Xfinity speed test results shown above are based on thousands of real-world Comcast Xfinity connections. Keep in mind that these test results are run by actual users, not technicians or IT experts — because of this, our Xfinity speed test results often include home networking issues caused by user error. This results in lower speed averages than you are likely to experience on a properly-installed Comcast Xfinity connection. To remedy this, the tables above show 90th percentile results in addition to raw Xfinity speed test averages. 90th percentile results remove the lowest tests, which are commonly the result of test error, to provide a higher average that more closely mirrors the actual experience of Xfinity connections we’ve tested.
Why Are Xfinity’s Upload and Download Speeds Different?Xfinity is a cable Internet provider, which means that their Internet service is provided over coaxial cable networks. These copper cable networks are older than the “fiber” networks, and have limited bandwidth compared to fiber-optic technology. Even using the latest DOCSIS 3.1 transmission technology, the upload speed of Xfinity speed tests will almost always be significantly lower than the download speed.
Xfinity, like all cable Internet providers, chooses to prioritize download speeds for their customers because most users download much more content than they upload. For example, when using Netflix to stream a film, most of the transmission of data is going from Netflix’s server down to your home network. The only data going “up” will be the small requests you make while interacting with the Netflix interface, like pushing pause, selecting a film, fast forward, and etc.
Is Xfinity’s Latency Normal?Our Xfinity speed test tool shown above includes latency measurement. Latency is how long it takes for data to make the round-trip journey from your home network to a server and back again. You can think of it as a measurement of “lag.” Latency matters most for gaming, video chat, and other real-time activities. Latency is not a major concern for regular activities like scrolling through Facebook or watching Hulu.
Xfinity speed test records we’ve analyzed show that their latency is similar to other cable providers, and is good enough for the vast majority of users. Only professional gamers are likely to have any issue with Xfinity’s latency performance.
What Speed Is Xfinity Performance Internet?Xfinity’s “Performance” Internet service performs similarly to all other Xfinity plans in terms of how the “promised” or “advertised” speed compares to the delivered speed. In general, you can expect that the speed you get on a laptop when testing your connection over WiFi will be around 10–30% below the speed of your plan. This is normal — a variety of factors slow down the speed that reaches individual devices on a healthy home network, with signal fade in WiFi being the biggest issue. When running a speed test on an Xfinity Performance Internet plan, you’ll only get 100% of the speed if you plug directly into the router with ethernet. Wired connections are much faster, and it prioritizes the wired device over other “WiFi hog” devices in your home.
Xfinity Internet Speeds in ContextOverall, Comcast speed tests are comparable to other cable providers. Since launching their DOCSIS 3.1 update, they even outperform the average in many cities. Their network quality varies from area to area, so be sure to check results in your city. Search your zip code with our search tool at the top of this page to see local speed statistics.