Every once in a while, everyone experiences internet slowdown, which makes you wonder if you are really getting the internet speed you pay for. Wi-Fi speed tests can help with this.
You can usually find out the speed of a paid Internet service plan by looking at your Internet bill. The speed for your plan is usually listed next to the plan name.
If you are paying for a data plan that promises, for example, speeds up to 60 Mbps, then with accurate speed tests from devices on your network, speeds should be at least close to that.
It’s also worth finding out if your upload and download speeds are symmetrical or not. Verizon FIOS is symmetric, meaning if you have 100Mbps downloads, you also have 100Mbps downloads, which is great if you need to download a lot.
Understand Wi-Fi speed test results
There are three main tests you can perform to measure the overall health and speed of your internet connection. These three tests are upload, download, and ping.
Ping tests are related to network latency. Latency is the time it takes to transfer a packet of data from one computer to another over the network.
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It has to do with upload and download tests anyway, so most users don’t need to ping tests. However, for gamers where latency can lead to significant lag in online gaming, ping is very important.
Download tests show how fast your computer can transfer content from the Internet to your computer. This includes the time it takes to stream content from video streaming services to your computer or download files.
Upload tests let you know how long it takes to transfer files or other content from your computer to the Internet. For example, uploading files from your computer to Google Drive or another cloud storage account.
All speed testing tools will give you download and upload speeds in megabits per second (Mbps) and sometimes ping times in milliseconds (ms) as well.
If Mbps doesn’t make sense to you, be sure to read my guide to Understanding Network Data Transfer Speed ??first.
Best online Wi-Fi speed tests
There are many free tools available that will give you accurate speed results.
Here are some of the best online tools:
- Speedtest.net: This service is offered by Ookla and allows you to run parallel stream tests for accurate speed, or single connection mode to simulate downloading a single, large file.
- AT&T Speed ??Test: AT&T offers this fast browser test to accurately measure the download and upload speed between your computer and the Internet.
- SpeedOf.Me: This website is a speed test based on one of the coolest user interfaces of any online tool available.
- TestMy.net: This service offers three different tests to measure your download and upload speed specifically, as well as automated speed tests that measure your speed. internet speed over a period of time.
- Fast.com: One of the simplest online tests you can do is the Fast.com test. All you have to do to run the test is visit the site!
Performing any of these tests is quick and easy. It is usually just a matter of pressing the test button and running the test.
The results should be the same from service to service. However, it is recommended that you run tests from multiple services and multiple devices in your home to get a large sample of results that you can average together.
Common mistakes to avoid during speed tests
The internet speed test seems simple enough. You visit a website, run a test and get an accurate measurement of the download and upload speed to and from your computer.
It’s actually not that simple. There are many factors that can slow down your internet connection, affect your measurements, and give inaccurate results.
Problem: placement
To get accurate speed results when connected to your router via a wireless connection, the placement of your computer or mobile device is of the utmost importance. Certain wall materials or other objects can potentially block or interfere with your Wi-Fi signal.
Solution: Create a Clean Wireless Path
Make sure you are doing the test in a location with a reliable wireless connection to your home router.
An ideal scenario is to place a computer or mobile device in the same room as the wireless router before running tests.
Problem: Slow computer
The biggest mistake many people make is running internet speed tests on an old computer, which might have an old network card that doesn’t support the internet speeds offered by your ISP.
Modern network cards are capable of handling data rates up to 1000 Mbps. They should have no problem doing accurate speed tests. Older PCs, however, could only have network cards with speeds between 1 and 10 Mbps. If you are trying to confirm your 60Mbps Internet connection, you might think that your Internet speed is too slow, although it is not.
Solution: check from multiple devices.
A simple solution to this problem is to run Internet speed tests from multiple devices. Try running a test on your laptop in one part of the house. Then try placing your mobile phone in a different part of the house (make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi, not mobile data).
Take all test results and average them together for the most accurate speed results.
While you are doing this, you can also find out what problems are slowing down your computer.
Problem: Aggressive Applications
One of the biggest issues that people ignore when running speed tests is the consumption of network bandwidth on the test device itself.
Obviously, having an app like Netflix streaming while running the test will give terrible results in terms of speed. However, even if you are not using obvious applications that consume a lot of traffic, other applications can use your network card even if you are not aware of it.
Solution: Check the apps that are causing the problem.
You can check which applications are using the network connection using the task manager.
- Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager.
- Select the Processes tab.
- Select the Network field to sort active processes by network usage.
- Record the processes at the top of the network usage list.
If any non-browser processes are using a lot of network bandwidth, you can right-click the process and select End Task to close them.
After making sure that these processes that are consuming your network card’s bandwidth are closed, you are ready to run the Wi-Fi speed tests.
Problem: Existing Internal Network Traffic
There are two types of existing network traffic that can negatively impact your Wi-Fi tests. This is internal traffic within your home and external traffic in your area.
Internal traffic is your kids in the bedroom, streaming high bandwidth games while you try to run a Wi-Fi speed test.
This bandwidth consumption is like too much water trying to get through the pipe leaving your house. Your network speed test may give a low (and false) result.
Solution: Stop all internal streaming during the test.
Make sure everyone in your home is disconnected from the Internet for the short period of time during which you are testing Wi-Fi speed. This will ensure that you are testing true network streaming when your system has access to all your internet bandwidth.
Problem: Existing external network traffic
Many people do not take into account the influence of neighbors on internet speed. This is especially true if you are connected to a cable Internet. In the case of cable Internet, neighbors usually use a connection to the nearest network router on the way to the main hub of the local ISP.
This is especially true if you live in densely populated areas where many families live close to each other.
If you run the Wi-Fi speed test while everyone is at home, streaming movies, or playing online games, you will see a significant drop in test results.
Another problem with neighbors is the overlap of wireless channels. Your best bet is to scan all networks nearby and try to switch to another channel.
Plus, most people still use 2.4GHz networks, so switching to a 5GHz connection can actually speed things up, although this usually requires a router upgrade.
Solution: Run multiple tests at different times of the day and week.
By extending Wi-Fi testing multiple times a day and on different days of the week, you are guaranteed to get a good idea of ??the actual speed of your network.
The best measurement can be used as the basis for determining your ideal internet speed, and the smallest as what you can expect during peak internet traffic in your area.
How to use Wi-Fi speed tests
If you find that your Wi-Fi speed doesn’t match your expectations, don’t despair. There are several steps you can take to fix this problem.
- Make sure your router settings are correct and optimized
- Before troubleshooting your home Wi-Fi configuration blaming your ISP.
- Call your ISP and report the problem. They may need to send you a replacement router.
In the end, just accepting and dealing with slow Wi-Fi or slow internet speeds isn’t the best option. It can affect your enjoyment of streaming video and music services, tighten your online gaming, and make your overall Internet experience unbearable.
So do some speed tests and make sure you get the speed you pay for.
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