Does UKSpeedTest measure upload speed?
Yes. Since October 2026, Pulse on UKSpeedTest.co.uk measures upload speed as well as download, ping and jitter, all in your browser with no account. In Standard and Thorough modes it also checks how much your ping rises while you are uploading, which is the moment video calls usually freeze. Earlier versions of Pulse measured download only; if you read that somewhere, it is out of date.
What the upload figure tells you
| What Pulse shows | Upload in Mbps (decimal megabits), the fastest moment, and a label from Below the UK minimum (under 1 Mbps) to Very strong (100 Mbps or more). |
|---|---|
| How it is measured | Three to five parallel streams post data to Cloudflare's UK edge for three to ten seconds depending on the mode. The first quarter is ignored as ramp-up and the rest is averaged with the top and bottom 10% of samples trimmed. |
| When to contact your provider | When a wired test shows upload well below the figure on your contract on three different days, or when it drops to a fraction of its usual level in the evening. |
Why upload matters
Upload carries your voice and video to other people, pushes photo backups to the cloud and sends attachments. A freelance editor in Glasgow might have plenty of download for software updates and still wait hours to send 4K footage, because the package gives 18 Mbps up against 65 down. That story never shows in a download-only test, which is why Pulse now measures both.
What good looks like
- Under 1 Mbps: below the UK universal service minimum. Calls will struggle.
- 1 to 10 Mbps: typical of older copper packages. One video call at a time is fine; a backup running at the same time will hurt it.
- 10 to 30 Mbps: typical part-fibre (FTTC) and cable. Comfortable for a household's calls.
- 30 to 100 Mbps: full fibre territory. Big files and several cameras at once stop being a worry.
- 100 Mbps or more: symmetric-class full fibre. Upload is no longer a constraint for anything a home does.
What to try first
- Run a Standard or Thorough test on a cable with backups paused.
- Compare the upload figure with the one on your contract; providers advertise upload as well as download.
- If upload is the pain and your line is copper, check whether full fibre has reached your address.
Run the Pulse speed test · Upload speed test guide · Read the methodology
FAQ
Does Pulse measure upload in Quick mode?
Yes, with a three second upload phase. Standard runs six seconds and Thorough ten, which gives a steadier figure.
Can I trust Pulse for video-meeting quality?
Yes for the three things that matter: download, upload and ping under load. Zoom's own figure for a 1080p call is 3.8 Mbps upload per camera.
Why is my upload lower on Wi-Fi than on a cable?
Older routers and crowded channels limit upload more than download. If a cable test is fine, the fix is router placement or a newer router rather than a new package. RouterMap helps with placement.
Sources and review notes
- Pulse methodology, version 6
- Zoom. (n.d.). Zoom system requirements (bandwidth requirements). support.zoom.com
- Ofcom. Your right to request a decent broadband service. ofcom.org.uk