What is a good speed for Zoom or Teams?

Published by Pulse (BroadbandSwitch.uk). Reviewed April 2026 by the UKSpeedTest editorial team led by Dr Alex J Martin-Smith (LinkedIn).

Video calls rely on stable timing and enough upload. Strong download alone does not guarantee smooth meetings.

A man at a kitchen table talks on a video call on his laptop, gesturing with one hand, a white broadband router on the worktop behind him — A 1080p call needs about 4 Mbps each way, but steady timing is what keeps faces moving. The busy-line grade in Pulse shows how your line copes when someone else starts a download.

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.

Run the Pulse UK speed test

Pulse measures download speed, upload speed, ping and jitter, and grades how your ping holds up when the line is busy.

Related guides

More free tools from BroadbandSwitch.uk

Before you switch, compare live deals at your postcode on BroadbandSwitch.uk, work out the speed your household really needs with RightSpeed, find the best spot for your router with RouterMap, and watch ping and bufferbloat live on the broadband quality monitor.

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.