Accuracy of Speedtest function of Orbi app

Guru - Experienced User

Oct 16, 2023

Any of the "speed test" web sites measure the entire path between the test device and the host, which can be affected by network congestion anywhere along the path. Thus, the observed speed will vary over time as network conditions change. It is a bit annoying that the version included in the Orbi firmware does not report which server was selected to perform the test (as the web and PC versions do).

Your sense is correct: it should not be possible for a device connected to the Orbi to register a higher speed than the Orbi router itself measures unless the CPU load on the router is so high that it cannot devote enough processing power to the SpeedTest application or the Orbi version has made a poor choice of which Speed Test host to use. One would not expect the difference between what the router reports and what a wired PC reports to be large. What sort of difference do you observe?

I have found that the different test sites give slightly different results. I just ran these on my Spectrum connection:

Whereas the Orbi firmware version of SpeedTest reports 227, then 97, and then 374 in three tests run one after another!

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Accuracy of Speedtest function of Orbi app