Check internet speed on modem

If you mean that you want to check the speed directly from the modem without using wi-fi you can use an ethernet cable and an adapter such as:

Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Apple

or

Apple USB Ethernet Adapter - Apple

You can use one of these: Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Apple

@frazzm, while speed can be checked on wifi, it may often not be 100% accurate. A direct ethernet connection guarantees a more accurate measurement over wifi, which can be affected by interference from other electronic devices, distance from the router and obstacles such as walls and doors. Which is why often wifi will have a lower speed than a direct wired connection.

For an accurate speed test wired connection is always recommended.

I may misunderstand, but I have no problem checking the speed of my internet speed wirelessly. I have only wireless connection, no cables. I simply search for Internet Speed site--I use ookla but there are others.

frazzm737 wrote:

Thanks, Phil! I am getting more speed than I am paying for, even checked over wi-fi, so I am satisfied. As we say--close enough for government work!

Internet speeds are always some nebulous thing. I remember paying for a "6 Gbit/sec" cable internet connection for years, and every speed test would show anywhere from 20-30 Gbit/sec downloads unless it was right when everyone was home from work and sharing the cable internet.

However, there are all these little things that may affect how fast your speed test results show, that might not be an accurate gauge of how fast your modem/connection is. One is if you use a 100BASE-T ethernet. Another is encrypted WiFi. And for whatever reason, my 5 GHz connection is sower than my 2.4 GHz connection.

That is very interesting, because I have the exactly opposite situation. I was investigating my slow internet on 2.4 GHz connection when an Apple tech had me create a 5 GHz. That is my fast connection while the 2.4 connection is preferred by my external devices. Apparently, the 2.4 connection has wider range. Now that I am getting the speed I am paying for, I remain content and everything is working well.

The range on 5GHz is slightly lower, so if you are far from your Router, or have solid construction, you may see less throughput.

However, in crowded areas like apartment buildings, 2.4GHz is so crowded as to often be unusable.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

The range on 5GHz is slightly lower, so if you are far from your Router, or have solid construction, you may see less throughput.

However, in crowded areas like apartment buildings, 2.4GHz is so crowded as to often be unusable.

Tell me about it. 20 different neighbors hogging the 2.4GHz band makes it practically useless around here.

There's so much signal loss its not even funny. From around 45mbps in front of the router down to 15 or 20 in the dining room about 25 feet away. Its ridiculous.

frazzm737 wrote:

That is very interesting, because I have the exactly opposite situation. I was investigating my slow internet on 2.4 GHz connection when an Apple tech had me create a 5 GHz. That is my fast connection while the 2.4 connection is preferred by my external devices. Apparently, the 2.4 connection has wider range. Now that I am getting the speed I am paying for, I remain content and everything is working well.

Sure - I get much better range through walls with 2.4 GHz. I can't exactly figure out why 5 GHZ seems to be slower. It's set up with the same password. I'm talking in the same room with 4 solid bars.

After the Apple tech helped me set up the 5GHz connection, I had 2 networks with the same name and password. I finally changed the name of one network, so i would know which is which. I had spent a whole afternoon with Comcast tech in Honduras getting nowhere with my poor speed issue. As a last resort, I thought of trying Apple. Before then I had no idea that the 2 different connections existed. Perhaps many neighbors on the 2.4 band was what caused my poor speed. I have learned a lot and am now very happy with my speedy connection. Thanks to you and the others who have helped me understand this issue!

"Thunderbolt Ethernet has self-assigned IP address

that means, "nobody (no Router) will talk to me (and give me a good DHCP local IP address)"

If you have a separate Modem and Router, do not bypass the Router, connect the Ethernet cable to the Router. It will not be source of slowdowns.

Thanks, Phil! I am getting more speed than I am paying for, even checked over wi-fi, so I am satisfied. As we say--close enough for government work!

and how was the speed? what you expected? completely different? higher? lower?