How it works

How Lekker Speed Test Works

Lekker Speed Test runs directly in your browser. When you start a test, your browser sends and receives data over your current internet connection. The result gives you an estimate of how your connection is performing at that moment.

The test is designed to help you understand more than just your download speed. It also looks at upload speed, ping, jitter, loaded latency and bufferbloat.

What happens when you start a test?

When you click the start button, the test checks how your connection performs by measuring how quickly data can move between your browser and the test network.

The result is then shown in a simple format so you can understand whether your connection is slow, average, fast or very fast.

Your result may include:

• Download speed
• Upload speed
• Ping
• Jitter
• Loaded ping
• Bufferbloat
• Connection quality verdict

Download speed

Download speed shows how quickly your connection can receive data from the internet.

This affects:

• Loading websites
• Watching YouTube
• Streaming Netflix or Showmax
• Downloading apps
• Updating games
• Opening files from the cloud
• Browsing social media

Download speed is usually the number most people look at first. It is normally shown in Mbps, which stands for megabits per second.

Upload speed

Upload speed shows how quickly your connection can send data to the internet.

This affects:

• Video calls
• Sending large files
• Uploading photos and videos
• Cloud backups
• Live streaming
• Online meetings
• Working from home

Upload speed is especially important if you regularly send files, use Zoom or Teams, back up to the cloud, or create content.

Ping

Ping measures how quickly your device gets a response from the test server.

Lower ping usually means a more responsive connection. This is important for:

• Online gaming
• Video calls
• Voice calls
• Remote work
• Live collaboration tools

A fast download speed with high ping can still feel sluggish.

Jitter

Jitter measures how much your ping changes during the test.

A stable connection should have low jitter. High jitter can cause:

• Choppy video calls
• Robotic audio
• Gaming lag
• Sudden delays
• Voice call dropouts
• Unstable live streams

For real-time internet use, stability matters as much as raw speed.

Loaded ping

Normal ping is measured when your connection is not under heavy load. Loaded ping shows what happens to your latency while your connection is busy.

This is useful because many real-life internet problems happen when multiple things are happening at once.

For example:

• Someone is streaming
• A phone is backing up photos
• A game is updating
• A laptop is downloading files
• A video call is running

If your loaded ping jumps very high, your connection may feel laggy when it is busy.

Bufferbloat

Bufferbloat happens when your router or network queues too much data. This can make your connection slow to respond while downloads or uploads are happening.

Bufferbloat can cause:

• Gaming lag
• Video call delays
• Slow browsing during downloads
• Delayed voice chat
• A connection that feels unstable under load

This is one reason a connection can have a good Mbps result but still feel poor in real life.

Why your result may change

Speed test results are not always the same. They can change based on many factors.

Common reasons include:

• Wi-Fi signal strength
• Distance from your router
• Walls and interference
• How many people are online
• Background downloads
• ISP congestion
• Mobile signal strength
• Time of day
• Router performance
• VPN usage
• Device performance

Slow Wi-Fi vs slow internet

A bad speed test result does not always mean your internet line is slow.

When you run a speed test on Wi-Fi, the result depends on two separate parts:

1. The internet connection coming into your home.
2. The Wi-Fi connection between your router and your phone, laptop or TV.

If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, your device may only receive a small part of the speed your router is actually getting. This can make the result look much worse than your real internet line speed.

For example, your fibre line may be working well near the router, but a test from a bedroom, garage, outside room or far corner of the house may be slow because the Wi-Fi signal has to pass through walls or travel too far.

Quick way to check

Run three simple tests:

1. Test where you normally use the internet.
2. Test again while standing close to the router.
3. Test with an Ethernet cable if possible.

If the speed improves a lot near the router or on Ethernet, your Wi-Fi coverage is likely the issue.

If the speed is still poor close to the router or on Ethernet, then the problem may be your internet line, router, ISP, fibre ONT, LTE/5G signal or network congestion.

Common signs of weak Wi-Fi

Your Wi-Fi may be the issue if:

• Speed is good near the router but bad in other rooms.
• Video buffers in one part of the house but not another.
• Your phone shows weak Wi-Fi bars.
• Ethernet is much faster than Wi-Fi.
• The problem improves when you move closer to the router.

What to try

To improve Wi-Fi coverage, try:

• Move your router to a more central open spot.
• Keep the router out in the open.
• Avoid placing it inside a cupboard or behind the TV.
• Use Ethernet for gaming, work or streaming devices.
• Try the 5 GHz Wi-Fi network when you are close to the router.
• Upgrade an old router.
• Add a mesh Wi-Fi system for larger homes.

The key point: a speed test measures the connection your device is using at that moment. Weak Wi-Fi can make a good internet line look bad.

How to get a better test result

For a more accurate result:

• Test close to your Wi-Fi router
• Use Ethernet if possible
• Pause downloads and streaming
• Close unnecessary tabs and apps
• Turn off VPNs
• Test on more than one device
• Run the test at different times of day

If your Ethernet result is much faster than your Wi-Fi result, your internet line may be fine and your Wi-Fi setup may need improvement.