Field guide · 2026
Broadband speed test: how to get a fair result
This publication shares ownership with PeptaraLabs, Lab Ranked Agency, and Dental Link.
A broadband speed test shows how fast your home internet is right now, but one quick run on a busy Wi-Fi network can mislead you. A fair result needs a few simple steps. This guide shows how to run the test, when to run it, and what to compare it with.
Start with the right setup
Most free speed test tools measure the path between your device and a test server. Anything weak along that path pulls the number down. The most common weak spot is your own home.
Plug your computer into the modem or router with a network cable if you can. Wi-Fi is handy, but walls, distance and other devices can all slow it. In July 2025 the ACCC updated its guidance for internet providers to tell customers that their own equipment and in-home setup may affect the speeds they get.
Before you test, close streaming apps, downloads and cloud backups. Ask others at home to pause what they are doing. Restart the router if it has been on for weeks. Then run the test with only one device connected.
Test at quiet and busy times
A single result tells you very little. Internet speeds change through the day, because many people share the same network at once. Run the test at least three times at a quiet time, such as mid-morning. Then run it three more times in the evening.
The ACCC uses 7 pm to 11 pm as the busy evening period. That is when most households stream, game and browse at the same time. If your speed holds up in that window, your plan is doing its job. If it only drops then, the network or your plan may be the cause.
Write each result down with the time and the test tool you used. Use the same tool every time, so the numbers are easy to compare.
Know what your plan should deliver
Since August 2017 the ACCC has asked internet providers to advertise the typical speed of a plan in the busy evening period, instead of only the top speed. It first published that guidance on 21 August 2017. Providers do not have to follow it. They must still follow the law and not make false or misleading claims.
The guidance has four labels for evening speeds on a home plan.
- Basic Evening Speed: less than 15 Mbps, for web browsing and email.
- Standard Evening Speed: at least 15 Mbps, for HD video streaming plus browsing.
- Standard Plus Evening Speed: at least 30 Mbps, for 4K video plus music streaming.
- Premium Evening Speed: at least 60 Mbps, for 4K video plus online gaming.
Find your plan's label and speed on your provider's website or in your sign-up papers. That figure is the one to compare with your evening results, not the biggest number in the advertisement.
Read your results the right way
Look at your three evening results together. Do not judge your plan by the single best or worst number. A small gap below the typical evening speed is normal, since speeds move a little from minute to minute.
Check these points as you compare.
- Is the wired result close to your plan's evening speed?
- Is the Wi-Fi result much lower than the wired one? If so, the fault is likely in your home setup, not the plan.
- Does the speed fall only at busy times?
The ACCC also tells providers to warn people about technical limits on the top speed of a plan. These limits are common with copper wiring and fixed wireless links. Your provider should tell you about them when you sign up, or as soon as it finds out.
For several years until mid 2026, the ACCC ran its Measuring Broadband Australia program, which tested volunteer households at different times of the day. Its 33rd and final report came out on 17 June 2026. The program's published data is a useful guide to how plans behave in real homes.
What to do if the speed falls short
Start with your provider. Share your dated results, the test tool and whether you used a cable. Ask what speed your plan should deliver in the evening and whether any technical limit applies to your line.
If the provider does not fix the problem, you can take the matter to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which offers a dispute service for phone and internet customers. The ACCC does not settle individual disputes about broadband speed, but it can act against providers that mislead people.
Our own limit: we are editors, not engineers. We do not run network tests, and we have not tested any provider's service. This guide only explains public advice from the regulator.