Are you getting the most out of your broadband connection?
A broadband speed test can help you determine if the speed your provider is delivering matches the service level that they are charging for. Take a few seconds to find out how fast your internet is right now and get tips on improving it.
Click on the “Go” button on the Ookla Speed Checker below to start the internet broadband speed test.
An explanation of the speedtest results and guidance on what internet speed you need can be found at the bottom of this page
For a more accurate reading, run the Speedtest twice
What’s the Minimum Broadband Speed I need?
| How do you use your Internet Connection? | Minimum Download Speed Required |
|---|---|
Household of 1 - 3 individuals: Web Surfing, Email, Online Shopping, Social Media, Music Streaming, Standard Definition (SD) Video streaming. | Up to 25Mb |
Household of 3 - 4 individuals: High Definition (HD) Video Streaming, Social Media, Video conferencing, Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, Online Gaming, Streaming music. | 30 - 50Mb |
Household of 4 - 6 individuals: Multiple Heavy Users, Smart Home devices, Recording & Surveillance devices, Ultra High Definition (UHD) Video Streaming, Netflix, Gaming, etc | 50 - 100Mb |
Household of 6+ individuals: Multiple heavy users performing all of the above plus frequently downloading/uploading large files, peer-to-peer file sharing and Avid online gamers. | Over 100Mb+ |
How to improve the accuracy of the speed test
Ensure that you do not have any downloads or uploading taking place whilst you run the test. The fewer applications you have running on your PC/device the better. For an even more refined test, connect to your broadband router using an Ethernet cable. That way you will rule out any WiFi issues or interference and it will be an even more accurate reading.
What is the Ping result?
The ping response tells you how fast you get a response back from a web server. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms). This is your connection’s reaction time. The lower the number the better the connection. Anything around 6ms is good.
What is Jitter?
Jitter is a delay during the transfer of data. This is the delay between when a signal is transmitted and when it is received. Jitter can be caused by a number of factors such as network congestion, signal interference and collisions. Jitter is measured in milliseconds. All internet connections experience a level of jitter and it is most visible and problematic for real-time applications such as online gaming, streaming and voice communications (e.g Skype). For optimal performance, the jitter must not be over 15 milliseconds maximum or else there will be an impact on performance.
What is the download speed?
Download speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). This is a measure of how quickly your broadband connection pulls data from online internet servers such as displaying web pages, watching videos and downloading files. Your internet download speed result will be higher than upload speed because the majority of internet activity consists more of downloading than uploading (e.g. web servers sending the content of web pages to your computer/device screen). The data is downloaded so that it can be displayed on your internet browser. Difference between download & Upload speed.
What is the Upload speed?
The upload speed is how quickly your internet broadband connection sends data up to web servers. When you click a link on a web page your computer ‘uploads’ a small data signal (also known as a packet) to the website telling it that you have clicked on a link. The web page then reacts by displaying the content of the link clicked. Displaying the content of the web page uses your ‘download’ bandwidth to send the data (i.e text, image, videos, etc) of the new page to your screen hence why download bandwidth is (should) always be higher than upload. Other examples of uploading are sending files, emails, video chat or messaging.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are numerous reasons why your Speed test results may be slower than you expected. To ensure that your results are accurate make sure you;
- Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of wireless
- Stop or close any programs working in the back ground
- Ensure that your internet connection is not being saturated by others in the household e.g downloads, streaming, internet calls, etc.
- Restart your broadband route and the re-run the test
If the results are still the same it could be a fault of your broadband connection. Contact your supplier to check your connection.
Alternatively if you are aware that your connection is constantly unreliable and are looking to switch – check out these alternative providers.
The broadband speed test on this site is the Ookla (speedtest.net) speed test which is one of the most popular online speed testers (but without all the advertisements that slow your connection).
There are a number of other speed tests that you can use to double check your speed readings.
The top 3 broadband speed testers are:
- Ookla – speedtest.net
This is the speed test widget we have embedded on this website. One of the most accurate and most used internet speed testers. - Testmy.net
Good comprehensive speed test results and comparisons. Downside of this speed test is that it is filled with Ads. - speedof.me
Good simple speed test and clear results without so many Ads.
Also check out the Google Speed test widget which is a basic speed tester.
You have two options if your speed test results are not what you expect.
- Check that other users on your broadband are not streaming or downloading huge files. Any ‘above average’ utilisation on your broadband will affect your speed test results. We recommend that you reboot your PC and broadband router and run a clean test.
- If you are continually suffering from slow broadband performance from your provider, it may be time to find an alternative broadband provider.
The speed test is a real time measurement of your broadband speed. Speed test taken within minutes of each other may differ.
Variations in Wi-Fi and cellular radio quality and MIMO stream handling quality between devices can cause varying results between a phone, tablet and PC.
Speed test results from one or several different online speed tests can vary due to a number of reasons such as:
– Contention on your Internet Service Provider’s network
– Load on your broadband connection at the time of the speed test
– Difference on where the speed test servers are located
– Different test methods between the online speed test providers
If your internet connection is not working as expected or you are suffering intermittent disconnections or performance issues, testing your connection is the first step to identify and troubleshoot the problem.
You can use the speed test on this site to make sure that you are not being short changed by your Internet Service Provider (ISP)