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GETTING A STABLE signal is one thing, but
are your devices performing to their best?
Network speeds vary for all kinds of reasons,
so how do you go about testing each device in
your home to confirm things are working as
well as they can be? Devices connected to your
router’s Gigabit Ethernet ports shouldn’t have
any issues – the 1Gbps speed is as good as it
gets and more than capable of utilising the full
bandwidth of your internet connection.
Wi-Fi is a different matter entirely, though.
The quoted maximum speeds (300Mbps for
2.4GHz connections, more for 5GHz
networks) fall off rapidly the moment you
move even a relatively small distance fromhas the strongest Wi-Fi signal). Once done, install
the free app on your Apple TV to verify its
streaming performance isn’t being hamstrung by
its location in relation to your router. Then install
the app on your MacBook, iPhone and/or iPad
and run tests from different parts of your home.
Perform your first test next to the router to see
what your device’s maximum speed should be.
Once done, sketch a rough floorplan for each
level in your home on paper, then record the
results of your benchmark results in different
rooms to determine where the signal is weakest.
Armed with your findings, you’ll be able to focus
your improvements on the areas that need it.Test your home network performance
CHECK OUT THE TR ANSFER SPEEDS BETWEEN YOUR DEVICES.
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g or receiving.your router. So how do you determine what
speeds you’re getting? The answer is to
benchmark transfer rates between different
devices on your network. One solution that
works across Mac, iOS and tvOS is Lakehorn’s
Network Speed Tester – one Mac acts as a
server, and then all other devices perform tests
against it. The Mac version costs $5.99 through
the Mac App Store, but the mobile versions are
completely free. The guide below reveals how
to use this tool to benchmark network
performance anywhere in your home.
If possible, make the server one of your
Macs that is connected to your router via
Ethernet cable (or, failing that, is the one that01
SET UP A SERVER
Once you’ve installed Network Speed
Tester on all your devices, open the Mac
version to start the server. Now open it on the first
mobile device you want to test, wait for it to detect
your Mac as the server, then tap ‘Start Test’.03
REPEAT THE TESTS
Move to another part of your home
and repeat the test. Consider running
the test at each location three times to provide
more accurate results. Repeat the experiment for
other devices – and test your 5GHz network too.02
PERFORM SPEED TEST
Your first test should be performed as close
to the router as possible to ascertain the
maximum speed. Leave it running for at least a minute
to get an accurate result. Once complete, make a note
of the min, max and average figures.[ STEP BY STEP ]
TEST YOUR HOME NET WORK PERFORMANCESUPERGUIDEIMPROVE YOUR HOMENETWORK