CenturyLink

CenturyLink Speed Test

See CenturyLink's speed test results over the past 12 months or enter your zip code below to see if broadband internet from CenturyLink is available in your area.
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Download Speed and Latency Test

Whether CenturyLink is your internet provider or you use a different provider, the speed test below can show key statistics about your internet connection.

Note: This speed test can be used to test any internet provider, not just CenturyLink.

If your CenturyLink speed test result is lower than expected, try resetting your router or call CenturyLink customer service for additional assistance.

Use our speed test to check the capability of your Internet service whether you use CenturyLink or another provider. The modules above are designed to display statistics on download and upload performance. These two results are the main indicators of broadband internet quality. As of April 2019, CenturyLink’s average download speed is 23.92 Mbps. Across their footprint, the average latency on CenturyLink Internet speed tests is 138.28ms. In context, wired terrestrial connections generally have latency in the 5–70ms range. Satellite Internet broadband connections, on the other hand, are often as high as 500–800ms.

1,000MBPS Maximum Advertised
Download Mbps
51.21MBPS User Speed Test
Download Mbps Top 10 Fastest In State
138.28ms Average Latency
8,458,663 Speed Tests
FROM CenturyLink Customers
362.55ms Average Jitter

Fastest Cities for CenturyLink Internet Service

Oneill, NE100 mbps714 mbps
Mercer, PA100 mbps694 mbps
Charles City, IA20 mbps523 mbps
Lusk, WY20 mbps520 mbps
Alva, FL100 mbps393 mbps

CenturyLink Fastest Download Speeds Over Time

In this chart we've calculated the average speed of the fastest 10% of users who ran a speed test from a CenturyLink connection in the last 12 months.

CenturyLink Average Download Speeds Over Time

In this chart we show the average download speed across all 8458663 users who ran a speed test on their CenturyLink internet connection in the last 12 months.

CenturyLink Internet Speed Test FAQ

CenturyLink speed test results are a measurement of your home network as well as the broader CenturyLink network. If you are getting a surprisingly low speed result, please try plugging your computer or laptop into the router with ethernet, or at least place it close to the router to avoid interference. The averages shown above trend low due to the large number of speed tests that are being run as part of the diagnostics process for home networking issues.

CenturyLink DSL Download vs Upload Speed Results

CenturyLink prioritizes download speeds on their residential Internet plans. For most users, this doesn’t matter, since download is much more important than upload for most daily activities like scrolling through Facebook, watching YouTube, and etc. CenturyLink’s upload speeds can impact the performance of video chat apps like Google Hangouts, but users shouldn’t have any problem with one-way streaming services like Netflix.

CenturyLink Latency and Ping

CenturyLink latency is average for a DSL provider. In general, latency is lower than satellite but higher than cable. For customers in rural areas, CenturyLink DSL is almost always a better choice than satellite Internet due to CenturyLink’s high data limits and faster speeds.

CenturyLink DSL Speeds vs Cable and Fiber

DSL Internet speeds are usually lower than cable and fiber. The reason is simple: the copper lines CenturyLink uses to transmit DSL Internet are older and narrower than the cables used by fiber providers. Because DSL signals fade faster over distance than cable or fiber, CenturyLink customers in rural areas may experience slower speeds than advertised if their home is near the edge of the local CenturyLink service footprint. Customers far away from CenturyLink’s local office may also find increased latency.

CenturyLink Speeds vs Satellite Internet

CenturyLink customers are often comparing speeds between CenturyLink DSL and Satellite Internet or mobile hotspots. CenturyLink speeds are lower than satellite in many rural areas. However, CenturyLink gives users a Terabyte of data on most plans, while satellite Internet providers only allow 50GB or so. This makes CenturyLink a clear choice for families and daily Internet users, since they don’t have to worry about running out of data if they watch lots of online video.

Frequently Asked Questions about CenturyLink

  • What should my CenturyLink Internet speed be?

    CenturyLink offers a wide variety of internet speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps.

  • How fast is CenturyLink supposed to be?

    Your CenturyLink speed should be within 20% or so of the advertised price you signed up for. It's normal for speed tests to be slightly lower than the maximum speed of the plan. To get the maximum speed, plug your device into the router using ethernet to reduce WiFI issues.

  • What Internet speeds does CenturyLink offer?

    CenturyLink’s internet speeds currently range from 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps.

Last Updated on 6/13/2019

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