How to check your broadband speed

So, you’ve just had KCOM’s ultrafast Lightstream broadband installed and you want to check if it really is as fast as they say.

How do you check what speed your broadband is running at?

It’s a simple process that will only take a few minutes.

To get the most accurate reading of your broadband speed you’ll need an Ethernet cable to plug your computer into your router. That way you’ll be able to tell what speeds are being delivered directly into your home using KCOM’s Fibre To The Premises technology.

You can run speed tests on mobile devices such as tablets, but remember the speed you get over Wi-Fi can be affected by a whole host of external factors such as the number of devices being used in your home at the same time at any one time, how old your device is, interference from other appliances and even the construction of your house. For a full guide on getting the most out of your broadband click here.

Once your computer is plugged into the router the next step is to go online and search for one of the recognised, independent speed checkers.

A wide range of speed checkers is available, the one we recommend is https://www.speedtest.net/

When you’ve chosen a checker, the process is quick and easy. You’ll need to click on a button to start the test – your download speed will be checked first followed by your upload speed and ‘ping’.

The download speed is the rate at which your computer can download information to, for instance, stream films and download games.

The upload speed is the rate at which your computer can send information back to the internet.

A ‘ping’ is how long your computer takes to respond to a request for information from the internet. The ping time is measured in milliseconds with anything under 30 milliseconds considered excellent. A ping response over 50 milliseconds is considered slow and, while not affecting normal browsing, may affect some gaming with a noticeable ‘lag’.

After a few seconds the speed checker will reveal what speeds you are receiving, allowing you to get on with whatever online activities you enjoy doing.

KCOM’s Lightstream can offer home broadband speeds up to 900Mbps, making Hull and East Yorkshire one of the best connected and fastest cities in the UK – if not the world ­– so if you have one of our fastest packages your download, upload and ping speeds should all be pretty impressive.

If you feel you’re not getting the speeds you should be you could benefit from a visit by KCOM’s PRO Team or you could give our Technical Support Team a call for help and support on 01482 606101. These broadband experts are specially trained to identify in-home problems and help customers get the best out of their Lightstream service.