Terminology
PacketThe unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network. What does that mean? a packet is a container of data. Learn More
DataInformation that is translated into a binary form. Learn More
Latencyis an expression of how much time (usually in milliseconds) it takes for a packet of data to get from one designated point to another. Learn More
Jitteris the variation in latency as measured in the variability over time of the packet latency across a network. What does that mean? Jitter is basically a way to measure the difference that it takes multiple packets to reach their destination. Learn More
Pingis a small program that will send a packet of data to a source and measures the time it takes for the packet to return or echo. Learn More

Contrary to popular opinion all speed tests are not the same. Depending on what speed test you use, they all have different software to perform their test, and they all have different locations at which they perform the speed test.

What a speed test does with a web browser or App is connect to a server, which then measures the latency to that site using a ping. Then it either downloads or simulates a download of a file of a known size and measure the time it takes to receive all of the packets sent, that will show it’s download speed, it will then upload or simulate the upload of that file and measure the time it takes to receive all of the packets sent by your computer. That will determine your upload speed. Learn more

While the process sounds simple, all speed test companies will accomplish the desired test a bit differently and at different locations, let’s take a look at why a location would make a difference. Let’s take a look at three different companies that offer speed tests;
Company ABC is located in Brisbane Australia and offers free speed test to their servers.
Company XYZ is located in Seattle Washington and offers free speed test to their server.
DFN which is your Internet Service Provider offers free speed tests to their server
As described above the test sends a ping from their server to your computer and listens for an echo, that communication will travel from their server to your computer and return. The distance from your computer to the server at Company ABC is approximately 7222 miles. Resulting in that packet traveling from their server to your computer and returning to their server. Therefore that packet will have traveled 14444 miles to complete its latency or ping test, that will obviously take some time to travel that far which is about twice the distance between the north and south pole.
The distance from your computer to the server at Company XYZ is approximately 250 miles so that packet must travel from their server to your computer and return to their server, therefore that packet will have traveled 500 miles to complete its latency or ping test, that is approximately the distance from your home to San Francisco.
The distance from your computer to our server is definitely much shorter than either of the above name companies.
Now, why would that make a difference? First, we would need to understand how that packet would get from your computer to their server and back. To go from your computer to Company ABC in Austraila that packet would go from your computer through your router to our equipment and then through multiple switches on our network to our router. From there it would travel through our upstream provider, through multiple switches on their network to their upstream provider, through multiple different companies until it finally reaches the destination all the way on the other side of the planet. After all of that, it then has to turn around and come all the way back. The process would be the same for company XYZ although quite a bit shorter.
To use our speed test the packet would leave your computer, through your router, to our equipment and through our network to our server and return. As you can see there is much less time and distance that communication needs to travel.

Does DFN offer free speed test? Yes, Click Here!

DSL 5, 15, and 40 meg packages

WindowsMac
Operating SystemMicrosoft mainstream-supported Windows operating systemApple-supported OS X operating system
BrowserUp to date version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or SafariUp to date version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or Safari
Network Card10/100 Fast Ethernet interface or adapter for wired connection10/100 Fast Ethernet interface or adapter for wired connection
Ethernet CableCat 5Cat 5
CPU/ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo P8800Intel Core 2 Duo P8800
Memory2 GB DDR22 GB DDR2
Hard DriveSATA II 64 GB reading speed over 200 MBpsSATA II 64 GB reading speed over 200 MBps

Fiber to the Home 100 meg packages

WindowsMac
Operating SystemMicrosoft mainstream-supported Windows operating systemApple-supported OS X operating system
BrowserUp to date version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or SafariUp to date version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or Safari
Network Card10/100 Fast Ethernet interface or adapter for wired connection10/100 Fast Ethernet interface or adapter for wired connection
Ethernet CableCat 5Cat 5
CPU/ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo P8800Intel Core 2 Duo P8800
Memory2 GB DDR22 GB DDR2
Hard DriveSATA II 64 GB reading speed over 200 MBpsSATA II 64 GB reading speed over 200 MBps

Fiber to the Home 250 meg packages

WindowsMac
Operating SystemMicrosoft mainstream-supported Windows operating systemApple-supported OS X operating system
BrowserUp to date version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or SafariUp to date version of Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or Safari
Network Card10/100/1000 Gigsbyte interface or adapter for wired connection10/100/1000 Gigsbyte interface or adapter for wired connection
Ethernet CableCat 5eCat 5e
CPU/ProcessorIntel Core i5 (or faster) processorIntel Core i5 (or faster) processor
Memory4 GB DDR34 GB DDR3
Hard DriveSATA II 64 GB reading speed over 200 MBpsSATA II 64 GB reading speed over 200 MBps

Fiber to the Home 1 Gig packages **Note: Due to Ethernet overhead, actual download speeds are limited to 940 Mbps over a hardwired connection.**

