Viasat Speed Test

This diagnostic utility validates the throughput of your Viasat Internet connection. Unlike Low Earth Orbit providers (Starlink), Viasat utilizes Geostationary Satellites (Viasat-1, Viasat-2, and Viasat-3). This extreme altitude provides coverage almost anywhere but introduces massive latency due to the speed of light. Data must travel 44,000 miles for every single internet request.

Understanding Your Speed Metrics

When analyzing your connection integrity, focus on these three performance vectors:

Download Throughput: Viasat speeds are "Burstable." You might see 50 Mbps for the first 10 seconds of a file transfer, then it settles lower. This is designed to make web browsing feel snappy. If your speed is consistently below 1 Mbps, you have likely burned through your High-Speed Data allowance for the month.

Upload Throughput: Satellite upload speeds are modest, typically 3 Mbps to 5 Mbps. This is the bottleneck for video conferencing. If you are trying to use Zoom, turn off your outgoing video camera to prevent audio dropouts.

Latency (Ping): This is the defining characteristic of GEO satellite. Expect 600ms to 800ms. This is not a fault; it is physics. Real-time First Person Shooter (FPS) games (Call of Duty, Valorant) are physically impossible to play on Viasat.

What Results Should You Expect?

The "Video Data Extender" Trap

Your speed test result depends heavily on how you test. Benchmarks include:

Standard Test (Ookla): ~80-100% of plan speed (e.g., 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps). This tests raw file transfer speed.

Video Test (Fast.com): ~2.5 Mbps to 4 Mbps. This is because Viasat's "Video Data Extender" detects video traffic and throttles it to 480p resolution to save your data.

Rain Fade: During heavy cloud cover or thunderstorms, the high-frequency Ka-band signal will degrade. Speeds may drop by 50-80% or cut out entirely until the storm passes.

If you pay for 100 Mbps but Netflix looks pixelated (blurry), it is not a speed issue. It is the Video Data Extender doing its job. You can disable this in your account settings to get HD video, but you will burn through your data cap 4x faster.

Why Is Your Viasat Connection Slow?

Before calling customer care, verify these common configuration faults:

Priority Data Exhaustion: Check your usage meter. If you are in "Standard Data" mode, you are at the mercy of network congestion. In the middle of the night (2 AM - 5 AM), speeds often return to normal because the "Free Zone" (on older plans) or low congestion allows it.

Dish Alignment: If strong winds recently hit your roof, your dish might have shifted by a fraction of an inch. On Ka-band, even a 1-degree shift causes massive signal loss.

Wi-Fi Congestion: The Viasat WiFi Gateway has decent range, but satellite data is precious. Ensure no background devices (Windows Updates, iCloud backups) are silently consuming your bandwidth.

Viasat Technical Configuration Data

How to Get an Accurate Test

Wireless testing adds "jitter" to an already high-latency connection.

To confirm the actual speed delivered by the satellite, connect a Cat5e/Cat6 Ethernet cable directly from the Viasat Gateway to a laptop. Close all other applications, especially cloud storage apps (OneDrive/Dropbox). If this wired test matches your plan speed, your dish is fine.

When to Call Support

Escalate the issue to Viasat support if you observe these specific failures:

Solid Red Ring: The modem cannot lock onto the satellite signal (Cable cut or Dish misalignment).

Rx SNR Low: If you access the modem interface (192.168.100.1) and your Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Rx SNR) is below 6 dB (on older systems) or 9 dB (on newer ones).

Cable Resistance: If the TRIA (the box on the dish) is making a buzzing sound, water may have entered the coaxial cable connector.

You can check your data usage, buy more "High-Speed Data," and troubleshoot via the My Viasat App or by calling 855-463-9333.