Identify what the headline describes
CAP’s speed-claims guidance says advertised numerical averages should be based on speeds achievable by at least half the relevant customer base at peak time. That is an advertising measure across customers, not a live test of the connection behind your television. Keep the advertised definition with the number when comparing plans.
Distinguish an estimate from a guarantee
The guidance also discusses location-specific estimates and warns against presenting an estimate as though it were an exact guaranteed result. Read any address-specific statement and the applicable guarantee terms carefully. A postcode lookup can be useful without being a measurement of the final in-home installation or a promise about every device.
Compare the service connection with the viewing path
A television using Wi-Fi in another room has a different connection path from a wired device beside the router. For a playback investigation, record the actual device, connection type and conditions of a permitted test. Do not compare a headline service average with an unrelated phone measurement and treat the difference as a complete diagnosis.
Use the numbers for the question they answer
When choosing a plan, compare current offers and the likely address-specific service. When troubleshooting, use observations from the affected viewing route. If contacting the provider, state both the advertised or estimated figure and how the observed result was obtained. This keeps an advertising claim, a contractual commitment and a household measurement from being collapsed into one misleading number.
Questions, answered
Does an average-speed advert test my television’s Wi-Fi?
No. It describes a different measure.
Is an address estimate automatically an exact guarantee?
No. Read the wording and actual guarantee terms.