Is it your WiFi or your internet? A 5-minute check

Published 9 November 2026 · SepoooTools blog

"The internet is slow again!" Every home hears this. But "internet" is really two things: the line that comes into your home, and the WiFi that carries it from the router to your phone. If you fix the wrong one, you waste money and time.

Here is a simple check that takes about five minutes. You only need your phone or laptop.

📶 Start the free WiFi & speed check

The 5-minute check

1. Stop downloads, streaming and updates on other devices for a moment.
2. Open the speed test. Choose "Same room as router" and press Start.
3. Walk to the room where it feels slow. Choose "Other room" or "Other floor" and test again.
4. If you have a LAN cable, do one more test with the cable plugged into the router.
5. Look at the "WiFi or line?" box. It compares the tests for you.

How to read the answer

Fast next to the router, slow in other rooms → it's your WiFi. The line is fine. The signal just doesn't reach far enough.

Slow everywhere, even with a cable → it's probably your line or the router. That's a job for your provider. Read Internet slower than your contract? How to prove it.

Speed is fine, but calls still break up → look at ping and jitter. High jitter (over 20 ms) makes calls choppy even when the speed number looks good. Often the cause is busy WiFi or a device using the connection in the background.

Free fixes for weak WiFi

Try these first. They cost nothing:

• Move the router. Put it high up, in the middle of the home, not on the floor, not in a cupboard and not behind the TV.
• Restart it. Unplug the router for 30 seconds. This clears many small problems.
• Use 5 GHz when you are close. It is faster but does not go through walls well. 2.4 GHz is slower but reaches further.
• Stay away from microwaves and baby monitors. They can disturb 2.4 GHz WiFi.
• Update the router. Most routers (for example the FRITZ!Box) can update themselves. Check the settings.
• Count your devices. TVs, consoles and cameras all share the same WiFi. Pause what you don't need.

When a small purchase makes sense

If the free fixes don't help and the line is fine, one of these usually solves it. Buy only after the test shows a WiFi problem:

• LAN cable for a PC, TV or console that doesn't move. Cheapest and most stable.
• Powerline adapters send the internet through your power sockets. Good for thick walls or another floor.
• Mesh WiFi uses two or three units to cover a big flat or a house. Best for many rooms.
• A WiFi repeater is the cheapest option for one weak room, but it often halves the speed.

• Powerline adapters on Amazon
• Mesh WiFi systems on Amazon
• LAN cables (Cat 6) on Amazon

Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen.

A quick word on Mbit/s and MB/s

Speed tests show Mbit/s (megabits). Download apps often show MB/s (megabytes). One byte is 8 bits, so 100 Mbit/s is about 12.5 MB/s. If your download app says 11 MB/s on a 100 Mbit line, that is actually fine. More here: KB, MB and GB explained.

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