How to Test Your Internet Speed Correctly

An internet speed test looks simple: press a button and wait for a number. The tricky part is making that number useful.

If three people are streaming, a console is downloading an update and your laptop is two rooms from the router, the result is measuring all of that—not just the NBN service arriving at your home. A good test controls those variables first.

Use the CompareUs live internet speed test for the measurements, then follow the process below to work out what the results mean.

Before you press start

Pause streaming, game downloads, cloud backups and large file transfers. Ask other people in the home to stop heavy internet use for a few minutes. Close unnecessary browser tabs and, if you use a VPN, record one result with it off and another with it on.

You do not need to disconnect every smart light. The aim is simply to remove obvious competing traffic so the test is repeatable.

Test Ethernet first

Where practical, connect a laptop or desktop directly to the router using an Ethernet cable. Turn off Wi-Fi on that device so you know the cable is being used.

Run the test three times, leaving a short gap between each result. Keep the same device, cable and test tool. This becomes your baseline: the best indication of what is reaching the router without Wi-Fi distance and interference getting in the way.

If the Ethernet result is consistently close to the typical evening speed advertised for your plan, the external connection may be working normally. If Wi-Fi is much slower, focus on the home network before paying for a faster plan.

Then test Wi-Fi where you use it

Disconnect the cable and run the same test beside the router. Move to the room where the problem usually occurs and test again.

That simple comparison often reveals more than the headline Mbps figure:

• Fast beside the router but slow in another room usually points to range, walls or interference.
• Slow on one device but healthy on another can point to the device itself.
• Slow on both Ethernet and Wi-Fi may point to the service, router, cabling or activity elsewhere in the home.
• Healthy download speed with poor calls can point to upload, latency, jitter or Wi-Fi stability.

For persistent wireless issues, work through the mesh Wi-Fi guide before buying new hardware.

Repeat the test at useful times

Australian providers publish typical evening speeds for the busy period, generally 7pm to 11pm. The ACCC explains how advertised broadband speeds work, including why busy-hour performance is the fairer comparison between plans.

Test once during the day and again when your slowdown normally occurs. Use the same device and connection method. Write down the time, download speed, upload speed, latency and whether anyone else was using the connection.

A single poor result can be noise. Consistently poor results at the same time are evidence you can use when troubleshooting with your provider.

Understand the four useful measurements

Download speed is how quickly information reaches you. It affects streaming, browsing and downloading. Upload speed is how quickly information leaves your home, which matters for video calls, cloud backups and sending files.

Latency is the delay before data returns, measured in milliseconds. Jitter is how much that delay changes. A connection can have ample download speed but still feel rough in a game or call if latency jumps around.

For a more detailed reading, see how to interpret NBN speed-test results and download versus upload speed.

If the result is slow

Restart the router once and allow it to reconnect fully. Check that cables are secure, repeat the Ethernet baseline, and try a second device. Avoid repeatedly factory-resetting equipment because that can erase provider settings.

If only Wi-Fi is affected, move the router into the open, away from thick walls, metal cabinets and appliances. If Ethernet is also consistently slow, compare the result with the current plan's typical evening speed and contact the provider with your test log.

Do not upgrade on the strength of one test. First decide whether the bottleneck is the plan, the NBN connection, the router or the wireless path through your home. If the service is healthy but the household genuinely needs more capacity, use the NBN speed tiers guide to choose the next tier.

A test routine worth saving

For future checks, keep it boring and consistent: same device, same cable, same room, three runs, and a note of the time. That gives you evidence rather than a screenshot of one random moment.

The ACCC's final broadband performance data also shows why context matters: in March 2026 fixed-line NBN services averaged 99.4% of plan download speed during the busy evening hours, but individual services and technologies can still vary. See the ACCC broadband performance data for the national context.