COVID-19 drove most people to seek in-home streaming entertainment, and many to work from home, and that trend continues. It is definitely slowing down the Internet as we discussed in this article. Internet can slow as much as 75% during some hours of heavy video streaming. All ISPs are experiencing that, not just LCWA.
But if someone sends us an internet speed test result that is extremely low in the middle of the day, and they claim LCWA is not delivering, it’s usually because the person ran the speed test incorrectly.
There are two main pipeline components of delivering internet. One is the speed we deliver to your rooftop radio. The second is the speed from the in-home router, through WiFi, and through your computer/phone to the speed test site. 90% of the time it’s the second that slows down a users speed test; in-house Wi-Fi is particularly problematic with many possible slow down factors.
So, members have to decide this when they do a speed test: are they trying to test what LCWA is delivering to them? Or are they looking for speed issues inside their home Wi-Fi system. LCWA is only interested in the first: how well we are delivering to the house. And the instructions below show how to best test that.
But for the the second: in-house speed issues like Wi-Fi… LCWA generally does not get involved in solving those issues, so don’t send us test results for that. Other than offering a new router (which often solves in-house speed issues), all we can do is refer you to paid professionals who can help evaluate all the components of your in-home network.
We ask this: before writing us complaining that LCWA is not delivering adequate speed, run a test correctly in a way that isolates the issues correctly. Here is a guide on how to do that.
Here Are the Steps you Must Take to Run a Speed Test Correctly:
Use the Correct Speed Test Site, in the Correct Way
- Only use the test site at http://lcwireless.speedtestcustom.com/ to run your test. Nearly all other test sites are incompatible with the special radio network that LCWA uses, and they will show incorrectly low speeds.
- Once at that test site, make sure you choose the correct server to test against. That would be CenturyLink Albuquerque, NM. (Do Not choose the likely default CyberMesa Santa Fe, it has issues in wrongly displaying very slow upload speeds. And avoid servers in other states). The server is displayed below the big GO button. If the correct server is not chosen, click the arrow or server link at that same spot.
- Run the speed test 3 to 5 times in a row and throw out the lowest results, which may be erroneous.
- Also, wait about an hour and run the tests again—some slowdowns are very temporary (see Correct Timing below).
Use the Correct Hardware
- Run this test with the computer plugged directly into one of the router’s Ethernet ports using a good Ethernet cable. If your computer does not have an Ethernet port read this article on how to buy an adapter: https://lcwireless.net/you-should-consider-buying-an-add-on-ethernet-adapter-for-your-laptop-or-tablet/
- Per the point above, Do Not run the test over Wi-Fi. No matter how close your device is to the Wi-Fi router, there can be too many sources of Wi-Fi interference or signal weakness in your house or device to get an accurate speed test reading of the LCWA incoming speed. Do not contact us stating LCWA speed is slow until you run the test over Ethernet! You are wasting our volunteer’s time if you do and we will dismiss your request for evaluation immediately.
- Obviously, if you run a speed test on your smartphone, then you are using Wi-Fi, and the results are meaningless to LCWA. Rather, only run the speed test on a device (usually a computer) with Ethernet plugged in.
- Be sure it’s a computer that has an up to date OS and good recent hardware. Old or out of date computers can have slow network cards and/or run slowly.
- Repeat the test using multiple computers or ethernet connected devices. Some devices, even if new, are slower than others.
Reboot Your Computer
- Reboot your device/computer just before the test. This is very important. Network processes can get stuck in a computer that has not been recently rebooted. Coincidentally, this morning my internet was very slow. I rebooted the computer and internet came back up to full speed. This is often the issue.
Use the Correct Timing
- Do not run the test between 6 PM and 12 midnight. Otherwise the reading will be subject to the Netflix Hours effect: too many movies being streamed across our entire LCWA network and slowing your internet down. This has gotten much worse with COVID-19, with so many people being home. Expect up to a 75% drop in speed due to this during those hours. This issue is being experienced by all internet service providers, not just us—in fact, we’re doing better than most in responding to it. We continue to beef up our backbone systems to respond to the surge in usage. By the way you should help your neighbors out and only stream standard definition movies; not HD and especially not 4K movies.
- To a lesser extent, the same slowdown can be expected during work hours due to so many members doing virtual meetings and schooling. Expect up to a 25% drop in speed due to this, with some locations also experiencing a 50% drop in speed.
- Be sure no one else, or any other device in the house, is using the internet when you do the speed test. If someone is gaming or watching a movie when you do the test, the test will be slow. Or if someone is downloading or uploading music files or work files; or working within a virtual meeting. If your Sonos system is playing music then it’s taking up internet speed. All those things will slow down your internet on the test device during the test, and lead to an inaccurate result. Turn them all off before testing.
- Same with big OS system upgrade downloads that might be going on in the background. So perhaps shutdown other computers while doing the test if you suspect that might be ongoing.
Try to Eliminate Router Issues
- Power cycle your router (unplug the power, wait 2 minutes, plug back in) before running the test. Routers can get partially stuck and slow down greatly over time. A power cycle can clear that.
- If your router is older than 2 years old, get a new airCube router from us. Old routers can run slowly, even if power cycled. Plus, the airCube router allows us to run diagnostics on your location that can identify speed bottlenecks.
Next Steps
The tips above are all designed to isolate other internet demands and provide an accurate test of what LCWA is delivering to your house. Don’t send us a speed test result unless you follow them all.
Even with all this done right, though, keep in mind that LCWA speed service levels are “up to levels” and you will only rarely see 100% of the full rated speed. With extra internet use during the COVID-19 crisis, if you are on average seeing speeds of 50% of your service level at times, consider your speed as being normal—there is no need to contact us.
However, if after you attend to all the points above—especially using Ethernet—and you still seem to be getting very slow speeds on your speed test, well below the expectations we set above, then yes, contact LCWA support at: tech.support@lcwireless.net. The first thing we will do is check your rooftop radio remotely. Sometimes the radio might be having issues or be out of alignment. If we find that it is good, we will then suggest you get our new router standard, the airCube, and we will prep one for you to pick up ($33 total)—that usually fixes issues.
And if you isolate correctly using an Ethernet wire, but Wi-Fi tests slow, note that there are many more tips on how to optimize your in-house speed at this link: https://lcwireless.net/lcwa-internet-speed-truths/
Also, if you do narrow your issues down to slow WiFi, but Ethernet runs fast, and replacing your router does not fix it, consider running Ethernet wires throughout your house to use during critical business and schooling hours. I know they are unsightly, but it might be your only solution. Read this article about how to do that.
Even after all the points above, keep in mind there are still many sources of possible slow speed in your house, especially slow Wi-Fi inside the house, that LCWA cannot know about or assist you with. You might have to hire a network professional to analyze your house and identify problems and fixes. Contact us for the name of a professional that knows LCWA well. Those who don’t know LCWA will often give you bad advice that does not work with our network.