How Our Internet Speed Test Works
Our speed test measures your real-world internet performance — not a cached or synthetic result. It runs three separate phases: a latency (ping) measurement, a download test using parallel streams to saturate your connection, and an upload test using compressed data chunks. The whole process takes around 20-30 seconds.
The results you see reflect what your connection can actually deliver right now. Factors like Wi-Fi signal strength, router load, VPN tunnelling, and ISP throttling all affect the reading, which is why results can vary between tests and differ from your plan's advertised speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is my speed test result lower than my internet plan?
- A few things can reduce measured speed below your plan's maximum: Wi-Fi overhead (wired connections are always faster), router firmware limitations, network congestion during peak hours, VPN encryption overhead, and the fact that ISP 'up to X Mbps' figures are theoretical maximums. For the most accurate reading, connect via ethernet, close other apps, and run the test 2-3 times.
- What is ping / latency and why does it matter?
- Ping is the round-trip time in milliseconds (ms) for a data packet to travel from your device to the server and back. For browsing and video streaming, anything under 100 ms feels instant. For online gaming and video calls, under 30 ms is ideal. High ping (above 150 ms) causes lag, delayed responses, and call quality issues.
- Should I be on Wi-Fi or ethernet for the test?
- Ethernet gives you the most accurate reading of your broadband connection because it eliminates wireless interference and signal loss. A Wi-Fi test shows you the real speed at your current device location — which can be significantly lower than your router's capacity if walls or distance are in the way.
- How is download speed different from upload speed?
- Download speed measures how fast data arrives at your device — this affects web browsing, streaming, and file downloads. Upload speed measures how fast you can send data to the internet — this matters for video calls, cloud backups, and sharing large files. Most home broadband plans offer much higher download than upload speeds.