Test your internet
speed.

For most households, 100 Mbps is a good baseline. Streaming 4K video uses about 25 Mbps per screen, video calls use 5–10 Mbps, and gaming typically needs 25+ Mbps with low latency. If you have 3+ people online at once, aim for 200–500 Mbps. Gigabit (1,000 Mbps) is ideal for power users and home offices.

ISPs advertise "up to" speeds under ideal conditions. Real-world speed depends on network congestion (especially in evenings), the quality of your router and cables, WiFi interference, distance from the router, and how many devices are sharing your connection. For the most accurate result, test over a wired ethernet connection rather than WiFi.

Under 20 ms is excellent — virtually unnoticeable. 20–50 ms is good for most activities including gaming. 50–100 ms is fair; you may notice slight delays in real-time apps. Over 100 ms is high — gaming, video calls, and streaming may feel laggy. Fiber typically delivers the lowest latency, while satellite (especially Starlink) ranges from 20–60 ms.

We measure three things: (1) Ping — round-trip time to our server, measured in milliseconds. (2) Download — we download a test payload from our server and divide bytes received by time elapsed, in Mbps. (3) Upload — we send a test payload to our server and measure throughput. For the most accurate results, close other apps, pause downloads, and test over ethernet if possible.

First, reboot your router and modem. Test at different times of day — evenings tend to be congested. If you consistently get less than 50% of your advertised speed, contact your ISP and ask for a credit or a technician visit. If speeds remain poor, it may be time to switch providers. Use our address lookup to see what faster alternatives are available at your address.