---
title: "Internet slower than advertised? Speed checker · Kilobat"
url: "https://kilobat.app/internet-speed-checker"
description: "Enter your plan and a few speed tests. See how they compare with the advertised and guaranteed speeds, what the rules in your country say and what to do next."
---

Free checker · 9 countries’ rules

# Is your internet slower than advertised?

Enter your plan and a few speed tests from different times of day. See how they compare with the speed you were promised, what the rules where you live say, and what to do next.

[Check my speed ↓](https://kilobat.app/internet-speed-checker#checker) [Rules by country](https://kilobat.app/internet-speed-checker#countries)

Example · 500 Mbps plan**3 of 6 under the minimum**

- Wired
- Wi-Fi
- 7–11 pm

Fast on a cable in the morning, under the minimum most evenings: worth a complaint with dated tests.

The checker

## Your tests, against your plan.

Add each test with when it ran and whether the computer was on a cable or Wi-Fi. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Compare like with like

## Which number did your provider promise?

“Speed” can mean a plan, a radio link or an average. Check the label beside the number before you call a result slow.

| Figure | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised maximum | A headline or upper limit | Your address-specific estimate and contract |
| Typical or average speed | A summary over customers, a period or a test method | The stated busy period and measurement conditions |
| Minimum guaranteed speed | A commitment with conditions | Where it is measured and the remedy in your contract |
| Wi-Fi link speed | The local radio connection | It is not an internet download result |
| MB/s | Megabytes a second, not megabits | Multiply by eight: 10 MB/s is about 80 Mbps |

More in [average, advertised and minimum speed](https://kilobat.app/guides/broadband-average-vs-minimum-speed).

Before you complain

## Test it the way your provider will.

1. **Plug in a cable.**Connect one computer to a router LAN port with Ethernet and turn its Wi-Fi off. That takes your Wi-Fi out of the result.
2. **Quieten the house.**Pause your own large downloads and uploads. Note other people’s streaming and any VPN.
3. **Repeat at the bad time, and a quiet one.**Run the same test when the slowdown happens, often 7 to 11 pm, and at a quieter time. Keep every result, not just the lowest.
4. **Then on Wi-Fi, near the router.**Keep wired and Wi-Fi results apart. Wired fast and Wi-Fi slow points to coverage, interference or the device.

Slow only in the evening? Read [why the internet slows down at night](https://kilobat.app/guides/internet-slow-at-night). Down rather than slow? [Work out your outage credit](https://kilobat.app/outage-credit).

Rules by country

## What counts, and where to take it.

From each country’s complaint guide and its official sources. Choose your country in the checker and its route appears beside your results.

*FCC*

### United States

Keep the plan name, the advertised and typical speed wording and the broadband label, with when and where you got them.

If it isn’t resolved, the FCC’s internet complaint form has speed issues, including advertised speed and latency.

[Slow internet in the US →](https://kilobat.app/guides/us-internet-speed-fcc-complaint)

*Ofcom and ADR*

### United Kingdom

Your minimum guaranteed speed matters more than the headline average.

An unresolved formal complaint can go to the provider’s approved ADR scheme after eight weeks, or sooner with a deadlock letter.

[UK broadband below minimum speed →](https://kilobat.app/guides/uk-broadband-minimum-speed-complaint)

*Bundesnetzagentur*

### Germany

For a formal claim on home broadband, use Festnetz-Check, the Bundesnetzagentur’s desktop app: 30 measurements on three measuring days within 14 days, over a LAN cable.

Send the protocol to your provider with your contract and the remedy you want, and ask for a written reply.

[Slow internet in Germany →](https://kilobat.app/guides/germany-slow-internet-speed-reduction)

*CCTS*

### Canada

Keep download, upload, latency and disconnections apart, and record whether each test used Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

If it isn’t resolved, the CCTS’s consumer complaint service is free.

[Slow internet in Canada →](https://kilobat.app/guides/canada-slow-internet-ccts-complaint)

*TIO*

### Australia

Compare evening results with your plan’s typical evening speed, not its tier.

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman handles eligible disputes the provider hasn’t resolved. The ACCC doesn’t resolve individual speed disputes.

[Slow NBN speeds →](https://kilobat.app/guides/slow-nbn-speeds-complaint)

*TDR*

### New Zealand

For intermittent faults, include working and failing periods: a single speed test can miss a short interruption.

Telecommunications Dispute Resolution is free and independent; ordinary broadband disputes generally need your provider to be a member.

[Broadband problems in New Zealand →](https://kilobat.app/guides/new-zealand-broadband-tdr-complaint)

*Appellate authority*

### India

Write down the plan, the dates and whether it’s low speed, interruptions or one service.

If unresolved, appeal to the provider’s appellate authority, listed by TRAI, within its time limits.

[Broadband complaint in India →](https://kilobat.app/guides/india-broadband-complaint-appeal)

*Anatel*

### Brazil

Compare Ethernet with Wi-Fi on the same device and keep the conditions with each result.

If that fails, Anatel Consumidor, under Anatel’s conditions.

[Slow internet in Brazil →](https://kilobat.app/guides/brazil-internet-anatel-complaint)

*MIIT*

### China

Record the test server: a fast local test and a slow distant website measure different routes.

After an unsatisfactory reply, or none in time, MIIT’s appeal service covers disputes with telecom providers.

[Slow broadband in China →](https://kilobat.app/guides/china-broadband-provider-complaint)

Somewhere else? Start with [testing before you complain](https://kilobat.app/guides/internet-slower-than-advertised) and the [complaint letter template](https://kilobat.app/guides/broadband-complaint-letter), or find [your provider’s page](https://kilobat.app/internet-providers).

