Speed test: Check your internet speed

A quick internet speed is essential whether you have broadband, fibre, 4G, or 5G. Above, you can quickly test your internet speed.

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Guide: How to use the speed test

Our speed test is free to use and doesn't take more than a minute to complete.

But there are some small steps you can take to get the most accurate results.

5 steps of the speed test:

• Connect your computer directly to the router via an ethernet cable. Usually, an ethernet cable comes with your router. Be aware that you might need an adaptor to connect to your laptop if it doesn't come with an ethernet port.
• Turn off the WiFi on your computer. You can usually do this in the 'Settings' of your computer.
• Turn off all other devices connected to your router. This could be smartphones, printers or other computers.
• Close every app or program on your computer that uses the internet. The only thing open on your computer should be the browser window with the speed test.
• Press 'Go' and begin the internet speed test. Sit back and wait for the results. It should take at most a minute. 

If you cannot connect your computer directly to the router, you can also take the test on WiFi. You will, however, not get as accurate results as you would through an ethernet cable.

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What does the speed test show?

The speed test, of course, shows the speed of your internet connection – that being your download and upload speed. 

But it is also important to check out the quality of your signal. You can see that by focusing on the Ping and the Jitter.

Unsure of what it all means? Here's a quick recap:

• Download speed: The speed at which you can download data. Technically speaking, the download speed tells you how quick your computer can receive data from an online server. That's why it's crucial when you stream music, films and series.
• Upload speed: The speed at which you can download data. The upload speed tells you how quick your computer can send data to an online server. It's important if you want to upload videos to YouTube or often back-up lots of data such as photos etc.
• Ping: Gives us insight into how quickly your computer can load a web page. It's crucial if you're gaming online often. More technically speaking, the ping describes the reaction time of your computer, which means how long it takes to send out a signal to a server and when it returns. The ping should usually be between 10-30 ms, but the lower, the better.
• Jitter: Shows how many pings in the speed test were successful. It's not too important when checking your internet speed, but the number should be as close to 0 as possible.

Suppose you only use your internet connection to browse the internet, be on social media, and download smaller files. In that case, you shouldn't worry much about your Ping and Jitter. However, if online gaming is your thing, they could be significant for you.

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Why is it a good idea to take a speed test?

The broadband market keeps changing, and new deals will always come that can provide you with better, faster, and cheaper broadband.

That's why it is essential to regularly check your internet speed and compare it with other providers. Especially if you keep asking yourself these questions:

• Why is my internet slow
• Why do I experience lagging when streaming movies, series or music?
• Why is my connection unstable and slow when there are multiple people online?
• Do I get the internet speed I'm paying for?
• Why is my internet speed not as fast as it should be?
• Could I get a faster connection?