MikroTik bandwidth test: how to measure real speed
Last updated: 2 October 2026
When a customer says the line is slow, you need a number you can trust. MikroTik has a built-in bandwidth test that measures the speed between two routers. It is useful, and it is easy to misread, because the router doing the test is often the slowest part.
1. Turn on the test server on one router
/tool bandwidth-server set enabled=yes authenticate=yes
/tool bandwidth-server printWith authenticate=yes the other side must give a username and password of this router. The server listens on TCP port 2000, so the firewall must allow that port from the router that will run the test. Never leave it open to the internet.
2. Run the test from the other router
/tool bandwidth-test address=10.10.10.1 user=admin password=YOUR-PASSWORD protocol=tcp direction=both duration=30s| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
direction | receive (download to this router), transmit (upload from it) or both. |
protocol | tcp behaves like real downloads. udp pushes as hard as it can and shows the raw capacity of the link. |
duration | How long to run. Use at least 20 to 30 seconds so a burst does not flatter the result. |
local-tx-speed, remote-tx-speed | Cap the test, for example local-tx-speed=10M, so you do not flood a live link. |
In Winbox it is Tools → Bandwidth Test. The test fills the link while it runs, so customers on it will notice.
Why the result is often too low
Making and counting test traffic is work for the processor. A small router can forward far more traffic than it can generate. If the processor is at 100% during the test, the figure you see is the limit of the router, not of the link.
/system resource print
/tool profileRun one of these in a second terminal while the test runs. TCP tests are the heaviest. If the load is at the top, try protocol=udp, or take the result as "at least this much".
Better: test through the router, not on it
The most honest measurement puts the router under test in the middle, doing only what it does every day: forwarding.
- Use two other devices, one on each side of the link, as test client and server. They can be two spare MikroTik routers or two computers running a test program.
- Or connect a computer by cable to the customer side and run a speed test website. Use a cable, not Wi-Fi, or you measure the Wi-Fi.
The speed-test command
Where your RouterOS version has it, /tool speed-test runs a set of tests against another MikroTik that has the bandwidth server enabled and prints a summary with ping times and TCP and UDP results:
/tool speed-test address=10.10.10.1 user=admin password=YOUR-PASSWORDIf the command is not there, your version does not include it; use the bandwidth test. It tests against another MikroTik, not against public speed test websites, and the same processor limit applies.
Read the interface instead
Often you do not need a test at all. Start a large download on the customer side and watch what really passes:
/interface monitor-traffic ether1
/queue simple print statsThe first shows live bits per second on a port; press Q to stop. The second shows what each customer's queue is carrying. To see which device is using the line, use Torch.
Making sense of the numbers
- Result equals the customer's plan: the limit is working and the line is fine.
- Result well above the plan: the limit is being skipped. See queues not working.
- High for a few seconds, then lower: burst. See burst explained.
- Low at busy hours only: the line is full. Share it fairly with PCQ or add capacity.
- Low on one link at all hours: the link itself: signal, cable or a port running at 100 Mbps instead of gigabit.
When you are done
/tool bandwidth-server set enabled=noTurn the server off on routers that do not need it. An open test server lets others load your router.
Where RadiusNest fits
RadiusNest does not measure line speed; that is a job for the tools above. What it adds when a customer complains is the context: which package and speed they are on, whether they are online right now and on which router, and how much data they have used.
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Questions and answers
Why does the MikroTik bandwidth test show less than my line speed?
Usually the router's processor is the limit, because it has to create the test traffic itself. Check the load during the test, or test through the router with two other devices.
Should I test with TCP or UDP?
TCP is closer to what a customer's download does. UDP shows the raw capacity of the link and is lighter on the processor.
Does a bandwidth test disturb customers?
Yes. It fills the link for as long as it runs. Keep it short, cap it with local-tx-speed and remote-tx-speed, or test at a quiet hour.