Expected Speeds on Sonic Gigabit Fiber
Whether you are on our 1Gbps or 10Gbps service, you're likely to want to utilize as much of your bandwidth as possible.
There are very rare occasions where the ONT is receiving less-than the expected Gbps of bandwidth - this indicates equipment failure that needs to be repaired or replaced. If you suspect this is the case with your service please reach out to Sonic Support for assistance.
To utilize the full bandwidth delivered to your ONT you must have a device connected via Ethernet that is configured for and capable of Gigabit speeds. Detailed below are some real world examples of hardware and software configurations and the expected speeds for those configurations.
Connected via Ethernet
Ethernet is the recommended method for connecting your device(s) to your Sonic Gigabit Fiber service to achieve maximum speed. If you are getting less-than the optimal speeds on your Gigabit Fiber connection your device or cable may be limited in its bandwidth through-put.
Ethernet connections:
| Ethernet Standard | Max Supported Speed | Notes |
| Cat3 | 10Mbps | Mainly used for telephone cable |
| Cat4 | 16Mbps Token Ring | Rarely (if ever) used. |
| Cat5 | 100Mbps | Outdated |
| Cat5e | 1Gbps | Standard with 1Gbps services |
| Cat6 | 10Gbps | Standard with 10Gbps services |
| Cat6a | 10Gbps | Now with shielding! |
Connected via WiFi
WiFi connectivity is ubiquitous and convenient, however the technology is not yet able to achieve true Gigabit speeds. Other factors that can affect WiFi speeds include the age of your device, the wireless protocol your device is utilizing, wireless interference, the distance your device is from the router, and whether you have a gigabit wireless adapter. Wireless connectivity is susceptible to a variety of external influences that may negatively impact speeds but you can mitigate many of them by troubleshooting. To troubleshoot WiFi consult our wireless troubleshooting guide.
| Generation | Max Theoretical Speeds | *Max Real-World Speeds |
| Wi-Fi 7 | 46.4 Gbps | 6Gbps |
| Wi-Fi 6E | 9.6Gbps | 1-2Gbps |
| Wi-Fi 6 | 9.6Gbps | 1-2Gbps |
| Wi-Fi 5 | 3.5Gbps | 800Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 4 | 600Mbps | 150Mbps |
*Please note, actual speeds will vary based on several factors such as distance from the router or interference from other wireless/radio signals, large furniture, metal, and building materials.
Device limitations:
Always check the network card limitations of your devices and the Ethernet cables in use. Connecting a non-gigabit capable router to our Fiber ONT will result in slow speeds. Connecting a gigabit capable router with an older Cat5 Ethernet cable will still result in a maximum speed test result of ~100Mbps. Choosing to connect over Wi-Fi will also vary greatly depending on the age of your devices. Check the manufacturer pamphlet or online documentation to review the speed limitations of your cell phones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, and so on.