The most overlooked cause of broadband speed loss is sitting right between your router and your device: the Ethernet cable. If you're using an old CAT5 cable (not CAT5e), it physically maxes out at 100 Mbps. This is a hard hardware limit — no amount of router upgrading. Signal rate (the Mbps figure advertised on the router) refers to the maximum wireless link speed between the router and a connected device — not the internet speed delivered by your ISP. Internet speed is limited by the slowest point in the network path, including the ISP connection, WAN port. For a complete overview of routers that won't bottleneck your connection, check COMFAST's router lineup. CAT5 Cable Bottleneck — Your Ethernet Cable Is the Silent Throttle 2. ISP Throttling Issue — Is Your Provider Limiting Your Speed?Many factors beyond the fiber optic cable itself can impact speeds, making troubleshooting essential to unlocking the true potential of your internet connection. But what. If you use a router that's capable of more speed than your Internet connection and you still aren't getting the full speed that your ISP provides, you might have one of the following problems: WiFi (wireless) and Ethernet (wired) connection standards evolve over time to support faster data transfer. In 2025, advertised speeds for fiber plans commonly range from 100 Mbps to over 2 Gbps (Gigabits per second), with symmetrical upload and download speeds being a significant advantage. However, the speed you experience at your device can be influenced by numerous factors, and advertised speeds are. Users pay high in exchange for high speed fiber internet, but many still face issues, including buffering, lag, and poor WiFi. The blog helps you know real causes, obsolete routers, throttling, congestion, interference, and offers solutions like upgrading equipment, switching to fiber option, and.