Why is my Ethernet slower than my Wi-Fi?

March 21, 2026

The short answer

Your Ethernet is probably slower because of an outdated cable, a slow port, or a misconfigured network setting — not because Wi-Fi is actually faster.

Most common causes

1. Old or damaged Ethernet cable

Not all Ethernet cables are the same. Older cables (Cat 5 or lower) max out at 100 Mbps, while modern Wi-Fi can easily exceed that. Look for Cat 5e or Cat 6 cables, which support gigabit speeds. Also check for visible damage — a bent or frayed cable can silently slow things down.

2. Your port is limited to 100 Mbps

Some older routers, switches, or computers only have Fast Ethernet ports (100 Mbps) instead of Gigabit Ethernet ports (1000 Mbps). If your Wi-Fi is on a newer standard like Wi-Fi 5 or 6, it can outpace that old port.

3. Wrong port on your router

Many routers have multiple Ethernet ports, and not all of them perform the same. Make sure you’re plugged into a LAN port, not a WAN or management port.

4. Outdated or missing network drivers

On Windows especially, outdated drivers can limit your Ethernet adapter’s performance. Check your device manager and update your network adapter drivers.

5. Your speed test is misleading

Wi-Fi and Ethernet may route through different paths. If you’re testing at different times or to different servers, the comparison may not be fair. Run both tests back-to-back using the same speed test server.

How to fix it

  • Check your cable — replace anything older than Cat 5e
  • Check your port speeds — look up your router and computer specs to confirm gigabit support
  • Update network drivers — especially on Windows
  • Try a different port on your router
  • Restart your router — a simple reboot clears many network oddities
  • Run a fair test — same server, same time, same conditions

When should you worry?

If you’ve ruled out cables, ports, and drivers and your Ethernet is still slower, your network adapter could be failing. Try a different computer on the same cable to narrow it down. If the problem follows the cable, replace it. If it follows the computer, the adapter may need replacing.