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Speed Test

The Speed Test feature measures your internet connection performance using Cloudflare's global CDN network. It provides comprehensive metrics including download/upload speeds, latency, jitter, and detailed connection information.

Speed Test Window

Opening Speed Test

Access Speed Test in three ways:

  1. Toolbar Button - Click the Speed Test button in the toolbar
  2. Menu Bar - Select Tools → Speed Test
  3. Keyboard Shortcut - Press ⌘R

Quick Access: Also available via button in Interface Details → Internet Details section

Running a Speed Test

To start a test:

  1. Open the Speed Test window
  2. Click Start Test button
  3. Wait for all phases to complete (typically 60 seconds total)
  4. Review results

Test Phases

The speed test runs in three phases with visual progress indicators:

Phase 1: Latency Measurement

Duration: ~10 seconds

What It Does: - Sends multiple ping requests to Cloudflare servers - Measures round-trip time (RTT) - Calculates minimum latency and jitter

Displays: - Current ping time in ms - Progress bar

Phase 2: Download Speed

Duration: Configurable (default 20 seconds)

What It Does: - Downloads test data from Cloudflare CDN - Measures throughput in Mbps - Real-time speed updates

Displays: - Current download speed - Average download speed - Real-time graph of speed over time - Progress bar

Phase 3: Upload Speed

Duration: Configurable (default 20 seconds)

What It Does: - Uploads test data to Cloudflare servers - Measures upload throughput in Mbps - Real-time speed updates

Displays: - Current upload speed - Average upload speed - Real-time graph of speed over time - Progress bar

Test Results

After completion, comprehensive results are displayed:

Test Results

Download Speed

Metric: Average download speed in Mbps (megabits per second)

Example: 245.6 Mbps

Interpretation: - < 10 Mbps: Basic browsing only - 10-50 Mbps: HD streaming, video calls - 50-100 Mbps: 4K streaming, large downloads - 100-500 Mbps: Very fast, multiple users - > 500 Mbps: Gigabit-class, enterprise/power user

Note: This is your maximum sustained download rate during the test period

Upload Speed

Metric: Average upload speed in Mbps

Example: 35.2 Mbps

Interpretation: - < 1 Mbps: Email only, slow uploads - 1-10 Mbps: Video calls (low quality), photo uploads - 10-50 Mbps: HD video calls, cloud backups - 50-100 Mbps: 4K streaming to services, fast backups - > 100 Mbps: Professional, simultaneous uploads

Typical Pattern: Upload is usually lower than download (asymmetric connections)

Latency (Ping)

Metric: Round-trip time (RTT) in milliseconds

Example: 12 ms

Interpretation: - < 20 ms: Excellent, great for gaming and real-time apps - 20-50 ms: Very good, suitable for most uses - 50-100 ms: Good, acceptable for most applications - 100-200 ms: Fair, noticeable delay in real-time apps - > 200 ms: Poor, significant lag

Use Cases: - Gaming: Requires < 50 ms - Video calls: < 100 ms recommended - Browsing: < 200 ms acceptable

Minimum Latency

Metric: Lowest RTT measured during latency phase

Example: 10 ms

Significance: Best-case latency to Cloudflare's network under ideal conditions

Jitter

Metric: Variation in latency, measured in milliseconds

Example: 3 ms

Interpretation: - < 5 ms: Excellent, very stable - 5-20 ms: Good, minor variation - 20-50 ms: Fair, noticeable inconsistency - > 50 ms: Poor, unstable connection

Impact: High jitter causes: - Stuttering in video calls - Choppy VoIP audio - Inconsistent gaming performance - Buffering issues

Lower is Better: Indicates more stable connection

Connection Details

HTTP Protocol Version

Example: HTTP/2

Versions: - HTTP/1.1: Older standard, still widely used - HTTP/2: Modern, multiplexed connections, faster - HTTP/3: Latest, uses QUIC/UDP, fastest (if supported)

Impact: HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 provide better performance for speed tests

TLS Version

Example: TLS 1.3

Versions: - TLS 1.2: Older, still secure - TLS 1.3: Latest standard, faster handshake

Security: TLS 1.3 is recommended for modern connections

Server Information

Server Name

Example: Speed Test Server 01

What It Is: The Cloudflare edge server handling your test

Hostname

Example: speed.cloudflare.com

What It Is: The DNS name of the test server

Location

Example: San Francisco, CA, US

What It Is: Geographic location of the Cloudflare edge server you connected to

Significance: Closer servers typically provide lower latency

Cloudflare CDN: Automatically routes you to the nearest server for best results

Client Internet Details

This section shows your public internet information (identical to Interface Details → Internet Details):

IPv4 Address

Your public IPv4 address as seen by the test server.

Privacy: Can be obfuscated in Settings → Privacy

IPv6 Address

Your public IPv6 address (if available).

