Internet Speed Tests: What Download, Upload, Ping and Jitter Mean, How to Test Properly and Why Results Vary So Much

When the internet is "slow", the first thing most people do is run a speed test. The numbers vary wildly: one thing in the morning, another in the evening, something else on the phone and something else again on the laptop. When you complain, the provider says "everything's fine on the cable". Let's look at what the figures in a speed test mean, how to test your internet properly and how to tell where the problem really is — with the provider, the router or your device.

The main figures

• Download speed — how fast data reaches you: loading pages, video, files and updates. This is what your plan states.
• Upload speed — how fast data leaves you: sending files, your camera's video on calls, cloud backups, streams. On fibre plans it's often the same as download; on others it can be much lower.
• Ping (latency) — the time for a signal to reach the server and come back, in milliseconds. It matters for gaming, video calls and general responsiveness. Up to 20–30 ms is excellent, up to 50–60 is normal, and above 100 is noticeable in games and calls.
• Jitter — how much the ping "jumps around". Even with a low average ping, high jitter causes stutter in games and broken-up voices.
• Packet loss — some data is lost along the way. Even 1–2% loss noticeably spoils games and calls.

Megabits and megabytes

Internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbit/s), while file sizes and download speeds in browsers and game stores are usually shown in megabytes per second (MB/s). There are 8 bits in a byte, so a 100 Mbit/s plan means a maximum of about 12 MB/s. Many people think they're being cheated when they see "12" on a "100" plan, when in fact everything is fine.

How to test properly

1. Use a cable. Connect the computer to the router with a network cable, on a gigabit port. A Wi-Fi test shows the quality of your Wi-Fi, not your internet.
2. Stop background downloads. Windows updates, cloud syncing, torrents and a TV streaming video in the next room all share the connection.
3. Choose the nearest server — in Tbilisi or Georgia. A test to a distant server will show lower speed and higher ping.
4. Repeat several times, at different times of day — morning, afternoon and the evening peak.
5. Compare with Wi-Fi in different rooms — that shows where speed is being lost.

Why results vary

• Wi-Fi versus cable — Wi-Fi is almost always slower, especially on 2.4 GHz and through walls.
• Device capabilities — an old phone or laptop physically can't take a high speed.
• Evening load — at peak times providers' networks and international links are busier.
• Browser test versus app — results can differ slightly.
• VPNs and proxies — noticeably reduce speed and increase ping.

How much speed you need

• Email, websites, messengers — 10–20 Mbit/s.
• Full HD video — around 5–8 Mbit/s per stream; 4K — 20–25 Mbit/s.
• Video calls — 3–5 Mbit/s each way; stability and low ping matter more.
• Online gaming — speed barely matters; ping, jitter and no packet loss do.
• A family with several devices — add up simultaneous needs; 100–300 Mbit/s is enough for most flats.

When to go to your provider

If, on a cable, with no background downloads and to the nearest server, speed is regularly well below your plan, ping is high or there's packet loss, that's a question for your provider. Save screenshots of several tests with the date and time — it will speed things up considerably. But if everything's fine on cable and poor over Wi-Fi, the problem is the router, its settings or its position, and the provider can't help with that.

What our technician does

1. Takes proper measurements by cable and over Wi-Fi at different points in the flat.
2. Checks ping, jitter and packet loss, including during evening hours.
3. Identifies where speed is being lost: the provider's line, the router, Wi-Fi, cables or the device.
4. Fixes problems on your side: setting up or replacing the router, cabling and Wi-Fi coverage.
5. Prepares the data for contacting the provider if the problem is on the line.

A real example

A freelancer in Gldani had changed provider twice because laptop tests showed 30–40 Mbit/s instead of the 300 on his plan. The new provider "couldn't cope" either. Our technician connected the laptop by cable and got 290 Mbit/s — the line was fine. The problem turned out to be a laptop with an old Wi-Fi adapter, the provider's router running only on 2.4 GHz, and cloud syncing constantly saturating the connection. We installed a router with 5 GHz, scheduled the syncing and fitted a Wi-Fi 6 USB adapter. The laptop now gets 220–250 Mbit/s over Wi-Fi, and there was no need to change provider again.

It also helps to know about limits on the other end. Many websites and services cap the speed they send to each user, so downloading a particular file may run slower than your plan even though your internet is fine. Cloud storage, game stores and Windows updates, on the other hand, can take the whole connection, and then everything slows down for the rest of the family. Good routers let you set priorities so video calls and games don't suffer from big downloads.

Call a technician

If your internet is slower than it should be and you can't work out why, we'll come to any district of Tbilisi around the clock. Learn more on our internet not working, network troubleshooting and Wi-Fi setup pages.