GCI Speed Test Tips

Your Internet speed is a measure of how quickly data can be transferred between you and another location on the World Wide Web. That data can be anything: images on a webpage, words in an email, the video feed in a Zoom call, actions in an online game or even the next episode of your favorite series on Netflix. When you run a GCI speed test on a connected device in your home, you will see your speed broken down into four numbers. Each of these numbers measures a different aspect of your GCI Internet speed and network performance.

Ping times refer to how long it takes your device to receive a reply after sending a request online. Ping is measured in milliseconds, you can think of it as your connection's reaction time: the lower the ping time, the better. Ping times become especially important if you are gaming or doing anything else online that depends on timing and quick keystrokes.

Jitter is related to ping times and refers to how much your connection's ping varies over time. The lower the jitter, the less likely you are to have buffering delays or other interruptions when you are streaming or gaming. Like ping times, jitter is measured in milliseconds.

Download speed measures how long it takes to pull data from a server to your device. Most activity on the Internet, from browsing web pages to streaming videos, consists of downloading data, so this number is the most important one for most users. Download speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps). The higher the number, the faster you will be able to do things online.

Upload speed measures how long it takes to send data from your device to the Internet. This number becomes important for activities like sending files via email, uploading photos to a shared album or doing video calls. Like download speed, upload speed is also measured in megabits per second, though it tends to be much slower than download speeds. The higher the number, the less time you will have to wait when sending data online.

A GCI speed test measures your Internet's performance on the specific device that you're testing. This means you may receive different test results depending on whether you're on your phone, computer or tablet. Your network connection can vary throughout the day and even minute-to-minute, depending on the network's traffic and bandwidth. The best way to accurately compare different device speeds is to test them at the same time. To test your GCI Internet speed on your phone, make sure you're connected to WiFi instead of using cellular data. Devices have different maximum speeds and older devices are often slower. If you're using an older device, your specific device speed will be limited even if you have high-speed Internet. Device speeds will also vary depending on how close the device is to the router in your home.

There are a few factors that determine how fast you will need your Internet to be: The number of people using the Internet in your home. The number of connected devices (e.g., phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers). What you do on the Internet. If you only use the Internet for browsing the web, checking your email and streaming music on one device, you will be fine with the lowest GCI Internet speed available. To be able to stream video in high definition, look for a plan with a speed of up to 100 Mbps. For gaming and sharing large files, opt for up to 300 Mbps. To receive maximum Internet use for 4 or more people who stream, game or otherwise live online, choose a plan with up to 940 Mbps speed. Learn which GCI Internet plans are available in your area. Still not sure which speed you need? For more guidance, read our recent article on Internet plans and device speeds.

If you're having an Internet connectivity issue, walk through these steps to isolate the problem: Is the problem limited to a specific webpage? If you're able to load other websites, the issue isn't on your end, it's on a particular website's server. If nothing is loading, check a different device. If pages will load on your laptop but not on your phone, try turning your phone's WiFi off and on again. If the Internet is slow across multiple devices, check that you're not eating up the bandwidth with other programs or processes. Identify what processes are currently running on your computer and quit any that you don't need. If the Internet isn't working on multiple devices, check that your modem and router are both working. You may want to unplug them both, wait a few minutes and then plug in the modem. Once the modem lights are on, plug in the router again.

If you have the right plan but still aren't receiving the GCI Internet speeds you want, try these adjustments: Move your router. Your router is what sends your WiFi signal from your modem to your various devices. It sends out radio waves in all directions, so if it's located in a corner of your house, you will lose a good portion of your Internet's strength to the outdoors. Put it in a central location as close as possible to your computer and other connected devices. Reset your router. If your Internet is slower than expected even when your device is right next to the router, try resetting it to factory settings. Change the channel on the router. As we mentioned, your router sends out radio waves and is set to a particular channel, just like any other radio device. If there are a lot of routers in your area (like in an apartment building) interference on one channel could slow down your Internet. Keep an eye on background processes. If you're downloading a large file, wait for it to finish before trying to stream a movie. If you keep a lot of tabs open, get in the habit of closing them periodically so they don't consume your bandwidth.