Speed Test

Speed Test

Version Info

RouterOS 7.16 | Min: v6.44+ | 5 minutes | Beginner

Tested on: 7.16 7.14

Version-specific notes

• v7.0: Same functionality as v6
• v6.44: Speed Test tool introduced

TL;DR (Quick Start)

For the impatient: run a comprehensive speed test to another MikroTik router.

On the server router:

/tool/bandwidth-server/set enabled=yes authenticate=yes

On the client router:

/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=yourpass

Overview

What this does: The Speed Test tool performs a comprehensive network performance assessment between two MikroTik devices. It combines ping, jitter, and bandwidth measurements into a single command, running five sequential tests: ping/jitter, TCP download, TCP upload, UDP download, and UDP upload.

When to use this:

• Quick overall network health check
• Measure latency, jitter, and throughput in one command
• Baseline network performance between sites
• Compare TCP vs UDP performance
• Troubleshoot connection quality issues

Prerequisites:

• Bandwidth Test server enabled on the remote router
• Network connectivity between client and server
• Authentication credentials for the remote router
• Firewall allowing TCP port 2000 (control) and test ports

How it differs from Bandwidth Test:

• Speed Test runs multiple test types automatically in sequence
• Provides ping and jitter measurements alongside throughput
• Includes CPU load monitoring during tests
• Single command for comprehensive results

CPU Impact

Speed Test is CPU-intensive. The tool runs multiple tests over approximately 55 seconds. Running tests can impact router performance and affect other traffic. Test during maintenance windows on production networks.

Server Configuration

Speed Test uses the same server as Bandwidth Test. Enable it on the target router:

Enable the Server

/tool/bandwidth-server/set enabled=yes authenticate=yes

Verify Server Status

/tool/bandwidth-server/print

Expected output:

              enabled: yes
         authenticate: yes
allocate-udp-ports-from: 2000
         max-sessions: 100

Running Speed Test

Basic Test

/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret

The test runs for approximately 55 seconds, performing:

1. Ping test (measures latency and jitter)
2. TCP download test
3. TCP upload test
4. UDP download test
5. UDP upload test

Set Test Duration

Control how long each test phase runs:

/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret test-duration=15s

Each of the five tests runs for the specified duration, plus 1-second pauses between tests.

Limit Bandwidth

Cap test speed to avoid saturating the link:

/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret \
    local-tx-speed=100M remote-tx-speed=100M

Adjust Connection Count

Control parallel connections (affects throughput on high-latency links):

/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret connection-count=10

Default is 20 connections (or CPU core count if greater than 20).

Specify Direction

Test specific directions only:

# Download only
/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret direction=receive

# Upload only
/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret direction=transmit

# Both (default)
/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret direction=both

Understanding Results

A typical speed test produces output like:

             status: done
               ping: 5ms
           ping-min: 4ms
           ping-max: 8ms
         jitter-avg: 1ms
         jitter-min: 0ms
         jitter-max: 3ms
        packet-loss: 0%
       tcp-download: 94.2Mbps
         tcp-upload: 93.8Mbps
       udp-download: 95.1Mbps
         udp-upload: 94.7Mbps
    tcp-download-cpu: 45%
      tcp-upload-cpu: 42%
    udp-download-cpu: 38%
      udp-upload-cpu: 35%

Result Fields

Field	Description
ping	Average round-trip time
ping-min / ping-max	Minimum and maximum ping times
jitter-avg	Average variation in ping times
jitter-min / jitter-max	Minimum and maximum jitter
packet-loss	Percentage of ping packets lost
tcp-download / tcp-upload	TCP throughput rates
udp-download / udp-upload	UDP throughput rates
*-cpu	CPU usage during each test phase

Interpreting Results

• High jitter: May indicate network congestion or unstable links
• Packet loss: Network congestion, bad cables, or interference (wireless)
• TCP < UDP throughput: Normal; TCP has overhead for reliability
• CPU at 100%: Results limited by router CPU, not network capacity
• Asymmetric speeds: Check for QoS, link issues, or duplex mismatch

Tip

If CPU shows 100% during tests, the router is the bottleneck. Test through the router (using two separate devices) for accurate link measurements.

