Broadband speed test
Important things to know
For the most reliable test result, we recommend you use the Speedtest app and an Ethernet cable to connect directly to your router. This means that your result shows your connection speed, and is better than testing your Wi-Fi performance or Mesh system.
Remember, your Wi-Fi speed varies, depending on the distance between you and your router. Your broadband speed will also vary, based on the number of devices connected to your network. The speed of any broadband type is a theoretical maximum speed, and not a guaranteed speed.
Remember, your Wi-Fi speed varies, depending on the distance between you and your router. Your broadband speed will also vary, based on the number of devices connected to your network. The speed of any broadband type is a theoretical maximum speed, and not a guaranteed speed.
Definitions
Broadband can be a very technical topic, with a lot of jargon and acronyms used to describe it.
For example, the data transfer rate used in speed tests is normally megabits per second.
Megabits are typically shown as Mbit/s or Mbps.
You'll want to be as close to the theoretical maximum speed that you can achieve for your connection type.
Here are some other definitions to help you understand the tech of broadband and broadband speeds.
For example, the data transfer rate used in speed tests is normally megabits per second.
Megabits are typically shown as Mbit/s or Mbps.
You'll want to be as close to the theoretical maximum speed that you can achieve for your connection type.
Here are some other definitions to help you understand the tech of broadband and broadband speeds.
- ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, which has a theoretical maximum speed of 24Mbps. ADSL uses copper lines to deliver data.
- Download. This is the maximum speed (measured in megabits per second) that data can be sent to your computer.
- Fibre. Fibre broadband uses fibre optic technology to deliver your data much faster than standard copper lines. Fibre has a theoretical maximum speed of 1Gbps, also called Gigabit. Real world speeds are likely to measure over 900Mbps.
- FTTH. FTTH stands for Fibre To The Home. This means that the Fibre network reaches your property.
- FTTN. FTTN stands for Fibre To The Node. This means that the Fibre network reaches a street cabinet.
- I.P. This is the address used to send data between your computer and the network. I.P. stands for Internet Protocol.
- ISP. I.S.P. is an acronym that stands for Internet Service Provider. ISP is commonly used to describe a business that provides internet access, whether that is to households or other businesses.
- Latency. This is a measurement - the amount of time (milliseconds) that it takes a unit of data to travel from source to destination. This measurement is important for gaming.
- Ping. Like Latency, Ping is also an important measurement for gaming. Ping is the measurement of a signal from your computer, and the server response to it. Ping is measure in milliseconds - the lower, the better.
- Packet Loss. The percentage of units of data that are lost whilst travelling from source to destination.
- VDSL stands for Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line, which has a theoretical maximum speed of up to 100Mbps.
- Upload. This is the maximum speed (measured in megabits per second) data from your computer can be sent to the network.