Is my xbox download speed being throttled by Xbox all of a sudden

KPDub · Jan 28, 2025 at 5:43 PM

Last year I upgraded Sky Broadband to the Gigafast option (780-930 mbs) from whatever their 200mbs service

The engineer did all the upgrades, all wireless devices were connected and finally connected my xbox via ethernet and also my sons via a sky booster.

Speed tests showed most wifi devices received between 200 and 600 mbs

Speed test on my xbox series x showed 900+ mbs download (using general > network settings > Test network speed and statistics)

Speed test on my sons xbox series x showed approx 700mbs (it was through a booster after all) and used the same way to test

The other day I downloaded a game on my xbox and I was suprised to see the download speed barely go above 200mbs. I thought okay maybe there was an issue with the servers or something, so I ran a speedtest on my xbox, using the same as above and I was suprised to see my download speed was only just over 200mbs with upload of about 45 mbs

I unlplugged the ethernet to test wifi, the speed was slightly higher, I didn't expect much difference because, well, its wifi

After plugging the ethernet back in, I retested, still just over 200mbs. I carried out speed tests on my sons xbox, again just over 200mbs

I repeated this over a couple of weeks with the same results.

I've even got a new router from sky and bought a brand new ethernet cable just incase it was that, but still it seems not to be getting the full speed.

I have plugged the ethernet into my laptop and it hits 900mbs easily

Interestingly, with ethernet connected and using speedtest via the bing broswer on my xbox shows the speed to be over 700mbs, yet seconds later when testing using the conventional method above, it goes back to 300

I should point out in all these tests, I have 0 packet loss, latency never goes above 30ms, mtu is 1480, nat is open (although that has been going to moderate a lot recently, but using the "test nat type" feature always puts it back to open.

At the moment, download speed is consistently mid 300s,

Any help would be appreciated.

:)

Faline C

Thanks for the follow-up!

Try clearing the MAC address cache in the same menu, which can sometimes help with network speed issues.

You might also want to test with a different Ethernet cable, as sometimes even small issues with the cable can cause slower speeds than expected.

Let me know how it goes, and if the issue persists!

KPDub

Hi Faline

Cleared MAC address as advised, speed as follows;

Download 33476

Upload 84.73

Packet loss 0%

MTU 1480

Latency 17MS

Via edge browser on xbox

Download 391.14

Upload 109.54

Ping 9

Download latency 15

Upload latency 39

I've tried 3 ethernet cables, my existing, a new one that sky sent and one that I purchased my self (as per initial thread)

KPDub

Hi Faline

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

In answer to your points;

1 - There are no active downloads or updates running on the xbox - also, all tests done with no games running, none on quick resume etc...

2 - Sky Routers / Hubs don't have QoS settings, so there is nothing to do there from my end

3 - Only my sons xbox is connected to the booster (its a wifi booster) and is upstairs. I have turned wifi off with my xbox being the only device connected to the router (via ethernet)

4 - I've carried out soft and hard resets of my xbox.

I have tested on a new router after another hard reset, same conflicting results

Also, just testing again now

Results via Xbox built in speed test;

Download 240.42

Upload 87.68

Packet loss 0%

MTU 1480

Latency 17ms

Results via edge browser on xbox

Download 789.72

Upload 109.68

ping 46

download latency 44

Upload latency 42

That is a significant difference on two tests done moments apart.

Faline C

Hello KPDub,

It looks like you’ve done a thorough job troubleshooting, so I can understand your frustration. Since your laptop is hitting full speeds while the Xbox is lagging behind, this likely points to Xbox-specific network settings or potential congestion issues.

First, double-check that there are no active downloads or system updates running in the background on your Xbox, as these can sometimes throttle bandwidth. Additionally, verify if there are any bandwidth restrictions in your router’s QoS (Quality of Service) settings, as these can prioritize traffic from other devices, affecting your Xbox’s performance.

If possible, try connecting your Xbox directly to the router instead of using the booster. This could help eliminate any potential interference or signal loss that might be affecting the speed. The fluctuation in speeds between 700mbps and 300mbps could also be due to network load balancing or throttling on the Xbox side, particularly if there’s any background activity or server congestion.

To further isolate the issue, you might want to test the Xbox on a different Wi-Fi network or even a mobile hotspot. If the problem persists across multiple networks, performing a soft reset on your Xbox could help clear any temporary network-related glitches.

Let me know how it goes, and feel free to reach out if you need further assistance!

Faline C

Did you have a chance to reach out to your ISP about this issue? It’s possible that the problem could be on their end, potentially affecting Xbox servers specifically.

If you’re able to test both your PC and Xbox using a different Wi-Fi network or a mobile hotspot, it would help pinpoint the issue. This comparison could clarify whether the download speed discrepancy is consistent across networks.

The root cause is likely either with the ISP or with the Xbox consoles themselves. Let me know what you find!

Is my xbox download speed being throttled by Xbox all of a sudden