If you happen to be flying through tiny Idaho Falls Regional Airport, you’ll be treated to Wi-Fi download speeds averaging more than 200 Mbps, faster than most people enjoy from their home Wi-Fi and more than enough to support such data-intensive activities as downloading and streaming movies. That’s according to tests conducted by Ookla, included in a new study of airport Wi-Fi speeds.
On the other hand, average Wi-Fi speeds at the nation’s largest airports are sometimes so slow that you’d be hard pressed to do anything more than check email. Download speeds at Atlanta airport, for example, averaged a dismal 2.71 Mbps. At the other extreme, Wi-Fi users at Denver International can stream high-definition movies at a brisk 61.74 Mbps, the fastest rate of any of the 20 largest U.S. airports.
In other words, your Wi-Fi experience may vary from airport to airport. A lot.
Here are the 20 largest U.S. airports ranked according to the average speeds of their public Wi-Fi networks, from fastest to slowest:
- Denver
- Philadelphia
- Seattle-Tacoma
- Dallas-Ft. Worth
- Miami
- LaGuardia
- Chicago O’Hare
- Newark Liberty
- New York-JFK
- Houston
- Detroit Metropolitan
- Los Angeles International
- Charlotte Douglas
- Boston Logan
- Phoenix
- Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Las Vegas
- San Francisco
- Orlando
- Atlanta
Wi-Fi Versus Cellular
Unless you have an unlimited data plan from your cellular carrier, you’ll most likely first try to connect to the Internet via an airport’s Wi-Fi before resorting to your limited cellular data plan. As it turns out, that may not be the best option if a fast connection is the priority.
The report compared the public Wi-Fi speeds with cellular speeds at the 20 largest airports, and the results were decidedly mixed. At nine airports, the public Wi-Fi was faster than the available cellular download speeds. And at 11 airports, cell speeds were faster.
So if you’re stuck waiting for a connecting flight in Atlanta, rather than suffer through 2.71 Mbps downloads via the airport’s Wi-Fi, switch over to your provider’s cellular service, which is almost 10 times faster, averaging more than 20 Mbps.
And wherever you happen to be, it’s worth comparing Wi-Fi and cellular speeds, to see which is faster. The differences can be significant.
Reader Reality Check
Was your strategy for getting a fast Internet connection when on the road?
More from SmarterTravel:
- American’s New Basic Economy Fares… Too Much Like United’s
- Is It Time to Put the Kibosh on ‘Hidden Fees’?
- New Study Crowns Delta’s Mileage Program the ‘Best.’ Really?
After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Related
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
Black Friday Sale: 6-Night India Tour,...
Exoticca
vacation $1599+Amsterdam to Copenhagen: Luxe, 18-Night Northern...
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
cruise $12399+Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
Car Rental $19+