Bufferbloat & Speed Test

Bufferbloat and Internet Speed Test

Do your video or audio calls sometimes stutter? Does your web browsing slow down? Do video games lag?

If so, bufferbloat may be to blame.

What Is Bufferbloat?

Bufferbloat is a software issue with networking equipment that causes spikes in your Internet connection’s latency when a device on the network uploads or downloads files.

How This Test Works

First we test the latency of your internet connection. Then we compare the results to a latency test performed while running a download speed test and an upload speed test.

If the latency increases while the upload or download tests are happening, your router/networking equipment suffers from bufferbloat.

Before You Start

1. Disable any bandwidth-heavy tasks on your network

It’s important that your Internet connection’s upload and download connections aren’t saturated already.

Make sure no devices are currently uploading or downloading large files from the Internet (e.g. backup/sync tasks by Google Drive, Dropbox, etc).

2. Make sure your connection to your router is at least as fast as your Internet connection itself

For example, if you have a gigabit fiber internet connection, make sure you’re connected over a gigabit ethernet cable, not over WiFi.