Internet Speed Test
Check your download speed, upload speed, ping, and jitter with a free test against the SpeedTestLab node.
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Tests send generated traffic to Cloudflare’s speed-test network and use your data allowance. Cloudflare processes your IP address and technical request data under its privacy policy. This site disables the SDK’s separate results logging. Results describe this device-to-Cloudflare path, not a guaranteed ISP speed. Privacy Policy
How this test measures your connection
Ping here is HTTP round-trip time after one warmup sample, not ICMP. Speeds use decimal Mbps from bytes and elapsed time.
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Diagnose this connection, then read what the numbers mean.
A more reliable result
How to Test Your Internet Speed
A speed test is a snapshot of this device's connection to the selected test node. A few simple checks make that snapshot more useful.
- 1
Pause heavy traffic
Stop large downloads, cloud backups, and 4K streams on this device and, when possible, on other devices sharing the connection.
- 2
Use the connection you want to check
Stay on Wi-Fi to assess your current Wi-Fi experience. Use Ethernet to reduce wireless interference when checking the internet service itself.
- 3
Run the test more than once
Test at different times, including the busy evening period. One run can be affected by short-lived congestion or background activity.
- 4
Compare like with like
Use the same device, location, connection type, and node when comparing results. Record download, upload, ping, and jitter together.
Read all four metrics
Understanding Your Speed Test Results
Download speed
How quickly data reaches your device. It affects streaming, web browsing, app downloads, and receiving large files.
Upload speed
How quickly your device sends data. It matters for video calls, cloud backups, livestreaming, and sharing files.
Ping
The HTTP round-trip time between this browser and the test node. Lower latency generally makes interactive tasks feel more responsive.
Jitter
Variation between consecutive latency samples. Lower and steadier jitter is helpful for voice, video calls, and online play.
Use matters more than one magic number
What Is a Good Internet Speed?
A good speed is one that supports every active device with some headroom. Service requirements vary by provider, video quality, household size, Wi-Fi conditions, and upload demand.
| Activity | Practical starting point | What else matters |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing and email | About 5–10 Mbps per active user | Latency and page complexity |
| HD video | 3–5 Mbps per stream | Stable sustained download |
| 4K video | 15 Mbps or more per stream | Provider and video quality |
| HD video meetings | About 2–4 Mbps up and down | Upload, ping, jitter, and packet loss |
| Online gaming | Usually modest throughput | Low latency, low jitter, and stability |
| Multi-device home | Add concurrent demand plus headroom | Router capacity and Wi-Fi coverage |
Reference points include Netflix's current streaming recommendations and Zoom's meeting bandwidth requirements. They are service-specific recommendations, not universal guarantees.
Troubleshoot the path
Why Is My Internet So Slow?
Slow results can come from the internet service, local Wi-Fi, the router, the test device, congestion, or the remote service. Isolate one layer at a time.
- Compare Wi-Fi with Ethernet. A large difference points toward wireless coverage, interference, or router limits.
- Move closer to the router. Walls, distance, and crowded channels can reduce Wi-Fi throughput.
- Pause other traffic. Backups, updates, streaming, and other users share the same capacity.
- Restart and update equipment. Reboot the modem/router and check whether its firmware and hardware support the subscribed tier.
- Test at several times. Repeatable evening slowdowns may indicate local or provider-side congestion.
Go deeper
Related Guides
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my speed test result lower than my internet plan?
Plans are often advertised as “up to” a rate. Wi-Fi conditions, shared traffic, device limits, protocol overhead, congestion, and the route to the test node can all reduce a browser result.
Does this test measure my Wi-Fi signal strength?
No. It measures internet throughput and HTTP latency over whichever connection the device is using. Browsers do not expose router radio strength or channel quality to this page.
Is the ping result an ICMP ping?
No. SpeedTestLab measures HTTP round-trip time to its test endpoint after a warmup request. System ICMP tools can produce different results.
How often should I run a speed test?
Run several tests when investigating a problem: at different times, on Wi-Fi and Ethernet if available, and before and after changing equipment or settings.