How to Run a Speed Test the Right Way

We’ve all been there: you’re in the middle of an important video call, and suddenly everyone freezes. Or you’re settling in for movie night, and the buffering wheel becomes the main character. In those moments of frustration, the first question is always, "Is it my internet?" An internet speed test is your go-to diagnostic tool, giving you a real-time snapshot of your connection's performance. It’s the quickest way to figure out if your network is the culprit. Before you start unplugging your router or calling for help, the best first step is to run a speed test. This guide will walk you through how to do it, what the results mean, and what to do next.

Key Takeaways

Verify You're Getting the Speed You Pay For: A speed test is a simple tool that measures your download speed, upload speed, and latency. Use it to get the hard data you need to confirm your internet performance lines up with your plan.
Plug In for the Most Accurate Reading: To get a true measure of the speed being delivered to your home, connect your computer directly to your router with an Ethernet cable. This simple step bypasses any Wi-Fi interference and gives you a clear, reliable baseline.
Use Your Results to Troubleshoot Smarter: If your speeds are consistently low, start with simple fixes like restarting your router. If the problem persists on a wired connection, your test results provide the specific information needed to work with support for a faster solution.

What Is an Internet Speed Test (and Why You Need One)

Think of an internet speed test as a speedometer for your digital highway. It’s a simple, free tool that measures your current connection’s performance in real-time, showing you exactly how fast data is moving to and from your device. If you’ve ever felt your video stream stutter during a movie night or had a video call freeze at the worst possible moment, a speed test is your first step in diagnosing the problem. It’s a quick, on-the-spot check-up that tells you if your internet is performing as it should.

Running a test is incredibly easy. Websites and apps like Speedtest by Ookla or the minimalist FAST.com give you a clear picture of your connection’s health with just a single click. You don’t need any technical skills to use them. The real value of a speed test is empowerment. It gives you the data you need to understand your connection, troubleshoot issues, and confirm you’re getting the performance outlined in your internet plan. It’s about making sure you have the speed you need for everything you do online, from remote work and online learning to gaming and streaming.

The Key Metrics: Download, Upload, and Latency

When you run a speed test, you’ll see a few key numbers. The most prominent one is download speed, which measures how quickly your devices can pull information from the internet. This is what you use for activities like streaming shows on Netflix, loading websites, or downloading files. A higher download speed means less buffering and faster load times.

Next is upload speed. This measures how quickly you can send information from your devices out to the internet. A fast upload speed is crucial for smooth video calls on Zoom or Teams, sending large email attachments, or backing up your files to the cloud.

Finally, you’ll see latency (or ping). This is the reaction time of your connection—how long it takes for a signal to travel from your device to a server and back. Low latency is essential for online gaming and real-time applications where even a tiny delay can make a big difference.

Why Regular Testing Is a Smart Move

Running a speed test isn’t just a one-time fix. Making it a regular habit is a smart way to monitor your internet’s health and ensure you’re consistently getting the service you pay for. Think of it as a routine check-up. Testing your speed every few weeks helps you establish a baseline for your connection’s performance. This way, if you suddenly experience slowdowns, you’ll have data to compare it to.

If you find that your speed is consistently lower than what your plan promises, it’s time to investigate. Regular testing gives you the evidence you need when you contact your internet service provider to report a problem. By taking a few seconds to test your internet speed often, you can spot issues early and take steps to keep your network running smoothly, ensuring a reliable connection for work, school, and entertainment.

How to Run a Speed Test on Any Device

Running an internet speed test is a great way to check in on your connection’s performance. The process is slightly different depending on what you’re using, but the goal is the same: to get a clear, accurate snapshot of your internet speeds. Whether you’re on your work laptop or scrolling on your tablet, here’s how to get a reliable reading.

On Your Computer

For the most accurate results, your computer is the best tool for the job. Before you start, close out any other programs or browser tabs that might be using the internet, like streaming services or large downloads. To get a true measure of the speed coming into your home, connect your computer directly to your router with an Ethernet cable. This removes any potential interference that can slow down a Wi-Fi signal. By doing this, you’re measuring the direct line of service to your device, giving you the clearest picture of your connection’s performance.

On Your Phone or Tablet

Testing on a mobile device is convenient and gives you a great sense of your Wi-Fi network’s real-world performance. Since you can’t plug in an Ethernet cable, find a spot close to your router to minimize signal interference from walls or other objects. Just like with a computer, make sure to close any apps running in the background that could be using up bandwidth. This ensures the test has your device’s full attention. Running a test on your phone is perfect for checking the Wi-Fi strength in different rooms of your house.

