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How to Test Your Internet Speed When Working Remotely (And What the Results Actually Mean)
Learn how to test your internet speed accurately, what download speed, upload speed, ping, and jitter actually mean, and how to fix a connection that's hurting your VoIP calls.
Drew Martin
2/2/20256 min read
Introduction
If you've ever wondered how fast your internet connection really is, you're not alone. Knowing how to run a speed test can be the difference between a smooth business call and a choppy, frustrating one. This guide walks through practical steps for testing your connection accurately, explains the key metrics, and covers how to interpret and act on the results — especially if you're relying on that connection for VoIP calls or video conferencing while working remotely.
Why Testing Your Internet Speed Matters
Regularly testing your connection helps you verify you're actually getting the service you're paying for, diagnose problems before they disrupt a call, and make informed decisions about upgrades. Whether you're streaming, video conferencing, or handling business calls from home, a quick speed test reveals whether you're hitting your plan's promised bandwidth — and whether latency or jitter are quietly undermining call quality even when raw speed looks fine. For most remote workers, the metrics that matter most are download speed, upload speed, and ping (latency).
Key Metrics You'll Encounter
Download speed: How quickly data travels from the internet to your device. Matters for VoIP, streaming, browsing, and downloading files.
Upload speed: How quickly data travels from your device to the internet. Especially important for VoIP, video conferencing, and cloud backups — upload is the metric people most often overlook.
Ping (latency): The round-trip time for a small data packet to travel to a server and back. Lower is better for real-time applications like VoIP and video calls.
Jitter: The variability in latency from one moment to the next. Consistency matters as much as raw speed — a connection with low average latency but high jitter can still produce choppy calls.
The FCC's own household broadband guidance treats VoIP as a relatively light-bandwidth activity (roughly 3–8 Mbps for a single device), while video conferencing and general telecommuting fall into a "moderate use" tier of roughly 12–25 Mbps. The FCC itself notes these figures are rough guidelines, not lab-tested minimums — real-world call quality depends on latency and jitter at least as much as raw download speed.
How to Run an Internet Speed Test: Step-by-Step
1. Choose a reputable speed testing tool
Stick to well-known, independently reviewed tools such as Ookla Speedtest or Measurement Lab (M-Lab), which is used by the FCC and major browsers for network diagnostics. It's worth knowing that different tools can report different numbers for the same connection — M-Lab's servers sit outside ISP networks at internet exchange points, so its readings sometimes run lower than tools that test from servers inside your ISP's own network. Neither is "wrong" — they're measuring slightly different things.
2. Prepare your testing environment
Connect via Ethernet if possible for the most accurate reading. If you have to use Wi-Fi, move closer to the router and minimize interference from other devices.
3. Close background applications
Pause cloud backups, video calls, or large downloads before testing — background processes consume bandwidth and will skew your results.
4. Run multiple tests at different times
Test during both peak and off-peak hours to get a realistic picture. Each test is a snapshot in time, not a permanent measurement, so a few tests spread across a day or two give a far more reliable picture than one.
5. Compare results to your plan's promised speeds
Check your ISP's advertised speeds, but expect real-world results to run somewhat lower due to network traffic, hardware limitations, and how your test tool measures the connection.
6. Test both download and upload speeds
Most tools measure both automatically, but don't skip reviewing the upload number — it's the one most likely to cause problems on video calls even when download speed looks great.
7. Check latency and jitter, not just speed
If you rely on real-time communication like VoIP or video calls, pay close attention to ping and jitter. High or inconsistent values often point to network congestion or routing issues that raw speed numbers won't reveal.
8. Re-test after any changes
After adjusting router placement, restarting equipment, or switching to a wired connection, re-test to confirm whether performance actually improved.
Common Scenarios and How to Interpret Them
Streaming buffers even though speeds look fine: Check for congestion on your home or office network — other devices streaming or downloading can eat into available bandwidth. Quality of Service (QoS) settings on your router can help by prioritizing VoIP and video traffic over less time-sensitive traffic.
Video calls lag or drop: Latency and jitter are the usual culprits, not raw speed. A wired Ethernet connection often resolves this by removing Wi-Fi interference. If problems persist, check with your ISP for outages or line issues.
Downloads are slow but uploads are fine (or vice versa): This can point to a misconfigured router or an issue specific to one direction of your connection. Update router firmware and, if possible, test from a device connected directly to the modem to rule out routing issues.
Advertised Speeds vs. Real-World Results
ISPs advertise speeds as maximums under ideal conditions. Real-world results are affected by distance from the service node, network congestion, router capability, and hardware quality — so some gap between advertised and actual speed is normal. If your results are consistently well below your plan, it's worth troubleshooting or contacting your provider. If you're consistently at or near the quoted numbers, you're likely getting what you're paying for.
Troubleshooting Steps If Your Speeds Are Too Slow
Run a test with only one device active on the network to establish a clean baseline
Try a direct modem-to-computer connection to rule out router issues
Power cycle the modem, router, and any extenders
Check for malware or unwanted background software consuming bandwidth
Look for firmware updates or hardware limitations on your equipment
Contact your ISP to check for outages or line-quality issues
Why This Matters Even More for VoIP
A connection that "feels fine" for browsing or streaming can still produce choppy business calls, because VoIP is far more sensitive to latency and jitter than to raw bandwidth. If you've tested your connection and results look solid but calls are still dropping or breaking up, the issue is often on the configuration side rather than the raw connection — see our guide on what's required for a clear VoIP setup for the QoS and network settings that make the biggest difference for call quality specifically. This is especially relevant for remote and hybrid staff, where home network quality varies far more than it does in a controlled office environment — our guide on how VoIP helps remote workers covers what to plan for there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a good internet speed for VoIP calls? The FCC's general guidance puts VoIP in the range of roughly 3–8 Mbps for a single device, but consistent latency and low jitter matter more than raw speed for call quality. A connection well above that bandwidth can still produce choppy calls if latency or jitter are high.
Why do different speed test tools give me different results? Tools like Ookla and M-Lab test from different server locations and use different methodologies — some test from servers inside your ISP's network, others from outside it. Differences of 10–20% between tools are normal and don't necessarily mean either result is wrong.
Should I test on Wi-Fi or Ethernet? Ethernet gives the most accurate picture of what your internet connection can actually deliver, since it removes Wi-Fi interference from the equation. Test on Wi-Fi too if that's how you'll actually be using the connection day-to-day, so you can see the real-world gap.
How often should I test my internet speed? Testing periodically — and especially any time you notice call quality issues — is a reasonable habit. A single test is just a snapshot, so testing at a few different times of day gives a more reliable picture than one result.
My speed test looks fine, so why are my calls still choppy? This is common, and it usually means the issue is latency, jitter, or router configuration rather than raw bandwidth. Check ping and jitter specifically, and consider whether QoS settings on your router are prioritizing voice traffic.
Conclusion
Knowing how to run a speed test properly — and how to read the results — gives you a real diagnostic tool, not just a number to compare against your ISP's marketing. For remote workers and businesses relying on VoIP, the habit of testing regularly, understanding latency and jitter alongside raw speed, and knowing when a "fine" speed test still isn't enough for good call quality can save a lot of troubleshooting time down the road.
Sources
Note: The FCC's own broadband speed guidance describes its figures as rough guidelines rather than lab-tested minimums, and different speed test tools can report meaningfully different results for the same connection depending on server location and methodology. Use the ranges above as a starting point, not an exact threshold.
Internal link note: the linked guides above point to companion pieces already produced for this project. Swap in your live site's actual URL structure before publishing if it differs.