> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ipcheck.ing/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ipcheck.ing/knowledge-base/network-tests/speed-test.md).
# Speed Test
## What it does
The **Speed Test** section on the MyIP dashboard measures how fast your connection is right now.
The test runs against **Cloudflare's edge network**. Your browser downloads and uploads real data from the Cloudflare location closest to you, and times it.
It reports four numbers:
* **Download** — how fast data comes to you, in Mb/s
* **Upload** — how fast data leaves you, in Mb/s
* **Latency** — the round-trip delay to the test server, in ms
* **Jitter** — how much that delay varies, in ms
{% hint style="info" %}
Speeds are in **megabits** per second (Mb/s), not megabytes. Divide by 8 to get the number your browser or download manager shows. 100 Mb/s is about 12.5 MB/s.
{% endhint %}
## How to run it
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
### Pick the packet sizes
Two dropdowns above the test set the download size and the upload size. You can choose 1, 10, 15, 50 or 100 MB. The defaults are 50 MB down and 15 MB up.
Each size is transferred **4 times**, so a 50 MB download setting moves about 200 MB. On a metered or mobile connection, pick a smaller size.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Press the start button
The button next to the dropdowns starts the test. While it runs it becomes a pause button; when the test is over it becomes a restart button.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Watch the tiles and charts
The four numbers update live, with a chart under each one. A line above them shows your country on one side and the Cloudflare location serving you on the other.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## Reading your results
When the test finishes you get a green summary block. It names your IP and country, and the test server you reached — a three-letter code plus its city and country.
### The four metrics
| Metric | What it tells you | Rough reading |
| -------- | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Download | Speed of incoming data | What matters is whether it covers what you do. 25 Mb/s is enough for 4K video. |
| Upload | Speed of outgoing data | Matters for video calls, backups and sending large files. Home lines are often much slower up than down. |
| Latency | Delay to the nearest edge, line idle | Under 30 ms is excellent. Over 150 ms feels sluggish in games and calls. |
| Jitter | How stable that delay is | Low is good. High jitter breaks voice and video calls even when speed is high. |
Latency and jitter are explained in more depth in [Latency, Jitter & Packet Loss](/knowledge-base/concepts/latency-jitter-packet-loss.md).
### Loaded latency
The summary also shows **Loaded latency**, with a down arrow and an up arrow. This is the delay measured *while* the line is fully busy.
If loaded latency is far higher than the plain latency, your connection queues badly under load. That is why a video call falls apart the moment someone in the house starts a big download.
### Quality scores
The last line rates your connection for three uses: **Video Streaming**, **Gaming** and **Video Chatting**. Each gets one of five labels: Bad, Poor, Average, Good or Great.
These labels combine speed, latency and jitter. A very fast line with unstable latency can still score poorly for gaming.
### If the test fails
If you see *"Could not reach the speed test server"*, the test server was unreachable. A strict firewall, a proxy that blocks the test endpoints, or a dropped connection are the usual causes. Try again, and try with your VPN or proxy turned off.
## Why your result differs from other tests
Common reasons for a "wrong" number
* **Different destination.** This test measures the path to Cloudflare's nearest edge location. Another test measures a server your ISP picked. Two paths, two numbers.
* **No Cloudflare node nearby.** Cloudflare does not have an edge location in every country. If your traffic must travel far to reach one, the result is a floor, not a ceiling — your real speed may be higher.
* **Advertised speed is a maximum.** An ISP plan sells a peak line rate under ideal conditions. Real traffic rarely reaches it.
* **Wi-Fi, not the internet, is the limit.** Old routers and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi cap out long before a modern fibre line does.
* **Your device is busy.** Backups, updates and open tabs all use bandwidth.
* **A VPN or proxy is in the way.** Encryption plus a detour through another country costs both speed and latency.
## Tips for a clean measurement
* Stop downloads, uploads, backups and streaming on every device first.
* Use a wired connection if you can. If not, use 5 GHz Wi-Fi and stay near the router.
* Close other browser tabs, especially video ones.
* Run the test two or three times and compare. One run is only a snapshot.
* To compare with and without a VPN, use the same packet sizes both times.
## What to do next
* Slow result, and you want to know why → [Why Is My Internet Slow?](/knowledge-base/diagnose/why-is-my-internet-slow.md)
* See latency from other parts of the world → [Global Latency Test](/knowledge-base/network-tests/global-latency-test.md)
* Find where a path breaks down → [MTR Test](/knowledge-base/network-tests/mtr-test.md)
* Keep or share the result → [Sharing a Diagnostic Report](/knowledge-base/getting-started/sharing-a-diagnostic-report.md)
---
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