How to Test Your Broadband Speed (And What the Results Mean)
Running a speed test is easy but understanding the results takes more than looking at one number. This guide explains what download speed, upload speed, and ping actually mean.
TL;DR: How to Test Your Broadband Speed (And What the Results Mean). First move: check your contract end date and whether you qualify for a social tariff before switching.
Everyone’s got access to a broadband speed test these days, but most people just look at the big download number and move on. The other bits tell you important stuff too, and the way you test actually changes what you’ll get.
Running a Speed Test That Means Something
Plug your laptop straight into the router with an ethernet cable. WiFi’s always slower than what you’re actually getting, so if you test over WiFi you’re fooling yourself about your real speeds.
Close anything else that’s using the internet. Streaming, downloads, cloud backups, all of it affects the numbers. Run the test three or four times at different times of day because speeds shift around. Speedtest.net and Fast.com are both solid, or use your provider’s own tool if they’ve got one.
If ethernet’s not possible, get as close to the router as you can manage and make sure nobody else is browsing while you test.
What Those Numbers Mean in Practice
Three main numbers come back from a speed test:
Download speed (measured in Mbps) is how fast data comes into your place. That’s what matters for Netflix, YouTube, iPlayer, loading websites, downloading files.
| What You’re Doing | Needs |
|---|---|
| Just browsing | 5 Mbps |
| HD streaming | 5-10 Mbps per stream |
| 4K streaming | 25 Mbps per stream |
| Video calls | 3-5 Mbps per person |
| Online gaming | 10-20 Mbps |
Most people are fine with 30-50 Mbps. Only go higher if multiple people are streaming 4K at once.
Upload speed (also Mbps) is how fast data leaves your home. Matters for video calls (sending your video), uploading photos and videos, cloud backups, working from home. Upload’s usually a fraction of download. You might get 80 Mbps down but only 20 Mbps up on standard broadband. Full fibre gives you more balanced speeds.
| Activity | Needs |
|---|---|
| One person on a video call | 2-3 Mbps |
| HD video call | 5-8 Mbps |
| Streaming to Twitch | 10-20 Mbps |
| Uploading big files | 10+ Mbps helps |
Ping (latency) is measured in milliseconds and shows how fast your connection responds. Lower’s better.
| Ping | Performance |
|---|---|
| Under 20ms | Excellent |
| 20-50ms | Good |
| 50-100ms | Acceptable |
| Over 100ms | You’ll notice lag |
Ping matters most for gaming (high ping = lag and rubber-banding), video calls (high ping = audio delay), and streaming. For Netflix and normal browsing, you won’t care about ping.
What Should You Actually Be Getting?
It depends on what you’re paying for. Here’s the reality:
| You’re Paying For | Realistic Wired Speed |
|---|---|
| 36 Mbps | 30-35 Mbps |
| 67 Mbps | 55-65 Mbps |
| 150 Mbps | 130-150 Mbps |
| 500 Mbps | 450-500 Mbps |
| 1 Gbps | 800-950 Mbps |
Providers say “average” or “up to” speeds. You should get at least half what they advertise, especially at busy times. If you’re getting less than 50%, there’s a problem.
Why You Might Be Getting Slower Speeds
The biggest culprit by far is WiFi problems. Test with a cable to rule that out. Walls, distance from the router, interference - all of it slows WiFi down.
Peak time congestion is real too. Speeds drop between 7pm and 10pm when everyone’s streaming. That’s normal to a point.
Every device using the internet shares your bandwidth. Four people streaming simultaneously needs more oomph than one person browsing.
Old routers (more than 5 years old) often can’t handle faster connections properly. Ask your provider if they’ll upgrade.
For non-fibre connections, distance from the telephone exchange genuinely slows you down. Physical damage, water getting in, dodgy cables - all affect speed too.
When You Should Ring Your Provider
Get in touch if your speeds are consistently below 50% of what you’re paying for, if the slowdowns happen at the same time every day, if your connection keeps dropping out, or if speeds suddenly got much worse. They should investigate and either fix it or let you out of your contract penalty-free if they can’t deliver.
Fixing Your Speed Yourself
Try moving your router to the middle of the house instead of stuck in a corner. Use ethernet cables wherever possible instead of WiFi. Get a mesh WiFi system if you’ve got a big place. Mess with your WiFi channel if you think neighbours are causing interference. Upgrade to a faster package if it’s available at your address.
Honestly though, most speed issues are WiFi issues. Sort that out first and you’ll save yourself a lot of headache.