Slow data abroad: what to rule out before blaming the plan

Yes, traffic detours through the VPN server. Try a closer server or turn it off briefly to compare.

In some areas it does, because 4G coverage is broader and the phone stops hopping between bands. It is safe to try.

There is no universal figure, because speed depends on the local network in that spot and on how many people are using it at that moment. A more useful test is whether it does what you need. If maps redraw as you walk, messages send immediately and a ride-hailing app books without waiting, that is enough for ordinary travel. If you have video calls or large uploads, plan to use accommodation Wi-Fi for those and treat mobile data as the backup.

That pattern matches exhausting the full-speed portion of an allowance more than anything else, particularly if the change was abrupt and follows you between cities. Check your usage and the conditions attached to the plan you bought. If that is the cause, top up or wait for the next cycle as the plan defines it. If your usage is nowhere near the limit, go back to the measurement sequence on this page.

Sometimes, particularly where the 5G signal is weak enough that the phone keeps hopping between the two layers, which interrupts the connection repeatedly. Pinning it to 4G settles things down and can deliver more consistent real-world speed. It is safe to try and always reversible. Where the option lives varies by manufacturer and OS version; look for a setting about preferred network type inside the mobile network menu.

Not on that evidence alone. Test outside the entrance first. If it is normal out there, the building is blocking the signal, which affects every network equally and switching provider rarely changes. The practical answer is to use the property's Wi-Fi for heavy work, keep the phone near a window when you do need mobile data, and save the allowance for when you are out.

Less often than most people do. Each test consumes data, and repeated tests rarely tell you anything new. Run them when there is a reason: on arriving somewhere new, to establish a reference, and when something genuinely seems to have changed. Three readings per location is plenty, written down so you can compare later.

Partly expected, since every device shares one connection. But a dramatic drop usually means the laptop started pulling system updates or syncing cloud storage the moment it saw a network. Mark the connection as metered in the laptop's operating system, pause automatic syncing, and then check how much of the allowance has gone.