AT&T speed test: check your Fiber or Internet Air speed
AT&T has its own speed test, and the Smart Home Manager app can test speed at the gateway. Here's how to test AT&T Fiber and Internet Air properly.
On AT&T Fiber, a wired test should come close to your plan in both directions. Test on a computer wired to the gateway, three times, with AT&T's test and a third-party test such as our speed test. Internet Air results vary more, with signal and time of day.
Fiber, Internet Air and older AT&T internet
AT&T sells three very different kinds of home internet, and what counts as a good result depends on which you have. AT&T Fiber runs fiber to your home and lists the same speed for downloads and uploads on most plans. AT&T Internet Air uses AT&T's cellular network, so results change with signal and time of day. Some addresses still have older AT&T internet over copper lines, which is much slower and can't be fixed with equipment changes.
How to run an accurate AT&T speed test
- Plug a laptop or desktop into the router with an Ethernet cable. Wi-Fi results mostly measure your Wi-Fi.
- Pause downloads, streaming, cloud backups and game updates on every device.
- Close other browser tabs and apps on the test device.
- Run the test three times, a few minutes apart, and use the middle result.
- Test once in the evening (7 to 11 p.m.) too; that is when networks are busiest.
AT&T's own speed test vs. other tests
AT&T's speed test, AT&T's speed test on att.com, measures to a server on AT&T's network. Third-party tests such as Ookla Speedtest, Cloudflare and Fast.com can use servers outside it. Provider tests can read a little higher because the data never leaves AT&T's network. If both show low wired results, the problem is the connection; if only one does, try a different server.
Test the gateway, not just your device
AT&T's Smart Home Manager app can test speed to the gateway and show connected devices. On Fiber, gigabit and faster plans need a wired device with a fast enough Ethernet port to see full speed; many laptops top out near 940 Mbps.
AT&T Fiber installs usually include a small box where the fiber enters your home, connected to the Wi-Fi gateway. If the fiber box shows a red or blinking light, the problem is the line, not your Wi-Fi, and support needs to check it. If its lights are normal but the gateway's Wi-Fi is slow, restart the gateway and test wired before calling.
What a good result looks like
| Measure | Good result |
|---|---|
| Download (wired) | Close to your plan, often 90% or more |
| Download (Wi-Fi, same room) | Often 50% to 80% of the plan, depending on router and device |
| Upload | Close to the upload speed listed for your plan |
| Ping | Under 30 ms is good; under 50 ms is fine for most uses |
Wi-Fi results vary with the router, the device's Wi-Fi version, distance and walls.
Testing gig and multi-gig Fiber plans
A 1 Gig plan shows around 940 Mbps on a wired test because of Ethernet overhead. That's a full-speed result. Plans faster than 1 Gig need every part of the chain to keep up: the gateway port, the cable and the computer's network adapter must all support 2.5, 5 or 10 Gbps. Most laptops have no Ethernet port at all, and many desktops top out at 1 Gbps, so a multi-gig plan can look slow when the device is the limit.
Wi-Fi rarely reaches multi-gig speeds even on new gateways. Use a wired test for the plan check and a Wi-Fi test to see what devices get in each room. Test your Wi-Fi room by room to find weak spots.
AT&T Internet Air
Internet Air uses AT&T's cellular network, so speeds depend on signal and network load. Test with the receiver in different windows and note the best spot; evening results are often lower than daytime ones.
Need help? See AT&T customer service and is AT&T down?.
Internet Air speed depends on where the receiver sits. Try a few windows, ideally upstairs and facing the nearest cell site, and run a test in each spot. Evening results are often lower than daytime ones because the cellular network is busier. If results stay low everywhere, ask AT&T whether Fiber is planned for your street, or compare other options at your address.
Gaming and video calls on AT&T
Fiber usually has low, steady ping, which makes it a good fit for gaming and video calls. If calls stutter while someone else is downloading, the cause is usually bufferbloat in the router rather than the line. See the best speed tests, compared for a test that measures it, and how to lower ping.
If your speeds are low
- Restart the modem or gateway: unplug for 60 seconds, then wait 5 minutes.
- Test wired. If wired is fast and Wi-Fi is slow, see how to boost your Wi-Fi or mesh vs. extender.
- Check the router can handle your plan: what router speed your plan needs.
- Check for an outage in AT&T's Smart Home Manager app.
- If wired results stay low, contact support with your results. See why is my internet slow?.
Questions
Why doesn't my AT&T Fiber 1 Gig test show 1,000 Mbps?
Gigabit Ethernet tops out around 940 Mbps after overhead, and Wi-Fi is lower. A wired result in the 900s is normal for a 1 Gig plan.
Is AT&T Fiber upload speed the same as download?
On most AT&T Fiber plans, upload and download speeds are listed as the same. Check your plan's broadband facts label.
Why is AT&T Internet Air slow at night?
It shares cellular capacity with nearby users, so speeds can drop when the network is busy. Placement near a window helps.
What do I need to test a multi-gig AT&T Fiber plan?
A computer with a 2.5 Gbps or faster Ethernet port, a Cat6 or better cable, and a multi-gig port on the gateway. If any part is limited to 1 Gbps, the test tops out around 940 Mbps.
Is AT&T Internet Air as fast as Fiber?
No. Internet Air uses the cellular network, so speeds are lower and vary with signal and network load.
What light should the AT&T fiber box show?
Normal lights mean the line is connected. A red or blinking light usually means a line problem that AT&T needs to fix.