Kilobat · Recorded measurements

## Stop copying numbers from speed test screenshots.

Kilobat runs speed tests on your Mac and keeps each one with the server it reached, the connections it used, the network, Wi-Fi band, signal and VPN. Compare any two and it says what differed. Free:

- Router and internet latency side by side, so you can tell your Wi-Fi from the line. Free:
- A provider report with speed tests against your plan, as text or PDF. Free:
- The complaint pack: your request, every test, the outage timeline and plan against measured speed, in one PDF you send. Pro:
- Outage and latency history, and what an outage may qualify for. Pro:

[See the complaint pack](https://kilobat.app/internet-complaint) [Pro, $29 once](https://kilobat.app/#pricing)

Page 3: every speed test charted against the advertised speed and the guaranteed minimum, with evenings against the rest of the dayPage 2: the complaint letter, with the problem, the plan and contract wording, the measurements, the requested resolution and a date to reply byPage 1 of a sample complaint pack: the verdict, eight figures from advertised speed to time without internet, a credit estimate and the contents

Example complaint pack. Yours is built from your own measurements; you review every page before you send it.

## Questions

**Why is my internet slower than advertised?**

An advertised figure may be a maximum, a typical evening speed or a guaranteed minimum, and each means something different. Wi-Fi, other devices, a VPN and busy evening hours all lower a test. Compare like with like: a wired test against the figure your contract actually promises.

**Which speed should I compare my test with?**

The one your contract commits to. In the UK that is the minimum guaranteed speed from providers in Ofcom’s voluntary code. In Australia it is your plan’s typical evening speed, 7 pm to 11 pm. In Germany the contract names a minimum, a normally available and a maximum speed. In the US, don’t treat a typical speed as a guarantee unless the agreement says so.

**Is a Wi-Fi speed test enough?**

Not on its own. Wi-Fi adds its own slowdowns, and a Wi-Fi test alone may not measure your provider’s commitment. Test once with a cable to the router and keep wired and Wi-Fi results apart. If wired is fast and Wi-Fi slow, look at coverage, interference or the device.

**Mbps or MB/s?**

Plans are sold in megabits per second (Mbps). Many download windows show megabytes per second (MB/s). One byte is eight bits, so 10 MB/s is about 80 Mbps. The checker converts for you.

**Will I get a refund if my speed is too low?**

Not automatically. A low result is a reason to ask your provider to investigate. Remedies depend on your contract and where you live: Ofcom describes leaving without penalty in some cases, and Germany a price reduction proved with the official Breitbandmessung protocol.

**How does Kilobat help?**

Kilobat runs speed tests on your Mac and records the server, connections, network, Wi-Fi band, signal and VPN for each, and its provider report sets them against your plan. Both are free. Kilobat Pro’s complaint pack puts your request, every test, outages and plan against measured speed into one PDF you send, $29 once.

## Sources

- [FCC: internet complaint issues](https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/115002206106-Internet-Form-Descriptions-of-Complaint-Issues)
- [Ofcom: broadband faults, minimum speeds and complaints](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/broadband-wifi-help)
- [Ofcom: independent dispute resolution](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/adr-schemes)
- [Bundesnetzagentur: fixed and mobile speed evidence](https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Vportal/TK/InternetTelefon/Internetgeschwindigkeit/start.html)
- [Breitbandmessung: Festnetz-Check proof procedure](https://www.breitbandmessung.de/festnetz/nachweisverfahren)
- [Breitbandmessung: mobile proof procedure](https://www.breitbandmessung.de/mobilfunk/nachweisverfahren)
- [Bundesnetzagentur: ruling 35/2026 on mobile internet speeds](https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Breitband/Breitbandgeschwindigkeiten/_DL/Vfg35_2026.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=6)
- [Bundesnetzagentur: fixed-line measurement instructions](https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Fachthemen/Telekommunikation/Breitband/Breitbandgeschwindigkeiten/Handreichung_neu.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1)
- [CCTS: where to file a telecom complaint](https://www.ccts-cprst.ca/for-consumers/telecom-complaints/)
- [ACCC: broadband speeds](https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/telecommunications-and-internet/broadband-speeds)
- [Commerce Commission: broadband disputes and TDR](https://www.comcom.govt.nz/regulated-industries/telecommunications/telecommunications-for-consumers/what-to-do-when-you-have-a-dispute-with-your-broadband-or-mobile-provider/)
- [TRAI: complaint centres and appellate authorities](https://www.trai.gov.in/consumer-info/telecom/grievance-redressal-mechanism)
- [Anatel: provider contacts and complaint procedure](https://www.gov.br/anatel/pt-br/consumidor/contatos-das-prestadoras)
- [Anatel: quality and speed-test guidance](https://www.gov.br/anatel/pt-br/dados/qualidade/qualidade-dos-servicos/duvidas-frequentes/)
- [MIIT: telecom support and appeal contacts](https://www.miit.gov.cn/gzcy/cydh/art/2020/art_b8bb7aa47c684e97b188c31fb2dbe6de.html)
- [MIIT: telecom user appeal service](https://ythzxfw.miit.gov.cn/bssx/ssts/art/2025/art_88c44369b10b435d845d5a8b7e9d8fba.html)
- [China Mobile Beijing: broadband self-service checks](https://service.bj.10086.cn/bjyd/web/service/mobile/kdzz/index.html)
- [Cloudflare: what a speed test measures](https://speed.cloudflare.com/about/)

Checked on 6 November 2026.

## Test once. Then let Kilobat keep the record.

[Download for Mac ↓](https://kilobat.app/downloads/Kilobat-1.33.1.dmg?via=site)

```
brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat
```