Network Speed Test: Diagnosing Your Home LAN Bottlenecks

WAN vs LAN

A standard web-based speed test checks your WAN (Wide Area Network). But a network speed test often needs to check your LAN (Local Area Network). If you are streaming Plex or transferring files to a NAS, your local gigabit switch matters more than your ISP.

Tools to Use

For a true local network speed test, professional tools like iPerf3 are the gold standard. They measure the raw throughput between two computers in your house, eliminating the internet variable.