Common Scenarios

Scenario: Verify WAN Link Performance

Test your ISP connection through a remote MikroTik:

/tool/speed-test remote-router.example.com user=admin password=secret \
    test-duration=15s

Scenario: Test VPN Tunnel Quality

Measure performance through a VPN tunnel:

/tool/speed-test 10.0.0.1 user=admin password=secret

Compare results with direct tests to measure VPN overhead.

Scenario: Baseline Before/After Changes

Document network performance before making configuration changes:

# Before changes
/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret

# Make changes, then retest
/tool/speed-test 192.168.88.1 user=admin password=secret

Scenario: Quick Test from Winbox

1. Open Tools > Speed Test
2. Enter server address and credentials
3. Click Start

Results display in real-time with graphs.

Firewall Configuration

If speed test isn’t working, ensure firewall allows the required ports:

/ip/firewall/filter/add chain=input protocol=tcp dst-port=2000 action=accept \
    comment="Speed Test/Bandwidth Test control"
/ip/firewall/filter/add chain=input protocol=udp dst-port=2000-2100 action=accept \
    comment="Speed Test/Bandwidth Test UDP"

Place these rules before any drop rules.

Verification

Check 1: Verify Server Is Running

/tool/bandwidth-server/print

Expected: enabled: yes

Check 2: Run Local Test

/tool/speed-test 127.0.0.1 user=admin password=secret test-duration=5s

Tests the server locally (useful for verifying server is running).

Check 3: Check Active Sessions

/tool/bandwidth-server/session/print

Shows currently running tests.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Solution
”connection refused”	Server disabled or firewalled	Enable server; check firewall rules
”login failure”	Wrong credentials	Verify username/password
Low throughput	CPU bottleneck	Check CPU during test; test through device
High jitter	Network congestion	Test during off-peak; check for interference
Packet loss	Congestion or link issues	Check interface errors; verify cables
Test hangs	Firewall blocking	Allow TCP 2000 and UDP ports
”no route to host”	Routing issue	Verify connectivity with ping first

Debug: Check CPU During Test

/system/resource/print

If CPU is consistently >80% during tests, results are CPU-limited.

Debug: Check for Errors

/interface/print stats

Look for errors, drops, or FCS errors that indicate physical layer issues.

Common Mistakes

• Testing on the device under test - Test through routers, not on them, for accurate results
• Forgetting server setup - Speed test requires bandwidth-server enabled on remote
• Ignoring CPU limits - 100% CPU means the router is the bottleneck, not the link
• Testing during production hours - Can saturate links and affect users
• Comparing UDP to TCP directly - Different protocols have different overhead

Tips

Testing Through Devices: For accurate link measurements, use three routers: two as test endpoints and one as the device under test in the middle.

High-Latency Links: Increase connection-count for better throughput measurements on satellite or long VPN links.

Regular Monitoring: Use scripts with Scheduler for automated periodic testing and logging results.

Quick vs Detailed: Use /tool/speed-test for comprehensive testing or /tool/bandwidth-test when you only need throughput measurements.

Related Topics

Performance Testing

• Bandwidth Test - dedicated throughput testing
• Ping Tool - basic connectivity and latency testing
• Traceroute - path discovery

Traffic Analysis

• Torch - real-time traffic analysis
• Traffic Monitor - real-time interface statistics
• Graphing - historical bandwidth graphs

Network Services

• Firewall Basics - allow test traffic
• Simple Queues - bandwidth management

Reference

• MikroTik Speed Test Documentation
• MikroTik Bandwidth Test Documentation

Parameters (/tool/speed-test)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
address	IP/hostname	-	Server address (required)
user	string	-	Authentication username (required)
password	string	-	Authentication password (required)
test-duration	time	10s	Duration per test phase
direction	receive/transmit/both	both	Traffic direction
connection-count	integer	20	Parallel TCP connections
local-tx-speed	rate	unlimited	Limit local transmit rate
remote-tx-speed	rate	unlimited	Limit remote transmit rate

Ports Used

Port	Protocol	Purpose
2000	TCP	Control connection
2000+	UDP	UDP test traffic