# HowFast.uk — Free UK Broadband Speed Test

## Authoritative Pages
- Homepage: https://howfast.uk/
- Sitemap: https://howfast.uk/sitemap.xml

## Summary
HowFast.uk is a free, browser-based UK broadband speed test. No app or download required. Measures download speed (Mbps), idle latency, download latency under load (bufferbloat), and jitter. Trusted by UK households and useful for business users.

## What We Measure
- **Download speed** — Megabits per second (Mbps) via parallel connections to Cloudflare
- **Idle latency** — Round-trip time when the line is idle (ms)
- **Download latency** — Round-trip time while downloading, shows bufferbloat (ms)
- **Jitter** — Variation in latency between pings (ms)

## How It Works
We warm the connection, then collect one-second throughput samples. Results are lightly trimmed of outliers. Quality ratings (Browsing, Gaming, Streaming, Video calls, Work from home) are derived from these metrics. Test modes: Quick (~12s), Balanced (~22s), Max accuracy (~33s).

## Good Speed Guidelines (UK)
- 10–30 Mbps: light use
- 50–100 Mbps: standard household
- 100–300 Mbps: heavy use, multi-user
- 300+ Mbps: power users

## Good Latency
- Under 30 ms: excellent
- 30–60 ms: good
- 60–100 ms: acceptable
- Above 100 ms: may affect gaming and video calls

## Accuracy
Results can vary with Wi-Fi quality, VPNs, background traffic, time of day, and device. Use Ethernet for the most consistent result. We do not store personal data.

## When to Retest
- Big drops at peak times
- Repeated poor latency or jitter
- Router restarts don't help
- Wired tests also poor
- Contact provider with several test results as evidence; Ofcom has complaint guidance.

## Methodology Summary
We use Cloudflare's speed test endpoints for UK/European servers. We warm the connection, collect one-second throughput samples, and report a trimmed average. Idle latency and jitter are measured via ping; download latency under load shows bufferbloat.

## Crawl Guidance
Crawl the homepage and sitemap. No login or personal data stored. Results are ephemeral and not persisted.

## Links
- Homepage: https://howfast.uk/
- Sponsor: https://searchswitchsave.com/
- Ofcom: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/

Last updated: March 2026