WindowsMac
Operating SystemMicrosoft mainstream-supported Windows operating system Windows 8.1 (64 bit) or newerApple-supported OS X 10.8 or newer operating system
BrowserIE 11 or newer; MS Edge browser (Windows 10); Firefox 40.0.3 or newer; Chrome 44.0.2403 or newerOSX Browsers: Safari 6.2.8 or newer or Firefox 40.0.3 or newer or Chrome 44.0.2403 or newer
Network Card10/100/1000 Gigsbyte interface or adapter for wired connection10/100/1000 Gigsbyte interface or adapter for wired connection
Ethernet CableCat 5e or betterCat 5e or better
CPU/ProcessorIntel Dual Core i5 2.5GHz or better or AMD Dual Core K10 2.5GHz or betterIntel Dual Core i5 2.5GHz or better or AMD Dual Core K10 2.5GHz or better
Memory
Hard DriveSSD recommended to achieve maximum download speeds 64 GB or largerSSD recommended to achieve maximum download speeds 64 GB or larger

For More information on Microsoft Mainstream Operating systems Microsoft Windows lifecycle fact sheet
For More information on MAC OS.


Speed Tips

If you have hardware, software and related equipment configurations that can connect to the Internet but that are different from the above recommendations, they will still work with your Internet service; however, our testing has shown that these recommendations will work best to achieve your provisioned broadband speed.

If you are not experiencing the speeds you expect, remember to test using a hardwired connection to the Internet. Also, make sure you are not in the process of downloading or uploading anything, close all programs using the Internet and power off any other devices that are sharing your home network.

Remember, there are a number of external factors that may limit your speed; as a result, actual speeds may vary. For the best performance, contact your device manufacturer or software provider to learn about required upgrades, configuration updates or to find troubleshooting guides.


WiFi Speed Tips

For wireless connections, you can improve your WiFi speed by positioning your Wireless Gateway centrally in order for it to broadcast its strongest signal. For better WiFi performance see these tips.

Customers receiving Gigabit Internet service should be aware that while these services can be delivered over WiFi, these speeds can be faster than some of today’s most advanced smartphones, laptops and tablets are capable of running.
To help Gigabit Internet service customers better understand what download speeds can be expected over WiFi, listed below are some know devices and the speeds these device can deliver.

Although download speeds up to 940 Mbps are possible with a hardwired connection, maximum WiFi speeds could be limited by your device’s age and model. Other factors could include how many WiFi-connected devices are in use, website traffic and content provider server capacity.

DeviceLAN Port type
ChromeboxGigE
Samsung Chromebook 550GigE
Acer C7GigE
HP Pavilion10/100 Mbps
Samsung Chromebookno Ethernet NIC
Chromebook Pixelno Ethernet NIC
Samsung Series 5no Ethernet NIC
CR-48no Ethernet NIC
Acer AC700no Ethernet NIC
Laptop ComputersExpected Maximum Speed
MacBook Pro 2015Up to 435 Mbps
MacBook Pro 2016Up to 396 Mbps
Dell Latitude E7470Up to 310 Mbps
MacBook AirUp to 266 Mbps
MSI LaptopUp to 248 Mbps
HP Omen LaptopUp to 245 Mbps
Razer LaptopUp to 226 Mbps
Acer Aspire S 13Up to 200 Mbps
Microsoft Surface BookUp to 184 Mbps
ChromeBook PlusUp to 156 Mbps
Lenovo IdeaPadUp to 130 Mbps
Mobile DevicesExpected Maximum Speed
Google PixelUp to 268 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy S8Up to 266 Mbps
iPhone 7 PlusUp to 231 Mbps
iPhone 7Up to 211 Mbps
Nexus 6PUp to 211 Mbps
Nexus 6Up to 207 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy Note 5Up to 202 Mbps
Samsung S7 EdgeUp to 200 Mbps
iPhone 6SUp to 191 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy S5Up to 175 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy S6Up to 174 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy Note 3Up to 141 Mbps
iPhone 6Up to 120 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy S4Up to 113 Mbps
iPhone SEUp to 83 Mbps
Samsung Galaxy S3 MiniUp to 58 Mbps
Nexus 7Up to 42 Mbps
iPhone 5SUp to 41 Mbps
TabletsExpected Maximum Speed
Nexus 9 TabUp to 362 Mbps
iPad Mini 4Up to 238 Mbps
Surface Pro 3Up to 211 Mbps
Surface Pro 4Up to 205 Mbps
iPad Air 2Up to 199 Mbps
iPad ProUp to 199 Mbps
Galaxy Tab S2Up to 178 Mbps
MacBook Pro 2013Up to 127 Mbps
Kindle Fire HDXUp to 76 Mbps
iPad Mini 2Up to 73 Mbps
iPad AirUp to 64 Mbps
iPad 4Up to 51 Mbps
Zenpad S 8.0Up to 27 Mbps
iPad 2Up to 23 Mbps
Other DevicesExpected Maximum Speed
ASUS AC 88Up to 502 Mbps
Apple TV4Up to 257 Mbps
Netgear A6210Up to 192 Mbps
D-Link Wireless DWA-182Up to 174 Mbps
XBox One SUp to 112 Mbps
Linksys WUSB6100MUp to 111 Mbps
Netgear A6100Up to 107 Mbps
PS4 ProUp to 96 Mbps
Tplink TL-WN823NUp to 53 Mbps

Yes! 🙂

Check your speed here