Our Favorite Speed Test Tools

You don’t need to download anything fancy to check your speed. Two of the most reliable and easy-to-use tools are available right in your web browser. Speedtest by Ookla is a popular choice that provides a complete look at your download speed, upload speed, and ping. It’s a comprehensive tool that works on almost any device. For a quick and simple reading, FAST.com is another excellent option. It loads instantly and focuses on your download speed, which is the most important metric for activities like streaming video. Both are free and give you the insights you need in seconds.

What Throws Off Your Speed Test Results?

So you ran a speed test, but the numbers on the screen don’t quite match the lightning-fast plan you signed up for. Before you get frustrated, know that a speed test is a snapshot in time, and several factors can influence that picture. It’s often not a problem with your internet service itself, but a result of temporary conditions or your home setup. Understanding these variables is the key to getting a clear and accurate reading of your connection’s performance. Let’s walk through the most common things that can skew your results and what you can do about them.

Peak Hours and Network Traffic

Think of the internet like a highway. At 3 a.m., you can fly down the road with no one in your way. But at 5 p.m. on a weekday, it’s a different story. The same thing happens with internet traffic. During peak hours—typically evenings when everyone is home from work or school, streaming movies, and gaming—the network gets congested. This digital rush hour can temporarily slow things down. External factors like the time of day and overall network congestion can affect your test results, so it’s smart to test at different times, like in the morning and late at night, to get a more complete picture.

Wi-Fi vs. a Wired Connection

Wi-Fi is incredibly convenient, but it’s also susceptible to all sorts of interference that can drag your speed down. When you run a test over Wi-Fi, you’re testing the speed between your device and your router, not the full speed coming into your home. For the most accurate result, grab an Ethernet cable and plug your computer directly into your router. This creates a direct, stable link that bypasses any wireless hiccups. By default, a speed test tries to show the maximum potential of your connection, and a wired connection is the best way to see that true potential without Wi-Fi getting in the way.

Your Device's Own Limits

Sometimes, the bottleneck isn’t your internet—it’s the device you’re using. An older smartphone, a laptop with a slow processor, or even a web browser cluttered with extensions can struggle to keep up with a high-speed fiber connection. If your device’s hardware or software can’t process data at 500 Mbps, your speed test will reflect that limitation, not your internet’s actual speed. Before you test, close out other applications and browser tabs. If your results are still slow, try running the test on a newer, more powerful device to see if the numbers improve. These are some of the most common culprits behind seemingly slow internet.

Router Location and Pesky Interference

Where you place your router matters—a lot. If it’s tucked away in a cabinet, at the far end of the house, or behind a thick wall, your Wi-Fi signal has to work much harder to reach your devices. Physical obstructions are a major cause of slow Wi-Fi. Other electronic devices, like microwaves, cordless phones, and even your neighbor’s Wi-Fi network, can also cause interference. To get the best signal, place your router in a central, open location, off the floor. Following a few simple tips to improve Wi-Fi speed, like clearing the way and restarting your gateway, can make a huge difference.

How to Read Your Speed Test Results

Once the test is done, you’ll see a few key numbers. At first glance, they might just look like data, but each one tells a specific story about your internet connection’s performance. Understanding these metrics is the first step to figuring out if you’re getting the speed you’re paying for and whether it’s enough for what you and your family do online. Let’s break down what those numbers mean and how to tell if they’re good, bad, or just right for your home.

What Your Numbers Actually Mean

Your speed test results will show a few different metrics, but the two most important are download and upload speeds. Think of it like a two-way street. Download speed is how quickly your devices can pull data from the internet—this affects things like streaming movies, loading websites, or downloading files. Upload speed is the reverse; it’s how quickly your devices can send data to the internet. This is crucial for video calls, posting high-res photos, or backing up files to the cloud. You’ll also see a “ping” or “latency” number, which measures response time. A lower ping is better, especially for online gaming where every millisecond counts.

What's a "Good" Speed for What You Do?

So, what do those numbers mean in the real world? A "good" speed really depends on your lifestyle. If you live alone and mostly just browse websites and stream HD video, a download speed around 25-40 Mbps might be fine. But for a busy household with multiple people streaming in 4K, gaming online, and working from home on video calls, you’ll need much more to keep things running smoothly. For those high-demand activities and multiple users, speeds in the hundreds of Mbps, like the fiber internet plans we offer, ensure there’s enough bandwidth for everyone without frustrating lag or buffering.

Check Your Results Against Your Plan

Now for the moment of truth. Pull up your latest internet bill or log into your provider’s account portal and find the advertised speed for your plan. How do your test results compare? Keep in mind that you’ll rarely hit the absolute maximum speed, especially over Wi-Fi. However, your results should be in the same ballpark. If you’re paying for 500 Mbps and your test consistently shows 90 Mbps, something is off. A significant gap between your plan’s speed and your test results means it’s time to start troubleshooting or contact your provider to see what’s going on.

