Mobile broadband speed test
Use the mobile broadband speed test below to get a snapshot of your current download and upload speeds. Feel free to use the results to beat your provider over the head with, or just to justify your own suspicions that you're not getting the broadband speeds you were promised! The speed check does take a few moments to load and run, so please be patient. ( Or click here if you're on cable or ADSL broadband).
Test your speed now
Want to improve your speed without switching your Broadband? Click here to speed up your PC
How does the Mobile Broadband Genie speed test work?
On starting the Mobile Broadband Genie speed test, our server sends your computer a small amount of data (512KB) to evaluate the initial speed of the test. The first 64KB are ignored to take in to account the possibility of a slow start to the transmission. This initial speed is then multiplied by a constant to work out how much data to send for a full test: this will last between 10 and 20 seconds.
The same evaluation process also occurs for the upstream test (to test the upload speed), sending the same amount of data. On particularly slow connections, the evaluation can take a while to complete.
The full test then begins, with our server first sending the amount of data (calculated to optimise the length of the test), followed by your machine returning the data. The average speed of the test (note: the peak speed may be higher) is then calculated and reported to you.
Unlike the Broadband Genie speed test, the Mobile Broadband Genie version limits the test to a maximum of 18.25MB in each direction. This means it is only suitable for mobile broadband connections and not say 50Mb services.
Warning: This limit has been placed to ensure the speed test doesn't eat up usage allowances, although users should be aware it may use up to 20MB per test. In practice though it is more likely to do a 0.25MB initial test and then a longer test using a few MB.
You can select a 'port 80' option by clicking the box just below the test box, which uses the port 80/tcp data transfer protocol instead of the HTTP protocol. However, because it is not HTTP, if your provider carries out traffic shaping (giving priority to certain types of data) it may be that the port 80 test will show a slower result than a HTTP test, as the latter protocol might end up being prioritised.
The data stream is pre-compressed, so it should not be possible to accelerate it using any further compression techniques/software, which could give false results.
Comments
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my friend has a landline but i don't. I have orange modem 225, but i took it to my friends computer to try it on hers, but it didn't work. All it said was 'can't find server'. why was that? -
I changed at the start of Aug 09 to vodafone mobile broadband Pro stick (black one) from the vodafone mobile broadband huawei lite stick (white one) as the pro stick i was told was better, both on 1 year contracts with speeds on both up to 7.2mbps. it appears from doing a few speedtests iam getting nowhere near this - my test result for today 31/8/09 was download 0.72 mbps with upload 0.31 mbps and the reception in my area is excellent on their coverage maps, please help
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Sounds like it's run by Tiscali!
Just pray that your employer doesn't pay you like internet providers quote speeds
"I'll pay you up to £32-00 an hour".................
You'll end up below minimum wage!
Complain STRONGLY to voda and try to get either free months, or reduced monthly cost, or a termination of contract without penalties.
If they won't play ball threaten to report them to offcom and to diss them on as many broadband forums as you can.
Good luck, You'll need it! -
I am very happy with my 3 mobile broadband , I nearly always get speeds of over 2 meg , the test I just did came of at 2.28mbps download and 0.28 upload. Fastest i have ever had was 2.94mbps which I consider totally amazing for mobile broadband. I using it for online gaming on my pc and xbox without any issues. Cant fault it really. -
hi, i live in north Shropshire and I'm with 3. When I'm online my signal strenth is 2 to 3 bars, but my downloud speed is very very slow - at worst 10 kbs, at best 40kbs. i feel like walking in to the nearst 3 shop and throwing it at the staff inside and when thay ask me why i did it, i will say i'm just showing them how fast mobile broadband should be! if any of you out there can help me with this feel free i could use the help.
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I'm with 3. Living in Leicestershire on the edge of town. My download speed was similar to Simon, so I looked around for ways to improve it and found something called Download Accelerator Plus. A free download. All I can say is that it helps. Sometimes my downloads come in at over 2.50mbps and I reckon the average to be around 1.5mbps. depends on the time of day pretty much. The best I've ever had was in the region of 3.26mbps, but this was a one-off!
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I Have Just got The T Mobile 120 stick on the £2.00 a day tarriff,....just ran a test in south manchester & got 2.98 meg down / 0.22 meg up..not too bad if you ask me....ok not 7.2 as the add says, but hey....better than some.
I have 4-5- bars most of the time, Although it didnt work soo well in Creetown (near stranrear)
plus i was in a caravan....prob too much silver foil insulation lol.
All in all im happy.....but hey the services are only gonna get quicker over time as networks expand. -
3 mobile is utterly cr*p. The broadband speed is laughable (0.1Mb on a good day) and the customer service non-existent. Thank god I've reached the end of the contarct period and can switch.
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Hi I live in Edinburgh and Im coming to the end of my 3 mobile broadband contract and just completed the speed test - Download 0.22 mbps and Upload 0.15 mbps!!!!!!! This is with 4 or 5 bars!!
