“Download speed is what speed tests are synonymous with,” Kehoe tells me.
When you see an internet service provider advertising how fast it is, this is the number it’s talking about. Download speed refers to the amount of data your connection can take in from a server in a single second.
Latency and jitter
While bandwidth measures the amount of data an internet connection can transmit, latency — or ping — measures the time it takes for the data to make the trip.
Latency is measured in milliseconds, and anything under 20ms is generally considered excellent. When you’re online gaming, for instance, you want the movements on your controller to correspond as instantaneously as possible with the results on your screen. Anything over 20ms, and you might start to notice some lag.
Some free speed tests, including Ookla and Cloudflare, also give you download and upload scores for latency. These are referred to as “loaded latency” results, and they’re taken while the speed test is flooding your connection during the download and upload speed tests.
“Some networks can have problems where the latency increases when it’s being flooded with data,” Kehoe explains. “Usually a very high loaded latency is something that you may see during a concert or in a congested area. It’s a good indicator of the network being under pressure.”
Preparing for an accurate speed test
Running a speed test is as simple as pressing a button on a website, but there are a few factors that can impact your results. To get the most accurate picture, you should consider these factors before you start your (virtual) engine:
- Wi-Fi or Ethernet: It’s perfectly valid to test your connection over Wi-Fi and Ethernet — you’ll just want to know which one you’re using to interpret the results correctly. Testing over a wired Ethernet connection will give you the most accurate picture of what your ISP is actually delivering. Comparing the results with a Wi-Fi test will show you how much that wireless connection is costing you. If speed, latency or jitter is dramatically worse over Wi-Fi, it might be time to upgrade your router.
- Other devices on the network: A speed test is meant to test the full ability of your connection. If you’re downloading a large file on another device, for example, your download speed results might look lower than they actually are. Before you begin your test, turn off any devices that could be actively using the internet.
- Test at varying distances from your router: Running a speed test on a device close to your router will give you good information, but it’s also important to know how well your Wi-Fi works further away. I’d recommend running speed tests everywhere you plan on being online. If your speeds drop off significantly in certain rooms or floors, you might want to consider upgrading to a full-fledged mesh system or adding a Wi-Fi extender to the mix.
- Test at different times of the day: Network congestion can impact your internet speeds. Try running speed tests during “internet rush hour,” which occurs on weeknight evenings when many people are streaming at the same time. This is likely when your network will be stressed the most, and you should see the slowest speeds.
Read More: Best Wi-Fi Extenders of 2025
“We saturate the connection, and it’s measuring how fast the data actually gets to the user,” says Kehoe, explaining how Ookla arrives at its results.
Speed tests usually take less than 30 seconds to complete. Once they’re done, you should immediately see all the key information on a results page.
Interpreting and improving your speed test results
You have your speed test results. Now what do you do with them?
If you ran a speed test through an Ethernet cable and got speeds significantly lower than the plan you’re paying for, it’s worth contacting your internet provider with that information. Speeds vary by time of day and most plans are marketed as “up to” a certain threshold, but you shouldn’t fall well below that mark. If you hit a dead end with your provider, it might be time to consider switching ISPs entirely.
Over the past several years, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 routers have become increasingly affordable. Both give you access to the ultrawide 6GHz band — the most significant Wi-Fi speed improvements in recent memory.
But a good reference point is the Federal Communication Commission’s benchmark for broadband internet, which it raised last year to 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speed. The FCC doesn’t include a maximum latency number, but providers receiving federal money to build out rural broadband infrastructure have to deliver latency under 100ms.
The bottom line
Now that you know what speed you’re getting, you have a better idea of what you need to do next. At a minimum, you hopefully saw some numbers that met your plan’s minimum speeds. If not, you’ll have a better idea about how to fix the issue now that you know precisely where the problem is.
The best way to test your internet is with a wired Ethernet connection. It’ll give you the exact numbers your ISP is delivering to your home. If those numbers match closely with what your ISP claims, you should be good to go. Testing over Wi-Fi may result in lower speeds due to the number of devices connected, interference or distance from the router.
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