DEFINITIVE GUIDE – Understanding Internet Speeds

Understanding internet speeds

Many factors affect the home internet service you purchased from Jetspot and influence the actual internet speed you experience at any given time. Learn what factors influence your internet speeds.

Internet service levels & speeds

Your Service Capability Speed (internet speed) is the rate we deliver internet traffic to and from your home. Many factors affect the internet service you purchased from Jetspot and influence the actual internet speed you experience at any given time.

Through the wiring in your home.
Between your connected computers and devices and your modem or gateway.
Through the Network Device located outside your home to the Jetspot Network.
From the Jetspot Network to the internet, which has millions of private networks.

Internet speed

Each internet service option has a different capability speed range. The term speed is used to describe the rate a particular broadband internet access service can transmit data. This capacity is measured by the number of kilobits (Kbps), megabits (Mbps), or gigabits (Gbps) that can be transmitted in one second.
Some applications don’t require higher speeds to function optimally. Examples of these applications include sending short emails without attachments or basic Web browsing. Other activities perform better with higher-speed services. This includes transferring large data files or streaming high-definition video.


Factors impacting internet speed

Jetspot broadband network

Jetspot delivers internet service to your home through wireless or copper or fiber wiring, depending on the internet service you have purchased.
Wireless and lower broadband services are usually wired using copper.
Most high speed broadband services deliver internet via fiber network.
Jetspot Fiber delivers internet directly to your home using 100% fiber network.

Home network

Many factors inside your home affect the rate you send or receive internet data. These include:
Age of wiring inside your home
Distance between the gateway and your device
Age and type of gateway or router
Number of devices connected to the gateway
Type of connection used

Connection types

You can access your internet through a wired Ethernet connection or a Wi-Fi connection.
Wired connections use Cat5e or Cat6 cables plugged into the Ethernet port on your wall or gateway. These connections provide the best performance, consistently.
Wi-Fi connections give you flexibility to move throughout your home, but it isn’t as fast as a wired connection. You get the best Wi-Fi signal closest to your gateway, with fewer devices running.

Type and number of devices

Internet devices come in all shapes and sizes. Each device has a maximum internet speed it can reach. But, that speed might not be as fast as your possible internet service level. For example, if your laptop only supports 100Mbps and you have 1Gbps internet service, your laptop will not be able to reach the maximum speed.When devices connect to your network, they each use a portion of your allotted speed. Multiple devices sharing your internet connection can affect the speed each device experiences.

TV and internet speed

Your TV and internet enter your home through the same terminal. Using both services at the same time consumes more available bandwidth and can affect your internet download speeds. For example, in certain speed tiers, watching multiple HD TV shows at the same time as very data-intensive internet usage, such as downloading an entire HD movie file on your laptop, may lead to reduced internet speeds as compared with such speeds when no other uses are placed on the home network.

Other networks and websites you visit

Even though you purchased a specific speed and the Jetspot network is highly reliable, the websites you interact with may not provide their services at the same speeds.

Things to consider as you surf websites:
Websites may not have the same network speeds as you.
Website server capacity can impact your Internet speeds.

Additional impacts on internet speed performance and Speed Test results

As noted, many factors can affect service speeds and speed test results. These include:
Customer equipment
Connection type
Network issues
Internet usage

In addition, protocol overheads, such as IP overhead in IP technology, diminish internet speed and speed test results. Overhead(s) means the various control and signaling data (e.g., transmission control protocol (TCP) required to achieve the reliable transmission of Internet access data.

Tools & troubleshooting

The Jetspot Speed Test is available at to help you measure your connectivity speeds and gauge the maximum performance of your internet service at the time of measurement.

Testing speed over a wired connection ensures you have the most accurate reading of your Jetspot internet service. Wi-Fi delivers good, but slower speeds due to the wireless technology and its limitations.

Optimize your speed

If you’ve found your speeds aren’t performing as you like, learn how to optimize your connection.
Read this and this, this and this.

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