What if my broadband speed is not as advertised? However, you should bear in mind that speeds fluctuate throughout the day. It's secure, safe, and won’t store anything on your device.īroadband speed tests provide a snapshot of your connection’s performance by determining your respective download and upload speed at the point, and time, of testing. Our speed test works by timing how long it takes your connection to download a sample file from the web and then upload back to the server. The higher the measurement, the less time it takes to complete the transfer of data.įor example, a connection with a download speed of 38Mb will download a file more than twice as fast as one with a 17Mb limit. These speeds are most commonly measured in megabits-per-second (Mbps or Mb). Frequently asked questions How is broadband speed measured?Įverything you access online – from webpages to emails and videos to songs – is made up of data and broadband speed conveys the rate at which this data is transferred from the internet to your device (download speed) or from you device to the internet (upload speed).