Home Networking Guides

Plain-English guides to home networking, speed testing, and fixing slow connections — from Wi-Fi bands and Ethernet cables to bufferbloat and NAS transfers. Written for real homes, not data centers.

Speed & measurement

What a LAN Speed Test Measures (and Why It Differs From an Internet Speed Test)How a LAN speed test measures device-to-device speed inside your own network, and why it differs from an internet speed test.8 min read → Throughput, Latency, and Jitter: A Plain-English GuideWhat throughput, latency, and jitter really mean, which matters for which use, and how to measure each on your network.8 min read → Mbps vs. MB/s vs. Gbps: Stop Confusing Bits and BytesBits vs bytes, why ISPs use megabits while file copies show megabytes, and what a gigabit connection actually delivers.6 min read → How to Test Your True Local Network Speed Between Two ComputersThe real ways to measure device-to-device speed on your LAN — iperf3, file-copy timing, and app-based tests — and how to read the results.8 min read →

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 5 vs. 6 vs. 6E vs. 7: What Actually Changes Your SpeedWhat each Wi-Fi generation really changes, why max PHY rates are marketing, and when upgrading your Wi-Fi actually helps.10 min read → 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz vs. 6 GHz: Choosing the Right Wi-Fi BandThe tradeoffs between 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz Wi-Fi bands — range vs speed vs congestion — and which devices belong on which band.8 min read → Router Placement and Channel Selection: A Practical Guide to Fixing Weak Wi-FiPractical fixes for weak Wi-Fi — router placement, antenna orientation, and choosing clear channels on each band.9 min read →

Wired & hardware

Ethernet vs. Wi-Fi: Which Is Actually Faster for Local Transfers?Why wired Ethernet beats Wi-Fi for local transfers, when Wi-Fi is good enough, and the real-world throughput and latency differences.9 min read → Cat5e vs. Cat6 vs. Cat6a vs. Cat7: Which Ethernet Cable Do You Need?A clear comparison of Ethernet cable categories — speed, distance, shielding — so you buy the right cable for gigabit or multi-gig.8 min read → Gigabit and Multi-Gig Home Networking: What It Takes to Hit 2.5G/10GWhat you need end-to-end — NICs, switches, cabling — to actually reach 2.5G, 5G, or 10G on a home network, and when it's worth it.9 min read → How to Set Up a Home NAS and Get the Fastest Local Transfer SpeedsSet up a home NAS the right way — drives, RAID, NICs, switches, and SMB tuning — to get the fastest local transfer speeds.10 min read →

Troubleshooting

Bufferbloat Explained: Why Your Ping Spikes and How to Fix ItWhy your ping spikes when the connection is busy, how to test for bufferbloat, and how SQM/QoS fixes lag during downloads.9 min read → Diagnosing Packet Loss on a Home Network: Causes, Tests, and FixesWhat causes packet loss on a home network, how to test for it, and how to fix stutter, lag, and dropped calls.8 min read → Why Your NAS File Copy Is Slow — and How to Diagnose It Step by StepA step-by-step way to find why NAS transfers are slow — link speed, disk speed, protocol overhead, and cabling — and how to fix each.9 min read → Is Your ISP or Your Home Network the Bottleneck? A Decision GuideA step-by-step method to isolate whether your ISP or your own home network is the real cause of slow speeds.8 min read →