How to test your internet speed correctly
Updated: 11 October 2026
- Pick the connection you want to test. Turn WiFi off to test mobile data; for broadband, use a cable or stand near the router.
- Stop other traffic. Pause downloads, cloud backup and streaming on all devices.
- Close other tabs and VPNs. A VPN sends traffic through another server and changes the result.
- Test three times and take the middle result.
- Test at different times, morning and evening, before drawing conclusions.
Why sites disagree
Every speed test measures to its own servers, with its own method. Some open many connections at once, some report the best moment, others an average. Our test measures to the nearest Cloudflare data centre, leaves out the first moments while the connection speeds up, and reports the average after that. Compare results from the same test over time, not one site against another.
How much data a test uses
A test moves data as fast as your line allows for several seconds: about 10–20 MB on a slow connection and 100 MB or more on fast 5G or fibre. Our result shows the amount your test used.