What is a good speed for Zoom or Teams?
Published by Pulse (SearchSwitchSave.com). Reviewed April 2026 by the UKSpeedTest editorial team led by Dr Alex J Martin-Smith.
Video calls rely on stable timing and enough upload. Strong download alone does not guarantee smooth meetings.
Call quality basics
- Low jitter helps avoid robotic audio.
- Upload headroom matters for your outgoing video.
- Busy home traffic can disrupt meetings.
What to do if calls break up
- Pause backups and heavy sync.
- Use Ethernet on the work device if possible.
- Repeat tests when meetings usually fail.
Pulse measures download speed, latency, and jitter. Upload speed is not measured in the current release.
Related guides
Useful tools from the FBRE network
If you want a second opinion or next-step tools, try HowFast for an additional speed-check perspective, Laggy for latency-focused checks, Broadband Map for postcode availability context, and BroadbandSwitch.uk when you are comparing deals before switching.
You can browse the wider site list at FBRE.uk.
FAQ
Can calls fail while streaming looks fine?
Yes. Streaming mostly needs steady download, while calls are sensitive to upload headroom, jitter, and delay. A busy upload such as cloud backup can hurt meetings even when streaming looks acceptable.
Does Pulse measure upload?
No. Pulse focuses on download, latency, and jitter. For upload-specific checks, use your provider upload test and pause competing traffic during the run.
Should I switch package for calls only?
Test fairly first on a stable setup, including pausing heavy uploads and trying Ethernet on the work device. If calls still break on repeated fair tests, then compare packages with stronger upload and better peak-time performance for your usage.
Can VPN increase delay in meetings?
Yes. Corporate VPNs can route traffic further or add processing delay. If meetings improve when the VPN is off on a split-tunnel policy, routing is a likely factor alongside raw Mbps.