They've offered me what sounds like a pretty attractive deal of 15 mbs for £15 a month, but after doing the test im thinking it doesnt sound so good now.
Not sure who to go with now though?
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Vodafone mobile broadband, Marylebone, London
Date 14/10/09 23:25:23
Download speed 1508.22 Kbps (1.47 Mbps)
Upload speed 333.65 Kbps (0.33 Mbps)
Server Port 8095 (tcp) -
Rlly I am surprised to read all about 3 and vodafone in UK. I live in DELHI, India, where because of infight betbeen two different ministry, 3g spectrum auction is to be held in jan 2010. In between we have three major mobile broadband player present. Namely RELIANCE, TATA PHOTON and BSNL. A 4th one is coming i.e. MTS. Well, all of them claim a DL 3.1 MBPS and 1.8 UL speed. if i compare with the speed u get out of advertised 7.2 mbps, I think I am happy. Iget an average of 2.7 mbps DL and more than 400 kbps UL. I am using Reliance netconnect +. Tata photon is also good but speed low compared to reliance. Yes, for my handse I use MTNL 3g in delhi which gives me a speed of around 600 kbps on my handset. Nice to listen your experience.
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After reading these comments I'm not going down the road of removing my landline broadband service & going mobile from home - even though I get full bar 3 service in Horsham, West Sussex. Thanks everyone for putting me off. :-)
Apart from Chandan. I might just move to Delhi instead! -
3 Network Islington .55 up .55 down..what a joke, but its stable as hell
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I seem to be one of the lucky ones i'm on t-mobile web & walk plus using my g1 tethered via wi-fi (cool eh) and i regularly get between 700kbps to 2.1mbps.
Somehow this seems to be faster than most people on t-mobile get using a dedicated usb stick.
but the real sweetner is i pay £30 per month for the phone, hsdpa & £200 pounds worth or credit (flext 35 with discount )
On the coverage map it shows my area as poor even though i'm in the centre of a city (Newport S Wales). -
i have mobile broadband with t-mobile and just done a download speed check . the results are shochocking. I should be getting around 4mb and the test showed i am not even getting 0.5mb i am having words with them tomorrow .
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Editor - Chris MarlingYou may want to take a look at our overview of these mobile broadband speed tests over the year so far - it makes pretty miserable reading, I'm afraid. -
I've got a T-Mobile web and walk stick, and have had it for about 18 months now, I use it in hospital as I've been stuck as a patient for 10 months now, and was simply AMAZED by results, I'm in Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, and my download speed was an amazing 4.3mbps, better than I get on my bt net connection at home
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Well, I live out in the sticks.. No 02 Voice/Data, No Vodafone Voice/Data, Orange Voice & EDGE. "Three" 3-4 Bars & consistent 1.1-1.2 MBs Down & 360K Up. I did not buy it for use here, but for my travels. I was just setting it up on my Netbook.. Nearly fell off the chair
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I was told by a tech head, that you could not upload audio football commentary on a dongle is that true?
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My orange mobile broadband dongle is totally rubbish, it takes 2 hours and 50 minutes to download a file 88.8mb file, how disgusting is this, no wonder people always go over the limit, plus my last bill was £45 because I went over, they didn't turn the dongle off when it reached the limit, orange certainly make sure you pay, I think all Orange customers should be given the option of getting out of their contracts because orange are not being fair.
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am with t-mobile broadband in hull and the service is nothing short of pathetic dial up was 10 times faster and we all know how slow that was. t-mobile are a disgrace and should be sued for false advertising
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hi, had a three e160g dongle for 1 year now, i've been gutted since i had it, never had the 3.6MB/s like it states on my contract, had close to 200KB/s a couple of times but generally around the .50KB/s- .120KB/s. how can isp's state one thing and provide another, normally got 2-3 bars on network status, never had 4 or 5 bar even though the carphone warehouse stated i was in an better than average signal area, looked into aerials, what a joke, £36 pound for a aerial which give little improvement, can't wait to get cable back
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i feel ripped off with t mobile."broadband" it aint.its piss poor performance and i cant wait to end it!!
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3 !!! wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. got stuck in a 18 mth contract , their staff were rude to both my self, my friend and the manager at the shop where i bought it, called us liars and didn't respond to either e-mails or faxes.
NB watch out cause if you live at the same address as someone else who takes out a 3 contract they will not accept you are an individual in your own right and insist on taking both monthly payments from the same account!!
Hense i am chasing each month for the payment now the person has moved out!!!
Only 2 months to go hallalujah.
looking for new phone and mobile broadband - any advice there seem to be so many bad reviews. -
im in augusta ga on a htc touch diamond with verizon and my test was good 1.5 mbps download speed and 1 mbps upload
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Not to bad. 1.16Mbps on 3 mobile. Gonna see how xbox live performs with it now.
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I'm truly gobsmacked that isp's can get away with these false ads on broadband speed. They must think we're all daft and will accept whatever is shoved down our throats. I am going to ring my isp on Monday morning and give out to them...you'll hear me over in the UK!