ASN

Your ISP's Autonomous System Number with link to ipinfo.io.

ISP

Your Internet Service Provider name.

Domain

Your ISP's domain.

Country

Your country code and name.

See: Interface Details for detailed explanations

Interface Information

Interface Type & Name

Example: Wi-Fi (en0)

What It Shows: Which network interface was used for the speed test

IP Address

Local IP address of the interface used.

Wi-Fi Details (if applicable)

For Wi-Fi interfaces, additional details are shown:

SSID: Network name

Signal Strength: RSSI in dBm with color-coded quality indicator

Channel: Wi-Fi channel and width

Band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz

Example: -58 dBm (Excellent), Channel 36 (80 MHz), 5 GHz

Impact: Weak Wi-Fi signal (< -70 dBm) may reduce speed test results

See: Interface Details → Wireless Details for more

Copying Results

To save or share your speed test results:

Click Copy Results button

This copies a formatted text summary including: - All speed metrics (download, upload, latency, jitter) - Connection details (HTTP/TLS versions) - Server information (location, hostname) - Client internet details (IP, ISP, country) - Interface information (including Wi-Fi details)

Copy Results

Use Cases: - Document your connection speed - Share with ISP support when troubleshooting - Compare results over time - Report connectivity issues

Format: Plain text, suitable for pasting into emails, documents, or tickets

Speed Test Settings

Configure speed test behavior in Settings → Speed Test (if available), or some settings may be in the Speed Test window itself:

Interpreting Results

Comparing to Your Plan

Compare results to your ISP's advertised speeds:

Example Plan: "100 Mbps download, 10 Mbps upload"

Expected Results: - Download: 90-110 Mbps (90-110% of advertised) - Upload: 9-11 Mbps (90-110% of advertised)

Acceptable Variation: ±10% is normal

Significant Underperformance: < 80% of advertised consistently indicates a problem

Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet

Wi-Fi typically achieves: - 40-70% of maximum link speed - More variation in results - Lower performance at distance

Ethernet achieves: - 90-95% of maximum link speed - Consistent results - Full performance regardless of location

Best Practice: Test on Ethernet to rule out Wi-Fi as a bottleneck

Multiple Tests

Run multiple tests for accurate assessment:

Single Test: May not be representative

Best Practice: - Run 3-5 tests - Space them 5-10 minutes apart - Average the results - Note any significant variations

Troubleshooting

Slow Speeds

Possible Causes:

  1. Weak Wi-Fi Signal
  2. Check Signal Strength in results
  3. Move closer to access point

  4. Test on Ethernet

  5. Network Congestion

  6. Test during off-peak hours
  7. Pause downloads/streaming on other devices

  8. Check for background updates

  9. ISP Throttling

  10. Test at multiple times
  11. Compare with ISP's speed test

  12. Contact ISP support

  13. Hardware Limitations

  14. Old routers may limit speed
  15. Ethernet cable quality (Cat5 vs. Cat6)
  16. Mac network adapter limitations

High Latency

Possible Causes:

  1. Distance to Server
  2. Latency increases with distance

  3. Cloudflare uses nearest server, but geographic distance matters

  4. Wi-Fi Interference

  5. Check Wireless Details for channel utilization
  6. Switch to less congested channel

  7. Use 5 GHz instead of 2.4 GHz

  8. VPN Connection

  9. VPNs add latency (10-100+ ms)

  10. Test with VPN disabled for baseline

  11. ISP Routing

  12. Poor routing to Cloudflare
  13. Contact ISP if consistently high

High Jitter

Possible Causes:

  1. Wi-Fi Interference
  2. Most common cause
  3. Check signal strength variations

  4. Test on Ethernet

  5. Network Congestion

  6. QoS (Quality of Service) not configured
  7. Too many simultaneous connections

  8. Bandwidth-heavy applications running

  9. Faulty Hardware

  10. Bad Ethernet cable
  11. Failing router/switch
  12. Network adapter issues

Test Fails to Complete

Possible Causes:

  1. No Internet Connection
  2. Verify connectivity in Interface Details

  3. Check Ping Monitor for gateway/internet hosts

  4. Firewall Blocking

  5. macOS or third-party firewall blocking Cloudflare

  6. Allow outbound HTTPS to speed.cloudflare.com

  7. Proxy/Corporate Network

  8. Corporate proxies may block speed tests
  9. Test on different network if possible

Consistent Testing Conditions

For accurate comparisons:

  • Same interface (always Wi-Fi or always Ethernet)
  • Same location (if Wi-Fi)
  • Similar time of day
  • No other network activity during test

The Speed Test feature provides comprehensive internet performance metrics powered by Cloudflare's global infrastructure. Use it regularly to monitor your connection quality and troubleshoot performance issues. Combine with Interface Details and Wireless Details for complete network analysis.