How to Test Your Internet Speed
A simple, accurate way to measure your connection on any phone or computer, in under a minute.
Quick answer: open a speed test in your browser, close anything else using the internet, and tap Start. In under a minute you will see your download, upload, latency and jitter. Run it two or three times for a reliable picture.
Step by step
- 1. Pick your connection. Testing Wi-Fi? Stay on Wi-Fi. Testing mobile data? Turn Wi-Fi off so the test uses cellular.
- 2. Close other apps. Pause downloads, streaming and big uploads so they do not skew the result.
- 3. Tap Start. The test downloads and uploads real files and plots your speed live.
- 4. Read the four numbers. Download and upload (Mbps), latency and jitter (ms).
- 5. Re-test. Run it a few times, and in different spots, to spot Wi-Fi or congestion issues.
What the results mean
Download is how fast data reaches you (streaming, browsing). Upload is how fast you send data (calls, backups). Latency is the round-trip delay, important for gaming and calls. Jitter is how much that delay varies; low and steady is best. See Mbps, latency and jitter explained for detail.
Getting an accurate result
For the truest reading, test on a wired connection or right next to the router, close bandwidth-hungry apps, and compare a few runs. A single-stream test to a nearby server reflects what one real download or stream gets, which is what you actually experience.