Speeds Slower Than You Expected? Here's What to Do

So, you ran a speed test and the numbers weren't what you hoped for. Don't worry—it happens, and it’s often an easy fix. Before you assume the worst, there are a few things you can do to diagnose and solve the problem. Slow speeds can be caused by anything from a router that needs a reboot to a device that’s just too far away. Let's walk through the steps to get your connection back up to speed, starting with the simplest solutions first. Think of it as a checklist to find the culprit behind your slow connection. Most of the time, a few quick adjustments are all it takes to get back to seamless streaming and gaming.

First Steps: Quick Troubleshooting

Before you start rearranging furniture, let's try the easiest fixes. First, give your modem and router a quick restart. Unplug them, wait about 30 seconds, and plug them back in. This simple step clears out any temporary glitches and can often solve speed issues instantly. It’s a classic for a reason! Next, check what else is running on your network. Is someone else in the house downloading a huge file? Are you running a system update in the background? Pausing these activities can free up a lot of bandwidth. Also, make sure to close out any unnecessary applications on the device you're using for the test to ensure they aren't hogging resources and skewing your results.

Deeper Fixes for Hardware and Software

If a restart didn't do the trick, it's time to look at your setup. Your router's location makes a huge difference. Is it tucked away in a cabinet or at the far end of the house? Try moving it to a more central, open location, away from thick walls, metal objects, and other electronics like microwaves that can cause interference. Sometimes, just improving your Wi-Fi signal is all you need. It’s also a good idea to run a quick scan for malware on your computer, as malicious software can secretly consume your bandwidth. Finally, if you have an older router, it might not be able to keep up with the high-speed fiber connection you’re paying for.

Know When to Call Your Provider

You’ve restarted your gear, checked for bandwidth hogs, and optimized your router’s location, but your speeds are still lagging. Now is the time to give us a call. If your speed test results are consistently lower than the plan you're paying for—especially when you test with a computer connected directly to your modem with an Ethernet cable—it points to an issue we can help with. Testing over Wi-Fi measures the speed of your local network, but a wired test shows the true speed being delivered to your home. When you reach out to our local support team, having these test results handy will help us diagnose and solve the problem much faster.

How to Get the Most Accurate Results

Running an internet speed test feels simple—just click a button and get a number. But getting a number that truly reflects your internet performance requires a little more intention. If you want a clear, accurate snapshot of your connection, you need to control the variables. Think of it like a science experiment: the fewer things that can interfere with your test, the more reliable your results will be. By taking a few extra steps, you can be confident that the numbers you see are a true measure of the internet speed coming into your home.

Prep Your Network for an Accurate Test

Before you even open a speed test website, take a minute to set the stage. The goal is to isolate the test so it’s the only major thing using your internet connection. First, close any applications that might be using bandwidth on your device, like streaming services, video calls, or large file downloads. Next, it’s a great idea to quickly restart your modem and router. This simple step can clear up any temporary glitches that might be slowing things down, ensuring that a technical hiccup on your end isn’t skewing the results. Finally, for the most precise reading, disconnect other devices like phones, tablets, and smart TVs from your Wi-Fi network while you run the test.

Test at Different Times and on Different Servers

A single speed test is just one data point. To get a complete picture of your internet performance, you need to test multiple times. Internet speeds can fluctuate throughout the day, often slowing down during "peak hours" (usually in the evening when everyone is home streaming and gaming). Try running tests in the morning, afternoon, and evening to see how your connection holds up. Additionally, most speed test tools connect you to a nearby server by default, but it's smart to test to other servers in different locations. This helps you understand how your connection performs when accessing content from farther away, giving you a more well-rounded view of your service.

Common Mistakes That Skew Your Results

It’s easy to misinterpret your speed test results if you’re not aware of a few common pitfalls. Many factors beyond your control can influence the numbers you see. External factors like overall network congestion in your area, the time of day, and even the physical distance to the test server can cause your results to vary. It’s also helpful to know that most popular speed tests don’t measure speed in the way you might think. Instead, they often measure capacity—the maximum amount of data your connection can handle at that moment. This is why one test might give you a different result than another, and why it’s important to see them as useful guides rather than absolute facts.

Why Do Different Speed Tests Give Different Results?

If you’ve ever run a few speed tests back-to-back and gotten different numbers each time, you’re not alone. It can be frustrating, but it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with your internet. The truth is, not all speed tests are created equal, and several factors can influence the outcome. Think of it like checking the time on different clocks—they might all be slightly out of sync.