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I have t-mobile web'n' walk my speed is wait for it.........7.2mbps I call that fantastic!!!!!!!!!
I live in east yorks driffield. -
I am with 3 broadband. When I purchased the dongle in Currys I was shown the map for hot spots & no go areas by the sales rep, he recommended 3. I was apparently in the 2nd from hottest area & was quoted 3 - 5Mbps download! I was horrified when I was rarely getting over 0.4Mbps download in the first few weeks & regular disconnections so I called tech support. I was promised that they were working on a new transmitter in my area & if I waited things would improve. I now know that this was to get me stuck in the 24month contract & end up paying for a download bandwidth I could not possibly use, even if I downloaded 24/7! Each time I call them I get another promise that things will improve, it is a con because they always quote UP TO 8Mbps, which means if you can connect at all they have met their promise!
Now I'm coming up to 12months into my contract & things have got worse as I am now sharing my connection with others in my area & there have been no improvements to my signal strength & speed. When I look at the hotspot map now I see that my home is in the second from WORSE area which means I will be lucky to even get a signal outside. I have always had to use my modem in my conservatory and even then I get disconnected regularly! If I sit outside, near the road, with a 9dB booster aerial then I can get 1.7Mbps like in the test I just ran! I would say that if you cannot get a good speed with land line broadband then you'll be just as unlucky with mobile broadband unless you plan on going for a drive every time you want to check your email or surf the web! -
Im with T-Mobile, i've been with them for around 1 and a half years, i at first didnt like it, but i have grown to love it, i get a rough speed of 1.5 Meg, but can get speeds aproaching 2.2 Meg, i even go on Xbox Live with it, due to the poor upload speed (around 0.3, but can get 0.13 or 0.65 depending on how it feels) and unconsistant speeds i do lag a bit, i do a lot of browsing, and get a lot done, it loads up pages very fast, only a little slower then a proper cable broadband. i have found a place in my home where the speed is at its best (a 5 Bar signal, and it never goes down). still i only wish i could get a better usuage limit, instead of 3GB, if i were gettin 5GB i would be very happy, but that means spending more money that i dont really have for things of leasure. still brilliant, some more improvement on the service would be nice, still its a work in progress, and im glad i have been part of a growing, easier broadband.
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Im in Wimbledon, London. Just come to the end of 3 contract for 3G phone and separate mobile BB. 3 MBB 0.86mb up/0.3mb down here but very patchy national coverage when travelling. Fed up with no phone signal here so moved both to Vodafone. Vodafones "Pro" usb modem faulty so unlocked the 3 E169 stick (4 euros- easy) and used voda sim in that. Now down to 0.7 down/0.3 up. Now wish I had stuck with 3 for the MBB
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Date 03/06/10 15:53:37
Download speed 4807.17 Kbps (4.69 Mbps)
Upload speed 1491.09 Kbps (1.46 Mbps)
Server Port 8095 (tcp)
3 mobile broadband is amazing for me mayb im one of the luky ones : D .. play call of duty online on ps3 with it and i get made host most of the time .. -
Up date on my previous comment. Bought a mag mount aerial from panorama antennas (about £30) comes with a 2m lead - make sure you get correct connector - different on Huwaei and ZTE dongles. Gives me 2 more bars on gprs or 3g and improves 3g coverage. Def worth it for me when travelling, just hanging out of hotel window. Best speed I have had on voda was 6Mb up/2.4 down (HSDPA) but mobile tower was in view
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I've got T-mobile and i'm so disappointed... My download speed - 0.27Mbps and upload - 0.06Mbps, but in Gravesend i've got 'exellent' coverage as they says on their website. For me that's ridiculous, cuz they told me in shop that speed should be very high - 7.2Mbps without limits for whole month... but that's my fault. Next time I wont trust 'unlimited super fast' advertises or smiling advisors...
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John- What signal are you getting is it GPRS? if your signal in your mobile broadband software is anything other then 3G or HSDPA then you've got a 2G not a 3G Signal. in your broadband software go into connection set up (there are different types of lay-outs for the sotware so look around and you should find it. in mine its under settings-preferances and then select 3G) and make sure you've selected 3G not 2G. with 3G and excellant signal in your area. you should get just about the optimal speeds for your ISP.
ps im on T-Mobile in a very good coverage area and get speeds around 400KBPS Up, 2.5 MB down. So you should get even better. -
Just done this test with my ZTE mf113 modem on three network. I'm getting on avg 3mb's down and 1.3mb's up. If i hang the dongle out of my window I can get over 4mb's! Really great considering I get 15GB for £15 a month. Even more so my I live (CA72LW) google that postcode! Im in the sticks, lol. Tried to buy a universal antenna to get the 4mb's+ speeds but didnt make a difference :( Oh, well Pleased with my 3mb's indoors! Just gets to me knowing I can get more performance just out of my window, lol
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