topic Re: Single thread speed test missing!? in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Single thread speed test missing!?

markuswelby — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:28:21 GMT

Hi everyone,

Has the ookla speedtest (dot net) on browser, done away with the 'single tread' test or have just hidden it, and I can't find it?

Many thanks in advance.

Re: Single thread speed test missing!?

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:25:13 GMT

@markuswelby

It appears the option is no longer.

Some research provides this link as the answer https://beta.speedtest.net/ or https://www.speedtest.net/?connections=1

Another suggestion for linux is to use speedtest-cli

Re: Single thread speed test missing!?

markuswelby — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:00:48 GMT

@Dan_the_Van

Thank you so much! 👍 The first url works fine.

I'll test out the other two also, since I use Linux every day also.

All the best

Mark

Re: Single thread speed test missing!?

ExForce9 — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:04:56 GMT

@Dan_the_Van wrote:

Another suggestion for linux is to use speedtest-cli

I thought I'd install that and see what it does, on a wired Linux desktop that I do all my speed tests on.

It installed OK, however running the test, it first tried to locate my nearest test server ... in Italy ! ? !

Retrieving speedtest.net server list... Selecting best server based on ping... Hosted by TIM SpA (Novara) [937.80 km]: 1800000.0 ms

then it performed the speed tests -

Testing download speed ................................................................................ Download: 63.44 Mbit/s Testing upload speed ...................................................................................................... Upload: 35.62 Mbit/s

My current SOGEA setup typically speed tests at 68/19Mbps

so speedtest-cli under reports my real world download speed, and is showing nearly double the achievable upload speed.

I did bother to read the manual, and attempted to find a UK server, but only the following servers are supported -

Retrieving speedtest.net configuration... 55808) Sailweb (Ivrea, Italy) [899.23 km] 55753) Sailweb (Caluso, Italy) [914.15 km] 2316) Consorzio TOP-IX (Turin, Italy) [925.11 km] 71720) IT.Gate S.p.A. (Turin, Italy) [925.22 km] 10456) TIM SpA (Novara, Italy) [937.80 km] 22547) I.S.I. Line s.r.l. (Saluzzo, Italy) [955.23 km] 24900) I.S.I. Line s.r.l. (Fossano, Italy) [973.87 km] 48616) SERVERD (Nice, France) [1034.73 km] 3384) WiMe srl (Pietra Ligure, Italy) [1036.00 km] 5011) Vianova spa (Massarosa, Italy) [1159.18 km]

Oh well, I won't bother with that again !.

Re: Single thread speed test missing!?

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:06 GMT

@ExForce9

I usually use ookla cli speedtest, which provides the same UK based servers as the ookla web based test.

So I installed speedtest-cli on a spare system of mine,

Hosted by TIM SpA (Novara) [1033.32 km]: 1800000.0 ms Testing download speed ................................................................................ Download: 66.95 Mbit/s Testing upload speed ...................................................................................................... Upload: 42.06 Mbit/s

speedtest --list

55808) Sailweb (Ivrea, Italy) [996.03 km] 55753) Sailweb (Caluso, Italy) [1011.23 km] 2316) Consorzio TOP-IX (Turin, Italy) [1022.88 km] 71720) IT.Gate S.p.A. (Turin, Italy) [1022.98 km] 10456) TIM SpA (Novara, Italy) [1033.32 km] 22547) I.S.I. Line s.r.l. (Saluzzo, Italy) [1053.80 km] 24900) I.S.I. Line s.r.l. (Fossano, Italy) [1072.26 km] 3384) WiMe srl (Pietra Ligure, Italy) [1134.16 km] 48616) SERVERD (Nice, France) [1134.29 km] 5011) Vianova spa (Massarosa, Italy) [1254.82 km]

Assuming you're still not a plusnet customer, it must an issue with the speedtest provider

Re: Single thread speed test missing!?

Townman — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:55:30 GMT

Playing devil's advocate, just what is the obsession with data speed tests?

If this is ADSL / VDSL and there is a fault, it will be reflected in the sync speed reported by the router and can be addressed through the appropriate channel.

If the sync speed is sound, then the issue is elsewhere...

User's device - performance / specification
User's LAN - cabling or Wi-Fi environment
Remote data speed test environment

None of the above relate to the speed guarantees - that is solely the sync speed.

If the space is FTTP, then there are many more factors than a link fault which will give rise to the perception of they potentially being a speed option. There were a few cases where the provisioning mechanics did not deliver the configured speed, but there were few and far between compared to those determined to be in the user's local environment.

Does a less than sparkling data speed test actually always have a bearing on real world usage of the internet ... or is it all connected to a "I'm not getting what I am paying for" disposition which presumes the experience is always predicated on the link between home and the exchange provided by BT Openreach?

Re: Single thread speed test missing!?

markuswelby — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:31:30 GMT

@Townman

In my case, I only normally do speed tests about once every month or two.

I usualy only do single thread speed tests, which are recorded on my ookla speedtest.net account.

I do this to keep a record for if in the case arrises, I can show the provider, in the event that one of their line cards, that I'm connected through has an issue or some over issue on their network.

This has happenend to me three times in the past over many years, with different providers as follows:

1. A DOCSIS 3.x Provider

2. A VDSL Service with another provider

3. A FTTP with another Provider

None of these providers were plusnet

In all cases it was (they said) a line card issue on their network, at one of their data centres.

In all cases a multi-thread speed test would show better than their guaranteed speed.

However, In all cases a single thread speed test would be around one tenth of that or less, and sometimes would not even be able to complete the single thread test and fail with a network error displaying.

The symptoms of normal internet use on many devices are buffering when streaming, extremely slow and or failing downloads of files, windows updates, linux updates, android updates, apple updates etc etc.

However, in all cases, when I connected all these devices to my own second internet connection with a another provider, everything was perfect, on all of them.