Perform an easy WiFi speed test here

The best way to perform an internet speed test is with a wired connection, which essentially means you’re testing from a computer with an Ethernet cable plugged into it. Ideally, purists will take it a step further by using an Ethernet cable directly between computer and modem or modem-router to get the most accurate results.

But, really, who’s got time for that? It’s much easier to run a WiFi speed test with any number of wireless devices, especially if you're worried about slow internet.  That said, there are a few key factors worth considering.

That internet speed test tool above is a one-click way to test your download speed. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on mobile data, an NBN plan or any other form of internet, as long as you have an online connection, you can test its download speed by clicking or tapping ‘Start Speed Test’. Wait about 10 seconds and you’ll see a megabits-per-second (Mbps) result for your download speed.

Got another click or tap in you? Interact with the ‘Show More Info’ button, then wait another 10 seconds for a couple more results. This next test for your WiFi speed will offer upload speeds (Mbps) and a latency result, shown in milliseconds.

While download and upload speeds as well as your latency results are ultimately determined by the internet technology used in your WiFi speed test, there are ways to ensure the results are the most accurate. For starters, expect variance in results at different times of day, particularly during daylight hours compared to the internet’s nightly busy period, which is between 7:00pm and 11:00pm. It’s okay for WiFi speed test results to change during these times, but if it’s on a fixed-line internet connection, compare the results with what your provider says you should be getting.

Because WiFi isn’t as fast as a wired connection, there are other tricks to ensure the most accurate results. For starters, it’s best to perform a WiFi speed test when other devices aren’t using a shared internet connection. Additionally, where possible, you’ll get the best results when connected to a faster 5GHz WiFi network rather than an older 2.4GHz WiFi network. Try and get your speed-testing device as close as possible to the router or modem-router when testing home internet for the best results.

Okay, so you’ve used the WiFi test to check the speed of your internet connection. So, what does it all mean? Let’s break it down. For starters, the download speed indicates how quickly you can download files, and it’s the most important part of your WiFi connection for the speediness of most online activities.

Next up is upload, which is used a little for most everyday internet activities but a lot for tasks like cloud gaming and backing up photos. The larger the value in front of Mbps for download and upload, the better the speed; but you should expect download to always be faster than upload.

Finally, there’s latency, which impacts the responsiveness of your internet connection. It’s felt most in real-time-sensitive online tasks such as online gaming and videoconferencing, where higher latencies can lead to noticeable delays. Unlike download and upload, you want as low a number as possible for latency.

For an idea of the kind of speed results you should expect from different internet technologies, check out the table below.

Note that only Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) technologies can reach NBN 250 and NBN 1000 speeds.

Latency is a bit more of a moving target when it comes to averages, and it also depends on which provider you’re with. Fixed-line NBN homes in metro areas, for instance, can expect a latency range between 9ms and 20ms, which is also what cable and non-NBN fibre users can expect. Technologies like ADSL2+ have latency of around 40ms, whereas 4G mobile broadband sits around 60ms on average.

Latency for Fixed Wireless NBN homes is harder to pin down with averages, but you can expect between 50ms and 100ms, depending on the time of day and how congested your local area is. Satellite internet depends on the technology: expect latency of around 45ms for Starlink, but up to around 600ms for NBN Sky Muster satellite. Finally, 5G latency can technically be as low as 1ms but it’s closer to fixed-line NBN latency in my tests.