Internet Speed Test: Check Your Broadband Speed
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Use our internet speed test to check if your internet speeds match what your provider advertised. For a good online experience in Ireland, speeds between 24 Mbps and 150 Mbps are recommended for smooth streaming, quick downloads, and reliable video calls.
How Can I Test My Internet Speed?
The best way to test your internet speed is with our interactive speed test tool.
The tool will measure your:
- Download speeds
- Upload speeds
- Latency
Simply click the button below and in a matter of seconds, you will get your results:
What Do My Internet Speed Test Results Mean?
When you run an internet speed test you'll typically see three main results for Download Speed, Upload Speed, and Ping (or Latency).
Understanding what each of these means will help you interpret whether your broadband performance is meeting your needs and what your provider promised.
Here's a breakdown of what these results mean:
| Metric | What it Means | What it Affects (Key Activities) |
|---|---|---|
| Download Speed (Mbps) | How fast your device receives data from the internet. | Streaming (Netflix, YouTube, RTÉ Player), Browse, downloading files, loading web pages. |
| Upload Speed (Mbps) | How fast your device sends data to the internet. | Video calls (your clarity to others on Zoom/Teams), uploading photos/videos to cloud, live-streaming, sending game commands. |
| Ping / Latency (ms) | The delay (round trip time) for data to travel from your device to a server and back. | Responsiveness in online gaming (lag), smoothness of video/voice calls, quickness of web interactions. |
It's important to consider the following when testing your internet speeds:
- Fibre Broadband (FTTH/FTTP): Ireland is rapidly expanding its fibre optic network. If you have Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH), you'll typically see much higher and more stable speeds (especially symmetrical upload speeds) compared to older copper-based (ADSL/VDSL) or even older "fibre-to-the-cabinet" (FTTC) connections.
- National Broadband Plan (NBP): This initiative aims to bring high-speed broadband to rural and underserved areas, significantly improving speeds and connectivity for many Irish households.
- Wi-Fi vs. Wired: As always, a wired (Ethernet) connection will usually give you the most accurate and stable speed test results compared to Wi-Fi, which can be affected by interference, distance from the router, and the number of devices connected.
- Advertised vs. Actual Speeds: ISPs advertise "up to" speeds. Your actual speed can vary due to network congestion, your home setup, and the technology available in your area.
What Is a Good Internet Speed in Ireland?
What constitutes “good” broadband speed in Ireland depends largely on your household's size and online activities.
However, with the ongoing rollout of fibre broadband and general network improvements, speeds are increasing across the country.
Here's a breakdown of what's considered good in Ireland:
| Usage Scenario / Household Type | Recommended Download Speed (Mbps) | Recommended Upload Speed (Mbps) | Ideal Ping (ms) | Key Activities Supported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Use (1-2 people) | 25-50 Mbps | 5-10 Mbps | Below 50ms | Web Browse, email, social media, SD streaming, occasional HD streaming on one device. |
| Moderate Use (2-4 people / Regular Streaming & Gaming) | 50-100 Mbps | 10-25 Mbps | Below 30ms | Multiple users, HD streaming on several devices, single 4K stream, online gaming, comfortable video calls, general remote work. |
| Heavy Use (Busy Households / 4K Streaming / Large Downloads / Demanding Remote Work) | 150 Mbps - 1 Gbps+ | 25-100 Mbps+ | Below 20ms | Many connected devices, multiple simultaneous 4K streams, frequent large file downloads/uploads, competitive online gaming, high-quality video conferencing, cloud backups, live streaming. |
| Average in Ireland (Median) | ~146 Mbps | ~40-50 Mbps | ~10-25 ms | Represents what a typical Irish household is currently experiencing with fixed broadband. |
What Does Mbps Stand For?
Mbps stands for Megabits per second. It's a unit of measurement used to quantify the speed of data transfer, most commonly for internet connection speeds.
Why Should I Do an Internet Speed Test?
Running an internet speed test is a quick, easy, and essential step for anyone who relies on their internet connection, whether for work, entertainment, or simply staying connected.
