Internet Speed Test check how fast is your WiFi network or broadband internet speed upload and download, ping, jitter, and bandwidth by Ookla Speed Test. By taking an internet speed test you can measure the speed between your device and a test server. This will ensure that you are getting the speed which was promised to you by your internet service provider. Below are the metrics recorded by the speed check:
Download Speed
It represents how quick your network can receive data from the internet servers in a certain time frame. Download speed is measured in mega-bits-per-seconds (Mbps).
Upload Speed
This means how fast your internet network can send data to a server. It is important during video calling, online gaming and voice or video call and measured in megabits-per-second (Mbps).
Ping Rate
A ping rate is the reaction time of how fast you receive back a response after you have sent a request to a server. The lower the ping rate the better it is. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).
Jitter
Jitter is the fluctuation of response times (ping). Lower jitter score is good whereas higher jitter represents an inconsistent connection resulting in choppy voice calling, video buffering and glitchy gameplay.
How to Improve Your Internet Speed?
For better and more accurate speed test result connect your wired (ethernet) cable to your computer directly and close all other application that consumes internet bandwidth. Here are some tips you can follow to enhance your WiFi experience:
- Use device in close proximity to router: Staying within 100 feet range or closer to your router will increase your WiFi speed. Position the network box at the center of your home.
- Connect to 5GHz network: Devices such as microwaves, the baby monitor uses 2.4 GHz frequency or signal from neighbours can interfere your performance.
- Turn off automatic updates: The updates happening in the background can severely affect your connection, consider disabling unnecessary updates.
- Adjust your router’s position: Try placing your router in different places. If your router has adjustable antennas try reconfiguring them.
- Use a WiFi extender: If you are still experiencing a slow internet connection, try using a WiFi booster that extends the signal from the main point.
- Upgrade to a faster data plan: Maybe it is time to upgrade the data plan. Make sure your current router supports the speed range to avoid bottleneck issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several factors that matters which defines your internet speed test result that includes but not limited to:
- The device from which you are testing: Computer, laptop, mobile devices each has their own cellular radio capabilities and WiFi frequencies so you may see a varied results.
- The test server you choose: Generally, if you choose a test server closer to you it will give a better result than one in a distance. Also other speed testing services such as Speedtest.net, Speedof.me, TestMyNet, Fast.com may use their own server for which you will receive different results. It is recommended to perform multiple tests in order to get a better estimation.
- The proximity of your device and router: Ideally you should directly connect the broadband ethernet cable to your computer because there may be several device frequencies and wall blockades that may decrease the actual speed.
By taking a speed check you are sending and receiving data from your computer to the server. The internet speed test tool will select the server closer to you for optimal results by default. You are free to choose from the hundreds of servers available however if you are choosing a far distant server it may translate to a slower result.
Yes, you can take the broadband speed test on your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, phones and most of the major operating systems.
You can transfer large amount of files on any internet speed but the time it will take depends upon the capability of your internet. Here’s a report from Ookla Speedtest.net that shows how much time it will take to transfer 1 GB data from 1.5 Mbps to 1 Gbps speed:
| Transfer Speed (Mbps) | Theoretical Time (Seconds) |
| 1.5 | 5,333 |
| 5 | 1,600 |
| 10 | 800 |
| 20 | 400 |
| 50 | 160 |
| 100 | 80 |
| 250 | 32 |
| 500 | 16 |
| 1,000 | 8 |
There can be several reasons why you are experiencing a poor connection than what you have expected. Try to:
- Use your ethernet cable directly to your computer. Other radio frequency, physical wall blockades, the distance of your router can be a major factor.
- Pause or close all other applications and browsers. Video streaming, background updates can significantly reduce your internet speed.
- Restart your router and perform the speed test again in some time. You may experience a slower internet during the night because of network usage.
A lower ping rate gets you to experience a smooth online gaming. For most broadband connection the average ping amounts of 100 ms. In rage of 50 ms to 100 ms it is considered “low ping” anything about 150 ms or more is “high ping”. A ping of 20 ms or below is exceptional.
Since we are a third-party service sending and receiving tiny data packets from our server to your computer the internet firewall or adblocks may consider this as a threat and block the connection. If you are receiving some error try disabling your real-time antivirus temporarily and see if it’s working. Make sure to turn it back on once you are done with the test.