What factors can affect my Speedtest® result?
Speedtest measures the speed between your device and the test server using your device's Internet connection. Several factors can affect the speed recorded by the test:
Devices (phones, tablets, PCs, etc...) can have very different Wi-Fi and cellular radio capabilities. This means you may get one Speedtest result on one device and a different result on another, even using the same provider. Some devices may not measure the full speed of your Internet service. It is also possible that your Wi-Fi router does not support the full speed of your service.
Speedtest servers may work differently. Generally, you'll get faster speeds from servers closer to you. We recommend testing on different test servers to get a complete picture of your speed. Speedtest has the largest test server network in the world, which means you'll always have the advantage of testing on servers close to your geographic location.
Other speed testing services use different servers in different locations than SpeedTest, so speed differences between test services are not uncommon.
Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc...) have different capabilities and may give different results, especially on high-speed connections.
What should I do if my internet speed is slow?
Before you contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or mobile carrier, check to see if you have ongoing downloads or other programs running, such as video chat. Turn it off and test again. If your speedtest result still seems slow, reboot your phone or computer, modem and router. Then make sure your router does not have Quality of Service (QOS) features turned on. If that doesn't fix the problem, here are some other steps you can try.
After you've gone through these steps a good next step is to contact your ISP or carrier for help. Note that on higher bandwidth connections (150 Mbps and above), you'll need a higher quality router to keep up.
What does changing speedtest servers do?
Speedtest offers a network of over 11,000 hosted servers worldwide so you always have testing options. At the beginning of the test, SpeedTest automatically selects the nearest server with the fastest ping result to measure the maximum capacity of your Internet connection. You can always change the test server to something different from the default selection, and we encourage testing on different servers to compare results.
By choosing a new server, you are changing the location or host of the server you are testing your Internet connection with. In particular, many sites and streaming services may host their content on servers far from your current location, which may result in slower speeds and pings from those services.
Regardless of the server you choose, all tests run on Speedtest show the speed of your connection from your current ISP or carrier. Testing servers hosted by an ISP or carrier does not necessarily tell you how fast your connection will be if you sign up for the services they offer.
Why are there no servers in my area?
Your computer's firewall or proxy server may be blocking communication on port 8080, which will limit the number of servers available for testing.
Although our server network is always growing, we may not yet have a host in your area. If you'd like to host a speedtest server, details are on our Networks page.
Why am I getting different speeds between my computer and my phone/tablet?
Speedtest is measuring your real-time network connection, so tests taken within minutes of each other may vary slightly based on network congestion and available bandwidth. If your speedtest results are significantly different, make sure you:
Testing the same connection. If one device is on Wi-Fi and the other is not, you're testing different connection speeds.
Test on the same server. Speedtest automatically selects a server to test based on ping, but you can also select a server to test.
Also, note that there are large differences between Wi-Fi and cellular radio quality and MIMO stream handling quality. This variation may cause a device to deliver lower test results than another device or computer.
What speed do I need for streaming or large downloads?
If you're asking this question, you're already sick of the wheel of constant buffering. To get the best performance, you generally want at least the fastest download speeds as follows:
What speed do I need to transfer large files?
You can transfer large files at any speed; How long that transfer will take is more of a question.
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