Test Your Internet Speed

Speedtest measures the speed between your device and a test server, using your device’s internet connection. Several factors can impact the speed recorded by a test:

• Devices (mobile phones, tablets, computers, etc.) can have very different WiFi and cellular capabilities. This means you might get one result on one device and a different result on another, even using the same provider. Some devices may not be able to measure the full speed of your internet service. It’s also possible that your WiFi router doesn’t support the full speed of your service.
• Servers may perform differently. Generally, you will get faster speeds from servers closer to you. We recommend the CNI server out of Wapakoneta, Ohio.
• Other speed testing services use different servers in different locations than Speedtest, so differences in speeds between testing services are not uncommon.
• Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc.) have different capabilities and may provide different results, particularly on high-speed connections.

Before you contact Wabash, check to see if you’re running any ongoing downloads or other programs that might be hogging your bandwidth on all of your connected devices. Close those and test again. If your speed test result still seems slow, reboot your phone or computer, and power cycle your router by unplugging the power source, waiting 20 seconds, then plugging back in.

Contacting Wabash for help is a good next step.

Keep in mind that on higher bandwidth connections (generally 100 Mbps and above), you will need a higher quality router to keep up. Like any electronic device, routers don’t last forever. You may simply need a new router – we can help you with that.

The speed test is measuring your real-time network connection, so tests taken within a few minutes of each other might vary a little based on network congestion and available bandwidth. If your speed test results are significantly different, make sure that you’re:

• Testing the same connection. If one device is on WiFi and the other is not, you’re testing the speeds of different connections.
• Testing to the same server. Speedtest automatically selects a server to test to based on ping, but you can also select a server to test to. We recommend the CNI server in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
• Testing on a device that is connected to your router via an ethernet cable instead of using WiFi.

Also, note that there are large variations in WiFi and MIMO stream handling quality between devices. These variations can cause a device to deliver slower test results than another device or computer.

Speedtest gives you the results of four different factors. Here’s what they mean:

• Download: This is how quickly you can pull data from a server on the internet to your device. Most connections are designed to download much faster than they upload. This is because the majority of online activity, like loading web pages or streaming videos, consists of downloads. Download speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
• Upload: This is how quickly you send data from your device to the internet. A fast upload speed is helpful when sending large files via email, or in using video-chat to talk to someone else online (since you have to send your video feed to them). Upload speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
• Ping: Also called latency, ping is the reaction time of your connection–how quickly your device gets a response after you’ve sent out a request. A fast ping means a more responsive connection, especially in applications where timing is everything (like video games). Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).
• Jitter: Also called Packet Delay Variation (PDV), jitter frequency is a measure of the variability in ping over time. Jitter is not usually noticeable when reading text, but when streaming and gaming a high jitter can result in buffering and other interruptions. Technically, this is a measure of the average of the deviation from the mean.

The amount of internet speed needed will be different in every household. This greatly depends on the activities you use your internet for and how many people are using the internet at the same time. There isn’t a perfect calculator to find your speed, as usage differs from device, activity, etc. Here’s a quick list of the download speed needed for some basic internet activities:

• Internet Browsing: 2.5 Mbps
• Social Media: 6-10 Mbps
• Online Gaming: 3 Mbps (25 Mbps when downloading a game)
• Stream Music: 2 Mbps
• Stream TV: 6 Mbps, 25 Mbps for 4K
• Video Chat: 4 Mbps
• Smart Home Device: 5 Mbps
• Home Security System: 2-5 Mbps
• Work from Home: 25 Mbps

If you’d like to try a faster internet speed for free, click here or give us a call. We’ll increase your speed for 30 days…for free!

If you’ve ever noticed that another player always seems to have the jump on you, that might be because they have a faster ping. Here’s a rough guideline:

• Winning: 0-59 ms
• In the game: 60-129 ms
• Struggling: 130-199 ms
• Game over: 200+ ms

Nope. They’re an independently operating subsidiary of Ziff Davis, a digital media company. Learn more about Speedtest.