Not the advertised "up to" broadband speed, but the speed you get when you actually go online? Find out why your broadband might be slower than you expect.

*** If you came to this page looking for up to 50Mbps broadband visit our super fast broadband page for superfast broadband deals from 02, Virgin Media, Sky, and Be Broadband. ***

About broadband speeds

There are loads of variables affecting broadband speed - distance from the exchange, line quality, and the contention ratio, for a start. Find out more, below.

Broadband speed test

Now you can find out what speed your broadband is really doing with our free broadband speed test. With the broadband speed test you can test upload speed and download speed at the click of a button. You can take the broadband speed test as often as you like so you can get a good idea of what broadband speeds you achieve at different times of the day.



(Please note that we cannot guarantee broadband speed test accuracy, as false results can occur. You may also find that your speed is different throughout the day, as more people come online. The test will take a maximum of 20 seconds.)

Broadband speed test results – troubleshooting!

You may simply be on a slower broadband package – most exchanges can now offer up to 8Mb broadband, so if you signed up ages ago when fast broadband packages were not so widely available that could result in poor broadband speed test results.

If you see a contention ratio of, say, 50:1, this means that 50 subscribers share that bandwidth. The more subscribers sharing the bandwidth then the slower your connection will be. 50:1 is common for a residential package. Business packages often have lower contention ratios, eg of 20:1, or even 10:1, because it is essential to them that they have a continually fast service. The contention ratio certainly isn't the only factor determining download speed but it could be part of the cause of slow speeds, or the main cause, particularly if your sharing subscribers are heavy users.

Alternatively your slow broadband speed test result could be down to poor quality wires going into your house.

Five ways to turn around a slow broadband speed test result

1. If you are simply on a slower package, speak to your current provider about upgrading to a faster broadband package. They may agree to do this free of charge. If you would prefer to change to a different package, use our broadband availability checker (above) to find out what is available in your area. If you are looking at an ADSL broadband package, use the Show Maps feature on the results page to make sure you are near enough to the exchange and can therefore take advantage of faster speeds. If you are looking to switch broadband provider you could also read switching broadband providers. 

2. Contact your internet service provider (ISP) and ask them to look into the problem. They can often do various tests there and then over the phone, which might identify the problem.

3. Check your pc – if you have next to no memory left that could slow down your Internet connection.

4. Consider changing your USB to an Ethernet router - these can perform more effectively, giving you faster broadband speeds.

5. Try a product that can speed up your broadband by reducing the size of each webpage making it faster to download, such as ONSPEED.

Check out our FAQs 

Do you want to know more about broadband in general to help you choose your broadband provider? Are you looking for a definition of contention ratios or an explanation of satellite broadband, cable broadband (sometimes known as cable modem broadband), wireless broadband or ADSL? Then check out our UK Broadband Finder FAQs.

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