Plume's built-in ISP Speed Test measures the speed of the link from your Gateway pod to your ISP using Ookla's speed test servers. If those results are not close to your ISP's advertised speed, these tests will help you find the cause.
Checking the Ethernet connection
The Ethernet connection between the Gateway pod and the modem/router should always be checked first if the ISP Speed Test results in a slower speed than 100 Mbps when the expected ISP download speed is greater than 125 Mbps.
- Make sure the Ethernet connection on the Gateway pod is secure and run the ISP Speed Test in the WorkPass app to get a baseline. If securing the connection fixes the issue, you can stop here.
- If the Gateway pod is plugged into a router, modem/router combo, or network switch, change the ports being used for the pod and run the ISP Speed Test from the app. If the results have improved and now match your expected speed, there may be an issue with the router, Gateway, or switch.
- Swap the Ethernet port being used on the SuperPod. Perform the ISP Speed Test again using the WorkPass app. If the results have improved, the port on the SuperPod may have an issue. Contact Plume support for the next steps.
- There may be an issue with the Ethernet cable itself. Swap the Ethernet cable with a known working cable and run the ISP Speed Test again.
If the results did not improve, the issue is not the Ethernet connection and you should continue troubleshooting based on your network setup:
- Plume is connected directly to the modem or Optical Network Terminal (ONT)
- Plume is connected to a separate router
- Plume is connected to an ISP provided modem/router combo (Residential Gateway)
Plume is connected directly to the modem or Optical Network Terminal (ONT)
- Power-cycle your modem for 30 seconds while keeping the Gateway pod still attached to it via Ethernet. Run the ISP Speed Test in the WorkPass app once again to get a baseline. If this result is fine, the issue may have been a temporary slow down of your ISP's connection.
- Unplug the pod from the modem or ONT and plug in a laptop/computer via Ethernet. You will need to Power-cycle the modem again. Wait until the Internet has come online.
- Open a web browser on the computer and go to plumewifi.speedtestcustom.com.
- Leave the server at the chosen default and click on GO to perform a speed test. Compare this to the result of the WorkPass app, which should be very similar.
- Check to see if your ISP has its own link to test speeds and use it to perform another speed test. If the results from this test better match your advertised speed, the cause of the different results may be due to the servers used for each test.
- If the test results are still poor, the issue may be with the modem, your ISP's connection, or wiring to the ONT. Contact your ISP for assistance.
Plume is connected to a separate router
- Disconnect all other Ethernet-connected devices from the router.
- Run the ISP Speed Test in the WorkPass app once again to get a baseline. If this result matches your expected speeds, the issue may be that the device(s) previously connected directly to the router was using bandwidth during the automatic Plume ISP Speed Tests.
- Disconnect the router and plug the pod directly into the modem or ONT. The modem will need to be power-cycled.
- Run the ISP Speed Test in the WorkPass app. If the results are good, the issue may be with the router.
- If the results are still poor, the issue may be with your modem or ISP's connection. Contact your ISP for assistance.
Plume is connected to an ISP provided modem/router combo (Residential Gateway)
- Disconnect all other Ethernet-connected devices from the modem/router.
- Run the ISP Speed Test in the WorkPass app once again to get a baseline. If this result is fine and matches your expected speeds, the issue may have been the device(s) previously connected directly to the modem/router was using bandwidth during the automatic Speed Tests.
- Plug in a laptop or another computer to the router via Ethernet.
- Open a web browser on the computer and go to http://plumewifi.speedtestcustom.com/.
- Leave the server at the chosen default and click on GO to perform a speed test. Compare this to the result of the WorkPass app, which should be very similar.
- Check to see if your ISP has its own link to test speed and use it to perform another speed test. If the results from this test better match your advertised speed, the cause of the different results may be the different servers used for each test.
- If these results are poor, the issue may be with the modem/router or your ISP's connection.
Router or modem/router issues that affect speed
- QoS settings - If you have QoS enabled, make sure that all Plume pods or the ports they are using are set to the highest priority. This will also ensure that devices connected to Plume are properly prioritized too.
- Firmware - Firmware on routers needs to be updated on a regular basis. Check with the manufacturer or your ISP for updates.
- Security, other settings, or defective equipment - Check with the manufacturer or your ISP if there are any other settings that could be potentially slow down your Plume Pods or to confirm if the unit is no longer working properly.
Reason for ISP Speed Test differences
The cause of the different results between the different speed test methods is due to the servers used for each test. The WorkPass app and plumewifi.speedtestcustom.com always default to the closest server which is chosen based on ping. This is sometimes a different speed test server than what your ISP normally uses, which may also be used as the basis of their advertised speeds.
Upstream devices using bandwidth
Plume will automatically run an ISP Speed every six hours if the network is idle. However, the activity of devices connected upstream from the Plume network like the devices directly connected to the router is not monitored. This means that the automatic ISP Speed Tests will run even while those upstream devices are using the internet and the speed test results will reflect this.