"Internet speed" refers to how quickly information can be transmitted back and forth from the Internet to your computer. Internet speeds are measured in Mbps (Megabits per second).
- Download speed is how quickly information is transmitted from the Internet to your computer. When it comes to reading, playing games, viewing video and listening to streaming music on the web, this is the key number
- Upload speed is how quickly you can send information from your computer to the Internet
What can affect your Internet speed
Many factors influence the actual Internet speed you experience at any given time, including:
- The speed of the website from which you're downloading information
- The number of people trying to download the same information as you from the same website
- The number of applications or programmes you are running on your computer
- The age and condition of wiring inside your home or apartment
- The distance between the TELUS high speed gateway and your device
- Whether you’re connected to your gateway directly or wirelessly
- Your computer’s age
The TELUS Speed Test
If you want to know if your TELUS connection speed is within acceptable limits please use our speed test tool.
Consider the following if your test results aren't as expected:
- If you ran a wireless test and the results don't meet your plan's minimum speed, reboot your TELUS wireless gateway and try again while connected to an ethernet cable
- If you are already wired in and your speeds still seem slow on the test compared to your plan, reboot your gateway and try the test again
- If you experience poor speeds only while wirelessly connected or while using your smartphone or tablet, your wireless signal may be degraded. See Understanding wireless performance & signal strength.
Note: Some older smartphones/devices may not be able to take full advantage of the wireless speed your TELUS gateway has to offer. - Ensure you have the latest version of your selected browser and that your browser is configured properly
Recommended settings for streaming video
Streaming video sites and services allow you to change the quality of the stream. You might think you always want to choose the Best/Highest quality, but choosing the ‘best’ may result in stuttering on slower Internet plans. You may find a small decrease to 720P or 480P still looks very similar in your browser, but will load much faster. Here are some recommended settings for popular streaming services based on the speed provided by your TELUS Internet plan.
YouTube video quality speed requirements
- To view 1080p video, you should have a download speed of 8 Mbps
- To view 720p video, you should have a download speed of 5 Mbps
- To view 480p video, you should have a download speed of 2.5 Mbps
- To view 360p video, you should have a download speed of 1 Mbps
Netflix video quality recommended settings
- To view 3-D video, you should have a download speed of 12 Mbps
- To view Super HD video, you should have a download speed of 7 Mbps
- To view HD video, you should have a download speed of 5 Mbps
- To view DVD video, you should have a download speed of 3 Mbps
- To view Basic video, you should have a download speed of 1.5 Mbps
