How To Test Upload And Download Speeds

Testing the speed of your net connection is easy. Merely click on the button below to take our speed test.

This exam will measure out your download and upload speeds (as well as other information like latency, which you lot tin see if you lot click on the details), which yous tin can compare to your provider'southward advertised speeds.

But there's more to cyberspace speed than but the numbers. Nosotros'll walk you through all the ins and outs of measuring your internet speed and what your speed ways for you lot.

What an internet speed test measures

What does Mbps mean?

Permit'due south start with the basics. Internet speed is measured in $.25 (a single binary ane or 0) per 2d. Internet connections tin handle a lot of this information, so we usually talk about speeds in megabits per 2d (Mbps), which is a 1000000 bits per second. When speeds get really fast (i,000 Mbps or faster), we talk about them in gigabits per second (Gbps), which is a billion bits per second. (1,000 Mbps = ane Gbps)

Download speed

Download speed, besides referred to every bit bandwidth, measures how fast information from the internet gets to your device (for instance, how fast your Netflix evidence loads). Information technology's usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps), although actually fast connections are measured in gigabits per second (Gbps). Download speed is especially important for uses like watching high-quality video or downloading software.

Upload speed

Only as download speed refers to how fast information gets to your device, upload speed refers to how fast information on your device can exist sent to another destination on the internet (similar how fast your vacation pictures post to Instagram). For virtually connections, upload and download speed are usually different, but when yous come across internet plans advertised by speed, they're usually focusing on just the download speed.

What is latency?

I other important measurement for internet speed is latency, or lag. Latency is very different from bandwidth, even though both deal with the speed of your connection. Latency refers to the fourth dimension information technology takes for a point to be sent from your computer to your service provider and come back. High latency can lead to more buffering on streaming video, but it'south much more disruptive in activities like video chat or online gaming.

Run a search beneath to run across what other kinds of internet are available in your expanse. Yous may be able to notice much faster packages than what you have now.

What determines your cyberspace speed?

If there's 1 thing that anybody knows near internet speed, it's that not all connections are created equal. Most ISPs offer multiple plans with unlike speeds, but often these plans also use dissimilar technologies to connect you to the internet. Though some are significantly faster than others, there are as well other pros and cons likewise just speed.

Dial-upwardly internet is the slowest kind of cyberspace connection and is too boring for uses similar streaming video. It tin can't striking broadband speeds, ordinarily topping out around 50 kbps (only 0.05 Mbps), though depending on the service, information technology can be much slower. It'due south commonly pretty cheap, but there are much ameliorate low-cost options these days.

Satellite internet uses a satellite signal to wirelessly connect to your habitation. Satellite tin give y'all the broadband speeds necessary to do things like stream video, simply information technology's still a relatively slow and expensive pick. Satellite net speeds range from 5 Mbps to 25 Mbps. Also, since your signal has to reach a satellite in orbit, it has incredibly high latency. The upside is that yous can get it well-nigh anywhere in the US, even in remote areas.

DSL, or digital subscriber line, uses existing telephone networks, but it achieves much higher speeds than dial-up, anywhere from 0.v Mbps to 75 Mbps. It's non much faster than satellite and its speed is affected by the distance to your Isp'south central office.

Cable internet uses copper wires, just like cablevision TV. Cable offers incredibly fast speeds, between 25 Mbps and 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps), but it too has a few drawbacks. Connections are generally shared between neighbors, which ways cable networks get congested during acme hours. Cable likewise offers much college download speeds than upload speeds. This isn't an issue with cable Idiot box, since broadcasts go merely one management, merely it can be a problem for some online activities on cablevision internet.

Fiber internet connects you to the web via fiber-optic cables. Fiber is the fastest and most reliable kind of net service, with speeds ranging from 50 Mbps to 2,000 Mbps (2 Gbps). It also has the benefit of symmetrical upload speeds. In other words, your uploads are simply as fast equally your downloads.

By understanding what kind of internet connection you have, you should take a good idea of how fast your connection should be. The question, though, is how much speed you lot're actually getting from your connectedness.

Tips to get the almost authentic speed

Testing your speed is like shooting fish in a barrel, but how practice yous become the almost authentic measurement of your internet connectedness? Here are a few things you tin do to become the most accurate results:

Interruption automatic downloads.

Start, make sure you lot're not downloading any big files in the background. Y'all can bank check the Task Manager on Windows or the Activeness Monitor on macOS to run across if any programs are trying to download updates or other big files. Close or quit all apps on your reckoner. You lot might still accept some background processes using the cyberspace simply naught that would make a big touch on.