The variation often comes down to the specific tool you’re using, the server it connects to, and the conditions on the internet at that exact moment. Each test takes a slightly different path to measure your connection, which naturally leads to different results. Understanding what causes these differences is the key to getting a clearer picture of your internet performance.

How Test Servers and Methods Vary

One of the biggest reasons for different results is the location of the test server. When you start a speed test, the tool connects to a server somewhere in the world to measure how quickly it can send and receive data. Most tools will automatically pick a nearby server to show the maximum potential of your internet connection. A test connecting to a server right here in Dallas will almost always be faster than one connecting to a server in New York because the data has less distance to travel. External factors like overall network congestion and the time of day also play a huge role, creating a unique testing environment every time you click “Go.” For a more complete picture, it's helpful to test to other servers in various locations.

Clearing Up Common Speed Test Myths

Here’s something most people don’t know: many popular speed tests don’t measure speed in the way you might think. Instead, they measure capacity—the maximum amount of data your connection can handle under ideal conditions. It’s a bit like measuring the width of a highway, not the actual speed of the cars on it during rush hour. Because of this, these tests provide a narrow snapshot and can sometimes give an optimistic report of how your network behaves. This is why a single test isn't the whole story. It’s a useful data point, but it’s showing you a best-case scenario rather than your typical, everyday performance.

How Often Should You Check Your Internet Speed?

So, what’s the magic number for checking your internet speed? The honest answer is there isn’t one. You don’t need to obsessively test it every day, but you also shouldn’t wait until you’re staring at a frozen screen during a big presentation to check what’s going on. The goal is to find a simple, consistent rhythm that helps you stay on top of your network’s performance. Think of it as a quick, regular check-up for your internet connection. It’s about being proactive, so you can catch small issues before they become major headaches and ensure you’re getting the performance you expect from your plan.

Set a Simple Testing Schedule

A great rule of thumb is to run a speed test about once a month. This gives you a regular snapshot of your internet health without being a chore. Just pick a day and time—maybe the first Sunday of the month—and make it a quick two-minute habit. You should also plan to test more frequently in a few specific situations: when you first sign up for one of our internet plans to set a baseline, anytime you notice consistent lag or buffering, or after you’ve made a change to your home network, like installing a new router or adding a bunch of smart home devices.

Why You Should Track Your Speeds Over Time

Testing your internet speed regularly helps you understand what’s normal for your connection. By keeping a simple log of your results, you can spot patterns over time. Maybe you notice a dip in performance every weekday afternoon or realize your Wi-Fi is consistently slower in the upstairs office. This information is incredibly valuable. It helps you troubleshoot more effectively and gives you solid data to share if you ever need to contact customer support. Instead of just saying "my internet feels slow," you can provide specific numbers, which helps us pinpoint the problem and find a solution much faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Wi-Fi speed so much lower than my internet plan's speed? This is a very common situation, and it usually doesn't mean there's an issue with your internet service itself. Your plan's speed measures the connection coming into your home, while a Wi-Fi test measures the signal traveling wirelessly from your router to your device. Things like thick walls, distance from the router, and interference from other electronics can weaken that signal, resulting in a lower speed reading. Think of it as the difference between the water pressure coming into your house versus the flow from a garden hose kinked in the yard.

My download speed is great, but my video calls are still lagging. What's the deal? This is a classic case where download speed isn't the whole story. Video calls are a two-way street, meaning they depend heavily on your upload speed—how fast you can send your video out to others. They also require low latency (or ping) to feel like a real-time conversation. If your upload speed is low or your latency is high, you can experience that frustrating lag and choppiness, even if you can stream movies perfectly fine.

What's the single best way to get a truly accurate speed test result? For the most honest and accurate reading of the speed being delivered to your home, plug your computer directly into your router using an Ethernet cable. This creates a direct physical link to your connection, bypassing all the variables that can slow down a Wi-Fi signal. It’s the only way to remove wireless interference from the equation and see the true performance of your internet plan.

Is it normal for my internet speed to change at different times of the day? Yes, it's completely normal to see some fluctuation. The internet is a shared resource, much like a highway. During peak hours, typically in the evening when many people are online streaming, gaming, and browsing, the network can get congested. This digital rush hour can cause a temporary dip in speeds. Testing at different times, like in the morning versus the evening, will give you a more complete picture of your connection's performance.

How do I know if my speed is fast enough for my family? A "good" speed really comes down to how you use the internet. A single person who mostly browses and streams HD video might be fine with a lower-tier plan. However, for a household where multiple people are simultaneously working from home, attending online classes, streaming in 4K, and gaming, you'll need a much faster connection, like a 500 Mbps fiber plan. This ensures there's enough bandwidth to go around so no one experiences frustrating slowdowns.