Thursday, August 21, 2014

How Fast Is Your Internet?

 

Ever wondered how fast (or slow) your internet connection is? With all the claims about who has the faster internet here is a quick and "non technical" way to learn what you have now. I use a website called SpeedTest.net and the site is FREE.


 
Go to SpeedTest.net and click "Begin Test" and watch. There is absolutely no charge but there are ads on the page so watch what you click.

How This Is Useful

If you ever think your internet is going slow, use SpeedTest to see if it's the internet speed between your computer and the internet. It's possible the culprit is the wifi connection or the computer itself. Using SpeedTest will narrow it down.


At little about the 2 measurements performed. First is download speed and the second is upload speed. Download is the speed at which data or information flows downward from the internet to your PC. Upload is the opposite or what goes from your PC to the internet.

I will avoid getting "techy" here and not go into detail why download speeds are faster than uploads or even why. Just know that download is faster and that's it for now.

I know what you're thinking…"can you do something to increase the speeds?". The answer is yes but it means spending more money from your internet provider or getting them to give you a plan that allows for faster speeds.

Being connected to your modem will get you the fastest speed while connecting via wifi will be slower. How much slower depends on the wifi technology of the router (Wireless B, G, N or AC with AC being the newest and fastest). Also, the farther away your device or laptop is from the wifi router or the more walls the signal has to travel through,  the slower the speed.

So, test your PC or laptop while connected to your modem and run speed test. Then try your laptop without the wire and on wifi. Even try from different places within your home. Then try your tablet or smart phone via wifi and then just the phone connection. Fortunately, there is a SpeedTest app for iOS and Android that works very well. The app is FREE too.
 
Screens from Android
 

According to BradleyMitchell, a wireless network expert typically don't approach their theoretical maximum. Network Speed Test for Windows 8 shows that streaming low quality video would be about 1 1/2 megabits per second (mbps) while high quality video would be a minimum of 3 mbps.
 

 
Here is what I get when connected to my Comcast modem with their "Blast" service which is very, very fast but does cost more than their regular internet service.
 

 
Here is what I get when connected via wifi with the router in the next room, one wall away.
 

 
My personal opinion is if you can get 15-20 megabits per second  (mbps) down then that is quite good and should be perfectly satisfactory for watching movies, streaming music or YouTube videos.
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