Speed Result Explainer
Enter your speed test numbers and get a plain-English explanation of what they mean for your daily use.
Enter your speed test results
What the numbers mean
How fast data arrives at your device. Affects streaming, browsing, and file downloads. Higher is better, measured in Mbps.
How fast data leaves your device. Affects video calls, cloud backups, and sending files. Higher is better, measured in Mbps.
Download speed ranges
| Speed | Grade | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 Mbps | F | Basic web browsing only. Streaming will buffer. |
| 5-25 Mbps | D | SD or HD streaming for one screen. Limited for households. |
| 25-100 Mbps | C-B | HD streaming, basic video calls, moderate households. |
| 100-500 Mbps | B-A | Multiple 4K streams, gaming, work from home. |
| 500+ Mbps | A+ | Large households, fast downloads, future-proof. |
Upload speed ranges
| Speed | Grade | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 Mbps | F | Very limited. Video calls will be poor quality. |
| 2-5 Mbps | D | SD video calls, slow file uploads. |
| 5-20 Mbps | C-B | HD video calls, moderate cloud backup. |
| 20-100 Mbps | B-A | Multiple HD calls, large file transfers. |
| 100+ Mbps | A+ | Symmetric speeds, livestreaming, heavy cloud use. |
Ping ranges
| Ping | Grade | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 ms | A+ | Excellent. Competitive gaming, smooth video calls. |
| 20-50 ms | A-B | Good. Casual gaming, HD video calls. |
| 50-100 ms | C | Acceptable. Streaming and browsing fine; gaming may lag. |
| 100-200 ms | D | Noticeable delay. Gaming is frustrating. |
| Over 200 ms | F | Poor. Calls choppy, gaming nearly unusable. |
What to do if your results are poor
- Retest over Ethernet. Connect your computer directly to your router with an Ethernet cable and run the test again. Wi-Fi results are often 30-50% lower than wired results.
- Restart your router and modem. Unplug both devices, wait 30 seconds, and plug the modem back in first. Wait for it to fully connect before powering on the router.
- Test at a different time of day. Run the test during off-peak hours (early morning or midday) to see if congestion is the cause of slow speeds.
- Check for background activity. Pause any active downloads, streaming, or cloud backups on all devices before running the test.
- Check your modem's status. Log in to your modem's admin page and look for error logs or signal levels. High error rates indicate a line problem.
- Try a different DNS server. Slow page loading is sometimes caused by a slow DNS server. Switching to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google) can speed up browsing even if your raw speed is fine.
- Update router firmware. Outdated router firmware can cause instability and poor performance. Check your router's admin page for firmware updates.
- Contact your ISP. If speeds are consistently far below your plan level even on Ethernet, call your ISP with your test results. They can check for line problems from their end.
Common questions
For most households, a B or higher on all three metrics means the connection is performing well. An A on download with a D on ping still causes problems for gaming and video calls. All three numbers matter, and the weakest link determines your real-world experience.
High bandwidth and high latency can coexist. Satellite internet is a common example: it can deliver 100+ Mbps download but has 500+ ms latency due to the distance data must travel to orbit. For real-time applications, high ping is more disruptive than slow download speed.
Yes. Running three to five tests at different times of day gives a more accurate picture than a single result. Your connection speed can vary significantly between peak evening hours and off-peak morning hours, especially on cable and DSL plans.