Key Takeaways
- Speed tests measure your download speed, upload speed, ping, and jitter, giving you a quick snapshot of your internet performance and helping you identify any issues.
- For most households, download speeds of 100-250 Mbps and upload speeds of 20+ Mbps are ideal for streaming, video calls, and general browsing, while low ping (under 50 ms) ensures smooth gaming and conferencing.
- If your speeds are slower than expected, try moving closer to your router, reducing the number of devices using the network, or restarting your modem and router to improve performance.
Running an internet speed test is a quick and easy way to check how well your connection is performing. But once you see the results, it can be tricky to know what those numbers mean.
What Is an Internet Speed Test?
An internet speed test measures how fast data travels between your device and a server on the internet. It typically provides results for:
- Download Speed: How quickly data is pulled from the internet to your device.
- Upload Speed: How fast data is sent from your device to the internet.
- Ping (Latency): How long it takes for data to travel to a server and back.
- Jitter: The consistency of your connection’s latency.
Most speed tests are easy to run. Simply visit a site like Speedtest.net or use your internet provider’s testing tool. In just a few seconds, you’ll have a clearer picture of your connection quality.
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Understanding Your Speed Test Results
Here’s what each result means, why it’s important, and how it can affect your internet experience.
Download Speed
- What It Is: Download speed measures how quickly you can receive data from the internet, typically shown in megabits per second (Mbps).
- Why It Matters: A fast download speed ensures smooth streaming, fast loading of websites, and quicker downloads of files. It’s especially important for watching videos in high definition, downloading large files, or browsing image-heavy sites.
- Good Result:
- 100-250 Mbps: Great for browsing, HD streaming, and video calls.
- 250+ Mbps: Ideal for 4K streaming, large downloads, and multiple users.
Read More About What a Good Internet Speed is
- Impact on Activities:
- Streaming: Slow download speeds lead to buffering or lower video quality.
- Gaming: While download speed isn’t as critical for gameplay, it affects how quickly game updates or downloads are completed.
- Video Calls: High download speeds ensure a clear, uninterrupted video stream from others.
Upload Speed
- What It Is: Upload speed measures how quickly you can send data from your device to the internet.
- Why It Matters: A good upload speed is essential for video calls, online gaming, live streaming, and uploading files to cloud storage. If your upload speed is too low, others may see a blurry video of you on a call, or your files may take a long time to upload.
- Good Result:
- 10-20 Mbps: Suitable for occasional video calls and file uploads.
- 20+ Mbps: Great for remote work, video conferencing, and content creation.
- Impact on Activities:
- Video Calls: Low upload speeds can result in pixelated or frozen video, especially in group calls.
- Gaming: Slow uploads can cause lag, making your character respond slowly in online games.
- File Uploads: Large files will take longer to upload to email, cloud storage, or social media.
Ping (Latency)
- What It Is: Ping measures the time it takes for data to travel to a server and back, shown in milliseconds (ms). Lower ping means a faster response time.
- Why It Matters: Low ping is crucial for real-time activities like gaming, video conferencing, and live streaming. High ping results in lag and delays, making interactions frustrating.
- Good Result:
- Under 20 ms: Excellent for gaming and video calls.
- 20-50 ms: Suitable for most online activities.
- Over 100 ms: You may experience noticeable delays.
- Impact on Activities:
- Gaming: High ping causes noticeable lag, making it harder to compete in fast-paced games.
- Video Calls: Delays between voices and video can make conversations awkward.
- Streaming: While ping doesn’t affect watching videos, it can impact live streams.
Jitter
- What It Is: Jitter measures the variation in latency over time. It’s also displayed in milliseconds (ms) and reflects how stable your connection is.
- Why It Matters: High jitter means inconsistent performance, resulting in choppy audio, laggy video calls, and unstable gaming sessions. A connection with low jitter ensures smoother performance, especially for real-time communication.
- Good Result:
- Under 30 ms: Stable and reliable.
- Over 30 ms: May lead to audio or video disruptions.
- Impact on Activities:
- Video Calls: High jitter can cause distorted audio and frequent call drops.
- Gaming: You might experience unpredictable lag spikes.
- Streaming: While not as noticeable during regular streaming, live broadcasting can suffer from jitter.
Why Is My Internet Slow?
If your speed test results are lower than expected, here are some common reasons why:
- Too Many Devices: If multiple people in your home are streaming, gaming, or downloading files at once, your connection can slow down.
- Wi-Fi Interference: Walls, appliances, and other electronic devices can weaken your Wi-Fi signal. Moving closer to your router can help.
- Outdated Equipment: Older routers and modems may not support modern internet speeds. Upgrading your equipment can often improve performance.
- Network Congestion: Internet speeds may slow down during peak usage hours, usually in the evening when many people are online.
- ISP Limitations: Your internet service provider (ISP) may throttle speeds if you exceed your data limit or during times of heavy network traffic.
FAQs About Internet Speed Tests
How often should I run an internet speed test?
It’s a good idea to run a speed test:
– When experiencing connectivity issues like buffering, lag, or dropped video calls.
– After changing your internet plan or provider to ensure you’re getting the promised speeds.
– Before important activities like gaming or video conferencing to check for stability.
– When experiencing connectivity issues like buffering, lag, or dropped video calls.
– After changing your internet plan or provider to ensure you’re getting the promised speeds.
– Before important activities like gaming or video conferencing to check for stability.
What can I do to improve my internet speed?
If your speed test results are lower than expected, try these tips:
– Move closer to your router or connect via Ethernet for a more stable connection.
– Restart your modem and router to clear temporary issues.
– Limit the number of devices using the network at once.
– Upgrade your internet plan if your household has high usage needs.
– Check for software updates on your router to ensure it’s running efficiently.
– Move closer to your router or connect via Ethernet for a more stable connection.
– Restart your modem and router to clear temporary issues.
– Limit the number of devices using the network at once.
– Upgrade your internet plan if your household has high usage needs.
– Check for software updates on your router to ensure it’s running efficiently.
What is a good internet speed?
A good internet speed depends on how you use the internet. According to the FCC’s latest guidelines about what qualifies as broadband internet, we suggest:
100-250 Mbps is great for general browsing, HD streaming, and video calls.
250+ Mbps is ideal for 4K streaming, large file downloads, and multiple users.
Upload speeds of 20+ Mbps work well for video conferencing and uploading large files.
Ping under 20 ms is excellent for gaming, while under 50 ms is good for most tasks.
100-250 Mbps is great for general browsing, HD streaming, and video calls.
250+ Mbps is ideal for 4K streaming, large file downloads, and multiple users.
Upload speeds of 20+ Mbps work well for video conferencing and uploading large files.
Ping under 20 ms is excellent for gaming, while under 50 ms is good for most tasks.
About the Author
David has been an integral part of some of the biggest utility sites on the internet, including InMyArea.com, HighSpeedInternet.com, BroadbandNow.com, and U.S. News. He brings over 15 years of experience writing about, compiling and analyzing utility data.