How the ping test works
NetSpeedly sends 50 tiny requests, one after another, to the closest Cloudflare data centre and records how long each round trip takes. It uses your browser’s precise timing data and removes the time the server spends on each request, so the number reflects your network rather than the server. The first request is ignored because it includes setting up the secure connection.
You get the median ping (the middle value, which isn’t thrown off by a single spike), the lowest and highest ping, and jitter.
Ping guide for gaming and calls
| Ping | Rating | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20 ms | Excellent | Ideal for competitive shooters and fighting games. |
| 20–50 ms | Good | Smooth for nearly all online games and calls. |
| 50–100 ms | Average | Playable; slight delay in fast-paced games. |
| 100–200 ms | Poor | Noticeable lag in games; calls feel slightly delayed. |
| 200+ ms | Bad | Frequent lag; people talk over each other on calls. |
What causes high ping?
- Distance to the server — the biggest factor, and the one you can’t change except by choosing nearer servers.
- Wi-Fi adds a few milliseconds and, more importantly, jitter. A cable is steadier.
- A busy connection. When someone downloads or streams, routers can queue data and ping shoots up (bufferbloat). The full speed test measures this and gives you a grade.
- Mobile data usually has higher and less stable ping than fibre or cable.
- VPNs route your traffic through another location.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good ping?
Under 20 ms is excellent, 20–50 ms is good for all gaming and calls, 50–100 ms is fine for most things but noticeable in fast games, and over 100 ms causes visible delay.
What is jitter?
Jitter is the average difference between consecutive pings. A connection with 30 ms ping and 2 ms jitter feels smoother than one with 20 ms ping and 25 ms jitter, because the second one is unpredictable.
Why is my ping high in games but low here?
This test measures ping to the nearest Cloudflare data centre, which is usually in or near your city. Game servers may be in another country — every 1,000 km adds roughly 10 ms. Choose the closest game server region where you can.
How can I lower my ping?
Use a cable instead of Wi-Fi, stop other downloads while playing, pick the nearest game server, turn off VPNs, and enable Smart Queue / SQM or QoS on your router if it has it.
Is ping the same as latency?
In everyday use, yes. Ping is the common name for round-trip latency: the time for a request to reach a server and the reply to come back.