Become rid of freeloaders.

Side by side, make sure that no one else on your home network is using a chunk of your bandwidth. You're non going to get very accurate results if you have people streaming Netflix in three different rooms of your house while you test. If you suspect you might have someone stealing your Wi-Fi or some other freeloaders on your network, you tin also modify your network password.

Check for wireless router issues.

Many people argue that you should e'er plug your estimator straight into your router with an Ethernet cable before yous test your internet speed. While this does requite you a more accurate mensurate of what your ISP is giving you, it doesn't help much if you're still getting dull speeds where yous unremarkably use your devices.

Nosotros propose that you check your internet speed where you virtually oftentimes use your computer. If the speed is less than what you wait, try plugging it into your router. If you become a dramatic increment in speed, information technology might be fourth dimension to get a amend router.

Connection even so as well ho-hum? Run a search with your zip code to observe providers with speeds and performance that encounter your needs.

So, what do my results hateful?

Once you know exactly how many Mbps you're getting over your internet connectedness, what do yous do side by side? First off, you need to make sure you lot tin can interpret your results. In that location's no demand to make an angry call to your Internet service provider because you're paying for gigabit internet but only getting upload speeds of 30 Mbps. If y'all take a cablevision connection, that's perfectly normal, and information technology probably still has enough of upload speed for your needs.

Interpreting download speeds

The near of import number from your speed examination is your download speed. That'south what's going to decide how fast files download, how many devices your network tin can support, and how high the quality of your video can be.

If you have DSL, you should expect your speed to be a scrap lower than advertised due to your distance from the cardinal hub, merely there'southward besides no way to better it unless you lot move your whole house closer (or switch to a different blazon of connection).

If you have cable internet and your event is depression, yous're probably experiencing congestion from the other homes in your area. Try testing your speed at another fourth dimension when your neighbors are less likely to be online. If you lot're hitting the proper download speeds outside of peak-use times, at that place's nil wrong with your connection. That's just how cablevision works.

Checking your latency

If you play online games or watch alive video, you too want to pay attention to your latency. If your latency is downwards beneath 20 milliseconds (ms), your experience should be perfectly shine. If your latency is to a higher place 150 ms, y'all're going to have some significant issues with lag. Some lag bug tin can't be fixed because that would mean changing the laws of physics. Even going at nearly the speed of light, information technology takes time for a signal to reach a server in Due south Korea.

Other sources of lag can be dealt with. Replacing an old router tin can reduce latency. Connecting direct to your router via Ethernet cable instead of over Wi-Fi will make a huge deviation in preventing lag. Finally, you can upgrade to a blazon of connectedness with naturally lower latency, like fiber.

Diagnosing problems

If you've done everything yous tin can to get the most accurate speed test and your download speeds are nevertheless manner below what your Internet access provider promised, it could mean a few different things.

Malware—You might accept malware on your device. Network worms and other malicious software hijack role of your bandwidth, but this is ofttimes the least of your worries. Run antivirus software to check for and remove malware.

Outdated hardware—You might have outdated hardware that'south incompatible with your provider's requirements. For example, Xfinity'southward gigabit services require a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. Although DOCSIS iii.0 equipment can technically go up to gigabit speeds, Xfinity doesn't support information technology.

Internet service provider problems—There might be a problem with your provider's infrastructure. Sometimes these are just network interruptions caused by your ISP upgrading part of their network or simply doing maintenance. It could too be a more serious problem that can be fixed only by your provider. If you've explored the other options and are still having issues, call your Internet access provider's customer service.

Malfunctioning equipment—If your speed is lower than expected, but there are no issues with your ISP, there might be a problem with your equipment. Reset your modem and router by turning them off, waiting for a minute or two, and then turning them back on. Try connecting to your router using an Ethernet cable instead of over Wi-Fi. If y'all're already using a wired connection, endeavour swapping out your Ethernet cable for a different one. Yous can also endeavor running the speed test from a dissimilar device to see if you lot get the same results.

Get a better cyberspace program

If, subsequently all this, your internet speed is still not enough to see your needs, information technology might be fourth dimension to upgrade to a faster plan, or just find a better ISP.

To see what other options are available in your expanse, type your goose egg code below.

Author - Peter Christiansen

Peter Christiansen writes about satellite net, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in advice from the University of Utah and has been working in tech for over fifteen years as a figurer programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has been praised by outlets like Wired, Digital Humanities Now, and the New Statesman.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English language and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she's non editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in internet country and that a good net connexion significantly extends your life bridge.

Source: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/how-to-check-your-internet-speed

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