Broadband Speed Test

You can use our checker tool to test your broadband speed upload and download performance in megabits per second (Mbps). To get an accurate result please first ensure that your router is connected directly to the computer that you run our broadband speed test on.


You should also make sure nothing else is using your Internet connection and disconnect WiFi devices whilst you are running our broadband speed checker.

When running our Internet speed test we may use your IP address as part of the testing process but will not record it.

Please Note: It is normal for your download speed to be much higher than your upload speed. As part of the broadband speed test, ‘ping’ and ‘jitter’ times, will be displayed by our tool too. This data is useful in order for you to check that these figures are what you would normally expect them to be.

See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section below for further information regarding your broadband connection, including its speed and reliability.

FAQs

1. What is ‘ping’ recorded during the broadband speed test?
   The ping is a record of how quickly the reaction time of your connection is. It measures how quickly you receive a response after you have sent out a request. The faster the ping, the more responsive your connection is. This is important when you are streaming video or other large files from the web. It is measured in milliseconds (ms).


2. What is the ‘download speed’ shown after the Internet speed test?
   Your download speed shows how quickly you can retrieve data from the web to your computer via the Internet connection you are testing. Most connections are set up to download data much faster than they can upload data. This is because most online activity, such as streaming music and video or loading web pages consists of data downloading. Download speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).


3. What is the ‘upload speed’ displayed following the test?
   The upload speed shows how quickly you can send, or upload, your data to the web. This is important if, for instance, you spend time video-messaging or need to send relatively large files such as high definition or 4K video to the web. Large files attached to emails such as photos and graphics will be sent faster with a higher upload speed too. Upload speed is again measured in megabits per second (Mbps).


4. What factors affect my broadband speed?
   There are many factors that can affect your broadband speed. Some of the major factors are as follows:
   • Distance from the local telephone exchange.
   • Time of day.
   • Shared line.
   • The type of connection that you have.
   • Network congestion.
   • Your connection provider.


5. Typical broadband speeds available within the UK
   Here are the current (as of 2018) typical broadband connection speeds that you can expect to see:
   • BT – FTTC (Fibre-To-The-Cabinet) – Speeds of up to 76Mbps.
   • FTTP (Fibre-To-The-Premises) – Speeds of up to 1Gbps. Commonly known as leased line.
   • ADSLMax – Speeds of up to 6Mbps.
   • ADSL2+ – Speeds of up to 17Mbps.


6. Do I need a Symmetrical connection?
   A ‘Symmetrical’ connection is one where both the upstream and downstream speeds are the same. This may be important to you.


7. What is an ‘uncontended line’?
   An uncontended line is one where the bandwidth itself is not shared with anyone. This means that its speed will, in theory, always remain the same.


8. What is ‘jitter’ shown during the broadband speed test?
   Jitter, shown in milliseconds (ms), is the variation in latency/response times detected during the broadband test. If it varies significantly over multiple speed tests then it is an indication of a problem as the link is not consistently reliable.

If you currently have a slow or unreliable broadband service, why not contact Horizone to see how we can get things moving faster for you!