Here are the key reasons why you should regularly perform an internet speed test:
- Verify What You're Paying For: Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) advertises "up to" certain speeds for your plan. An internet speed test allows you to check if you're actually getting close to those promised download and upload speeds. If you're consistently getting much lower speeds than advertised, it gives you grounds to contact your ISP and troubleshoot or request an adjustment to your service.
- Troubleshoot Performance Issues: If you're experiencing slow loading times, buffering during streaming, choppy video calls, or lag in online games, a speed test is the first diagnostic tool. It helps you quickly determine if the problem is with your internet connection itself (slow speeds) or something else (e.g., your device, Wi-Fi signal, specific website issues).
- Identify Bottlenecks in Your Home Network: Speed tests measure the speed between your device and a test server. If you run a test on Wi-Fi and then again with an Ethernet cable directly connected to your router, you can see if your Wi-Fi signal is the bottleneck. An old or poorly placed router, or interference from other devices, can significantly slow down your Wi-Fi speed, even if your broadband connection to the house is fast.
- Determine Your Needs for Specific Activities: By understanding your current speeds, you can assess if they're sufficient for what you want to do online including streaming 4k videos, work video calls and online gaming.
- Monitor Performance Over Time: Internet speeds can fluctuate due to network congestion (peak hours), maintenance by your ISP, or even issues with your local infrastructure.Running tests at different times of the day can give you a better overall picture of your connection's consistency and help identify patterns of slowdown.
In essence, an internet speed test provides crucial data about your connection's performance, empowering you to ensure you're getting the value you pay for and to troubleshoot any issues that might be hindering your online experience.
Why Does My Broadband Plan Say ‘Speeds up To’?
Broadband plans state "speeds up to" because actual speeds can vary due to factors like network congestion, your home setup (Wi-Fi vs. wired, router quality), and the specific servers you're connecting to. It represents the theoretical maximum your connection can achieve under ideal conditions, not a constant guarantee.
How Can I Increase My Internet Speed?
Optimising your internet speed should be a priority, both to ensure that you are getting what you pay for, and to utilise online services without frustrating load times or lag:
- Run an internet speed test to understand your current speed
- Contact your provider to see if they can improve your speeds or upgrade your package
- Consider changing broadband types. Fibre, mobile broadband, satellite broadband, SIRO and ADSL all have their limitations and may be stronger or weaker in different areas.
- Compare broadband providers
Alternatively, if you have poor WiFi signals, take a read through our guide to improving your WiFi signals to learn what you can do to improve the speed of your home router.
Internet Speed Test FAQs
What is Ping?
From the moment of your input (such as pressing a button) to it being registered on an online server, and returning a signal to your device, the total time measurement is classed as ping.
Pings exceeding 150 ms tend to result in noticeable lagging, which is particularly evident in online activities that require a fast level of responsiveness, such as online gaming.
What Factors Impact my Internet Speed Test?
To ensure that your result is as accurate as possible, you should ensure that no other devices are using your internet except the device on which you are completing the test.
Avoid streaming, checking social media, playing online games and other such activities which would put a strain on your internet while completing the test.
Should I Complete the Speed Test over Wi-Fi or with an Ethernet Connection?
Connecting your router to your device via an ethernet cable provides the strongest form of online connection possible due to your device now being directly connected to the network. As such, speeds over an ethernet cable will always be superior to Wi-Fi.
If you primarily use devices over a Wi-Fi connection (mobiles, tablets, laptops etc), then you will experience a deteriorated speed when compared to an ethernet connection due to signal strength variations, your router placement, and whether your device drivers are up-to-date etc.
Which is the Fastest Type of Broadband?
While each type of broadband has its strengths and weaknesses, and of course not all types of broadband are available in all areas, in terms of pure speed, fibre and Siro broadband are the clear winners.
Full-fibre regularly provides speeds exceeding 500 Mbps, with some packages even providing speeds up to a superfast 1 Gbps. In Kilkenny, a 2 Gbps service has also recently been launched for households through the SIRO network, with hopes of rolling this out amongst other rural communities in the near future.
What Is Ireland's Average Broadband Speed?
At present, the average download speed across Ireland is around 51 Mbps. Internet speeds within cities regularly exceed this, however, this is balanced out by the slower rural broadband connections.
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