Broadband how fast

Put your connection to the test and find out how fast it really performs. We all know that broadband suppliers advertise their speeds as "up to" a certain level. But how fast is your actual connection? Now you can find out with our broadband speed test , use the checker below to find out. To get accurate results make sure you're not using your internet connection for anything else while the test runs it only takes a few seconds.

Chart showing the average download speeds across tests carried out by users of the broadband. We record hundreds of thousands of test results every month. Broadband provider is detected by IP address rather than self selection.

Mobile broadband providers and those that only serve business customers are not counted towards the national average figure. Ofcom have also published average broadband speeds recorded across the UK , including individual figures for the largest providers, different types of broadband and different types of neighbourhood. These are recorded by a different method involving equipment installed in the home to record speeds during day-to-day usage.

Figures are reported twice a year. The last available report gave the UK's national average broadband speed as Without broadband speed test tools there would be no way of holding your supplier to account, you just wouldn't know if you were getting the service you are paying for. Some providers "throttle" their networks at peak times which can cause broadband connections to slow, but testing your connection regularly you can find out if your supplier is doing this to you.

As well as testing your broadband speed, we'll also let you know how your speeds compare to those of other broadband customers and let you know if there are faster providers in your area. Make sure that nothing else is using your Internet connection.

This includes other apps on your computer like your email client, instant messenger or browser tabs running Facebook or other constantly updating sites. It can also include online radio, background downloads and updates to your virus checker or operating system.

Make sure that nothing intensive is running on your computer. If your virus checker is in the middle of a scan or you're busy copying files or converting a video, this is likely to slow down your computer and so affect how accurately the speed test can run.

If possible close all other apps, browser windows and tabs and try to run the speed test alone. This is especially important if you have a slow computer or you're running the test on a tablet or mobile phone and tend to wait a long time for apps to load. In the world of broadband, megabits are abstract.

Though most of us understand the more the megabits the faster the broadband, few of us comprehend how that applies to our household. Is 10Mbps enough? What about 50? Or ? As a general rule, you'll need 10Mbps per broadband user. Double this to 20Mbps for each user they're streaming 4K content or gaming. What many people struggle with is how to apply average broadband speeds to the needs of their household, so they can choose a broadband deal with an internet speed that is right for their requirements.

The speed of your home broadband is important. These will be worse when everyone tries to get online at the same time. A quick look at what broadband speed you will need. It uses pre-existing BT copper phone lines to send and receive data, with a typical speed of around 10Mbps.

For a household of people, an entry level fibre-optic broadband package is usually a sensible choice — as long as nobody owns a 4K TV and streams in 4K UHD resolution, works regularly from home, or downloads games or large documents.

This type of broadband deal will typically offer speed between Mbps. Some providers, like Virgin Media , offer much faster fibre broadband connections that go right up to Mbps. Choosing a faster speed can help future proof your broadband usage, particularly if you have growing kids who are spending more and more time online.

There may also be peak times when everyone wants to get online, usually between 4pm and 8pm when everyone has come home for the day. Some fibre optic deals now offer speeds of up to or Mbps now available both from Virgin Media, and also BT and Vodafone in limited areas. The likely culprits for using more than their fair share of the broadband are serious gamers, who often need to download huge files containing new games and updates, and 4K streamers who want to watch movies and TV to their 4K television via the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, YouTube consuming anything up to 40Mbps of your home broadband connection.

As a general rule, you should add an extra 30Mbps of broadband provision for each person in your household that downloads games to a console, PC, or tablet, or who streams TV shows in 4K, or make sure that your broadband deal includes an average speed of at least Mbps to cover all bases.

It determines how fast information from the internet can be transferred to devices in your home. Finding out what broadband speeds you can get could make all the difference when working from home, connecting with family and friends online, or keeping yourself entertained by streaming games and TV shows. Take a look at our latest broadband deals. Just because broadband providers advertise average speeds doesn't mean you're actually getting that speed.

Speed tests are useful since you may not know what speed you're currently experiencing, and the difference between 8Mbps, 50Mbps, Mbps and Mbps isn't as obvious in practical terms. Test the speed of your broadband connection with our Uswitch broadband speed test , which can help you make a more informed decision when you come to compare broadband speeds and packages ahead of signing up. To get the most accurate reading, close all your other programs, web pages and games before starting the speed test.

Take a speed test. If you use a wireless connection, you can optimise your Wi-Fi connection by moving your router to a more central location in the house, or even changing the channels or broadcast type of your router. This works very well for programmes, games and utilities, but it can't be done for internet browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox.

If you've done a few speed tests and you're not happy with your current broadband speeds, you can usually upgrade to a faster connection with your provider. Just keep in mind that most providers will require you to sign up for another fixed-term contract when you upgrade. Within the UK, broadband speeds currently range very widely from 8Mbps to over 1Gbps Mbps , although the higher speeds aren't available everywhere or with every provider just yet. This depends on what you're planning to use your broadband for.

Each household will place different demands on their broadband connection, and faster broadband speeds could make life much easier for you. When browsing online, checking emails or scrolling through social media you probably won't need very fast broadband speeds.

Keep in mind that fibre doesn't only offer faster speeds - fibre connections are usually more reliable too, so it's worth considering upgrading if your standard connection drops out regularly. Compare the packages on offer using our superfast fibre broadband reviews. A connection is generally considered 'ultrafast' if it's Mbps or faster.

Some of the providers that use the Openreach network - such as BT and TalkTalk - offer ultrafast connections, but only to customers in certain parts of the country. Virgin Media is one major provider that doesn't use the Openreach network.

Instead it uses its own fibre optic cables to connect its street cabinets to the phone exchange and then uses coaxial cables to link the cabinet to customers' homes.

Coaxial cable is faster than standard phone lines, so most of Virgin Media's deals are ultrafast. While it's less widely available than Virgin Media, Hyperoptic is another provider with its own fibre network - it's mainly available in apartment blocks in major centres.

Find a speedy great-value package by browsing our ultrafast fibre broadband reviews. Speed is clearly important. But the reality is that not all of us will get the average speeds that providers quote in their ads. We're pleased that this change has been made, but we think there's still more that could be done to improve broadband in the UK. Customer score. Superfast broadband sounds appealing. But just how fast is it and do you really need it?

Read on to find out. YF Yvette Fletcher. In this article Do you need to switch to get faster broadband? Standard vs fibre broadband The benefits of faster broadband speeds Do I need to get superfast broadband? What about ultrafast broadband?