will automatically select a speed test server closest to your location which will eliminate latency and bottlenecks that can distort performance results.

A fast ping (low ms value) means a more responsive Windstream broadband connection.

What is a good ping rate?

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

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

What is Jitter?

All data (for example an email, image, video, voice call, etc) is sent across the internet as a series of small packets. The packets typically move at a regular rate and are put back together at the destination.

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

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

You do not ordinarily notice jitter because networking devices can smooth it out however, you will be aware of jitter while on a video and voice calls because the internet connection will momentarily hang or break-up.

Windstream Download and Upload speed metrics explained

Find out More:What does the Download and Upload speed results on my Windstream speed test mean?

Possible causes of Windstream slow broadband internet performance

There may be several reasons why your Windstream internet connection is not performing as expected. While we are unable tackle every possible cause, we have listed a number of common possibilities.

Depending on your Windstream broadband internet setup, some of the suggestions may not be relevant in your case. Hopefully they may trigger possible reasons or get you heading in the right direction to fix the fault.

Is it your Windstream internet that is slow or could it be your device (PC/laptop/phone)?

You may need to check how many apps are currently open on your device that may be utilizing your system resources (mainly RAM memory and CPU) and your Windstream internet connection bandwidth.

If you are on a computer, you can use the task manager to see your CPU and RAM utilization.

On any other device you should try restarting the device which should hopefully shut down all apps that may have been running in the background.

Run the Windstream speedtest on the PC and your phone to see how the speedtest results compare between the 2 devices.

Hopefully the will give you some information to work with in terms of if the problem lies with your device or the Windstream broadband internet connection.

• What does the Windstream download and upload speed mean?
• 5 Ways to Speed Up Your Windstream internet connection Speed
• DNS hack to speed up internet browsing on your Windstream internet connection

Is the Wi-Fi network connection the problem?

The root cause of the fault could be your Wifi connection and not the Windstream broadband internet connection.

You can rule out the Wifi network being the cause of the problem by connecting your PC directly into the Windstream internet modem or router using a network cable and run the Windstream speed checker again.

If speed is better when you’re connected via a cable then this proves that the fault could be with the Wifi network.

Other things to investigate are:

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

Number of devices connected to your home network

Every device that is connected to your home network or Wifi network is utilising the same Windstream broadband internet connection.

If you have multiple devices browsing the web, streaming videos, streaming music, downloading or uploading files, video conferencing, etc, this will have an impact on the performance of your Windstream broadband internet connection because the available bandwidth has to be split between all the devices.

Do you know how many devices are connected to the Windstream internet connection? Don’t forget about all the smart home devices, CCTV cameras, door cameras, Google or Alexa home hub or other similar devices that are continually connected.

Who’s connected to my Wi-Fi network?

• Check that your Wi-Fi network password has not been compromised?
• Do you have an open Guest wireless network?

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

There are two applications that you may use to scan your Wifi network to see who is connected:

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

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

Alternatively, log into your Windstream wireless router to find out who is logged in to your Wi-Fi network.

Have a look at this guide on how to use these applications

Wi-Fi signal strength

If your device is unable to pick up a strong signal it will affect on the throughput, speed and internet performance regardless of how fast the Windstream internet connection is.

Situations that may affect your wireless signal are;

• Walls, doors or floors between the device and the Windstream broadband internet modem or router
• Household appliances such as baby monitors and microwaves
• Overlapping Wi-Fi network signal from your neighbors
• Long distance between your device and the Windstream broadband internet modem or router.

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

If you find that you have Wifi black spot at your house, a wireless signal extender aka a Wifi booster is the fix to boost your signal strength across your home.

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

Locate the Wifi booster/extender where the Wifi signal from the Windstream internet router or model is starting to become weak. Roughly where your wireless signal drops down to two bars. You can use your phone to determine where this is.

Health of your Device

Viruses and malware may slow your device and the performance of your device. Viruses or malware may be working quietly and concealed in the background download and uploading information and thus slowing the performance of the whole internal network down.

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

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

Just like other Internet Service Providers, Windstream’s broadband infrastructure is continually upgraded to support new features and changes in technology. Similarly, the broadband internet routers or modem at your home will also occasionally require an update to support changes in the Windstream internet infrastructure.

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

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

The type and age of the device

The latest PCs, smart phones and other internet-enabled devices will be generally faster than older devices due to developments in networking technology and protocols.

Are you seeing the same problems or newer devices?

Is the problem external to your house?

This is one of the most common reasons for Windstream internet connectivity problems. There are miles of cabling used to bring the Windstream internet connection to your home.

The issue may be with the physical connection that comes into your home and goes into the modem or router in your house.

You should get in touch with Windstream who will be able to conduct the relevant line tests to see if there is a fault on the Windstream broadband internet connection.