Guide to Running a Speed Test

Modified on Wed, 15 Oct at 12:16 PM

When you experience slow internet speeds, running a speed test is the fastest way to determine if the issue is with your device, the Wi-Fi signal, or the internet service provider (ISP).

Sharing your results with our support team greatly assists us in quickly diagnosing the problem.

1. How to Run a Speed Test

Before you begin, ensure the device you are testing is connected to the network you suspect is slow (e.g., your office Wi-Fi).

Prepare Your Device: Turn off any running applications (especially those that stream video or music) to ensure the test is accurate.
Open the Tester: Go to a trusted speed testing website, such as Speedtest by Ookla or Google’s speed test (by searching "run speed test").
Start the Test: Click the "Go" or "Start" button. The test will typically run for about 30–60 seconds.
Save/Screenshot Results: Take a screenshot of the results, as this is the clearest way to share the necessary data with our support team.

2. Understanding Your Speed Test Results

A standard speed test provides three key metrics: Ping, Download Speed, and Upload Speed

Metric	What it Measures	What the Numbers Mean
Ping	The reaction time of your connection. How quickly a request is sent and received.	Lower is better. Below 50 ms is ideal. High ping (over 100 ms) causes lag during video calls and meetings.
Download Speed	How quickly your device can pull data from the internet (e.g., streaming video, loading webpages).	Measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). This is the most crucial number for general browsing and streaming.
Upload Speed	How quickly your device can send data to the internet (e.g., sending email, uploading files, broadcasting video during a Zoom call).	Measured in Mbps. This is especially important for work involving sharing large files or participating in video conferences.

3. Interpreting Your Results (Wi-Fi vs. ISP)

The goal of sharing your speed test is to help us narrow down the source of the slowdown.

Scenario	Diagnosis	Support Action Needed
Good Speeds (High Mbps)	Not a network issue. The issue is likely with the specific application, website, or the device itself.	Try rebooting your device and the application.
Low Speeds on Wi-Fi	Possible Wi-Fi or local network issue. Your local signal might be weak, or the access point is overloaded.	Provide us with the speed test results, the MAC Address of the device, and your location (office/suite number).
Extremely Low Speeds	Possible ISP issue. If speeds are significantly below the expected baseline (e.g., below 10 Mbps), the problem may be outside of our local network control.	Provide us with the speed test results, the MAC Address of the device, and your location (office/suite number) so we can confirm the issue and communicate with the ISP.