Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

What is the difference between broadband speed and Wi-Fi speed?

Your broadband speed is shared between all connected devices. This guide explains how Wi-Fi and broadband speeds work together and why more devices can slow things down.

What is broadband speed?

Your broadband speed is the total amount of internet your home receives from Home Unity.

Think of your broadband speed like a pizza arriving at your house. The whole pizza is your total available speed.

If you have a 500Mbps broadband connection, that full 500Mbps pizza is shared by everything using the internet in your home.

What is Wi-Fi speed?

Wi-Fi speed is how that broadband speed is delivered from your router to your devices.

Wi-Fi is not extra speed. It is simply the way your devices connect to and share the broadband pizza.

Your Wi-Fi speed can be affected by distance, walls, interference, router settings and how many devices are connected.

How devices share your broadband speed

Every device connected to your Wi-Fi takes a slice of the pizza.

If one device is streaming a film, it might take a big slice. If another device is browsing the web, it takes a smaller slice. If several devices are active at the same time, the pizza gets split into more pieces.

The more slices taken at once, the smaller each slice becomes.

💡 Tip: Heavy activities like streaming, gaming and video calls take bigger slices than browsing or messaging.

Why unused devices still use bandwidth

Even if a device is not actively being used, it still uses a small amount of bandwidth.

Devices regularly check for updates, sync data, receive notifications and stay connected to the network. Smart TVs, phones, tablets, laptops and smart home devices all do this in the background.

Each of these background tasks takes a tiny slice of the pizza.

📝 Note: One device uses very little bandwidth on its own, but many connected devices together can add up.

Why Wi-Fi can feel slow even with fast broadband

You may have fast broadband, but still experience slow Wi-Fi if:

  • Many devices are connected at the same time

  • Several devices are using large slices of bandwidth

  • Devices are far from the router or behind thick walls

  • Devices connect to a slower Wi-Fi band

This is why speed tests can look good on one device but slow on another.

Does disconnecting devices help?

Yes. Disconnecting devices you are not using can help free up bandwidth.

This gives more of the pizza to the devices that actually need it, which can improve streaming quality, downloads and video calls.

💡 Tip: If your Wi-Fi feels slow, try turning off or disconnecting devices you are not using and test again.

Is this a broadband fault or a Wi-Fi issue?

If one device gets good speeds when close to the router but others do not, it is usually a Wi-Fi sharing or coverage issue.

If all devices are slow even when close to the router and nothing else is connected, it may be a broadband issue.

⚠️ Caution: Running speed tests while other devices are active can give misleading results because the pizza is already being shared.

Can Home Unity help with this?

Yes. Home Unity can help check whether your speeds are being limited by Wi-Fi, device usage or broadband.

We can also help optimise your router settings and advise on improving performance at home.

💡 Tip: If you are unsure whether the issue is Wi-Fi or broadband, contact us and we will guide you through it.