Every now and then, everyone experiences the kind of internet slowdown that makes you wonder whether you lot're actually getting the internet speed y'all are paying for. Wifi speed tests can help you lot confirm this.

Yous can ordinarily view the speed of the cyberspace plan y'all're paying for by viewing your internet bill. The speed for your plan is typically listed aslope the programme name.

If you're paying for a plan that promises up to sixty Mbps, for example, then accurate speed tests from devices on your network should study a speed at least shut to that rate.

It'south also worth figuring out whether your download and upload speeds are symmetrical or not. Verizon FIOS is symmetrical, significant if you have 100 Mbps download, you also have 100 Mbps upload, which is amazing if you need to upload a lot.

Understanding Wi-Fi Speed Test Results

There are 3 cadre tests yous can perform to mensurate the overall health and speed of your cyberspace connection. Those three tests are download, upload, and ping.

Ping tests are related to network latency. Latency is the corporeality of time it takes for a parcel of data to travel from one computer to another over the network.

This is related to upload and download tests anyhow, and so isn't necessary for most users to perform ping tests. However, for gamers, where latency tin lead to pregnant lag in network gaming, ping exam are very important.

Download tests show you how chop-chop your calculator can transfer content from the internet to your computer. This includes fourth dimension it'll accept to stream content from video streaming services to your computer or downloading files.

Upload tests will let you know how long information technology'll accept to transfer files or other content from your computer to the internet. For instance, uploading files from your computer to your Google Drive or other cloud storage account.

All speed test tools will provide you lot with download and upload speeds in megabits per 2nd (Mbps) and sometimes also ping time in milliseconds (ms).

If Mbps doesn't make any sense to yous, brand certain to read my guide on agreement network transfer speeds starting time.

Best Online Wi-Fi Speed Tests

There are many free tools bachelor that will give you accurate speed results.

A few of the best online tools include:

  • Speedtest.net: This service is offered by Ookla and lets you perform parallel stream tests for accurate speeds, or a single connection mode to simulate downloading a unmarried, large file.
  • AT&T Speed Examination: AT&T offers this quick browser-based examination to measure accurate upload and download speeds between your computer and the internet.
  • SpeedOf.Me: This web-based speed test has one of the coolest user interfaces of any available online tool.
  • TestMy.net: This service offers three distinct tests for specifically measuring download and upload speeds, and an automatic speed tests that measures your internet speed over a catamenia of time.
  • Fast.com: One of the easiest online tests you lot can perform is the ane at Fast.com. All you must exercise to run the test is visit the site!

Performing any of these tests is fast and easy. Ordinarily information technology's just a matter of clicking a test push button and letting the test run its form.

Results should be similar from service to service. However, information technology's a good idea to run the tests from several services and from several devices in your home to get a big sample of results you lot tin average together.

Common Mistakes to Avoid During Speed Tests

An net speed test seems simple plenty. You visit a site, run the test, and get an accurate measurement of upload and download speeds to and from your computer.

The reality is that it isn't that simple. There are many factors that can slow down your internet connection and bear upon your measurements and provide inaccurate results.

Effect: Placement

To get authentic speed results while connected to your router over a wireless connexion, the placement of your computer or mobile device makes a huge departure. Certain wall materials or other objects tin can potentially block or interfere with your Wifi bespeak.

Solution: Create a clear wireless path

You'll want to make sure yous're performing the test in a location with a strong wireless connection to your home router.

The ideal scenario is placing your figurer or mobile device in the same room equally the wireless router before running the tests.

Issue: Slow Computer

The biggest mistake many people make is running internet speed tests from an older computer that may have an older network card incapable of the kind of cyberspace speeds offered by your ISP.

Modern network cards are capable of handling data transmission speeds of up to 1000 Mbps. Those should take no problem running accurate speed tests. Still, much older PCs could accept network cards only capable of 1 Mbps to 10 Mbps. If yous're trying to ostend an internet connection capable of 60 Mbps, you lot'll think your internet speed is likewise slow when it isn't.

Solution: Examination from multiple devices.

An piece of cake prepare for this issue is to run your internet speed tests from multiple devices. Try running a examination with your laptop in one area of the house. And so endeavour with your mobile phone in another role of the house (make certain you're connected to Wifi and not your mobile information connection).

Take the results of all tests and average them together for the most accurate speed results.

While y'all're at it, you might too want to troubleshoot what issues are slowing your calculator down.

Upshot: Aggressive Applications

One of the biggest issues people ignore when running speed tests is the network bandwidth consumption happening on your exam device itself.

Evidently, having an application like Netflix streaming while you're running your test will provide terrible speed results. However, fifty-fifty when you're not running obvious bandwidth-consuming apps, there could be other apps using your network card without you even knowing it.

Solution: Bank check for problem apps.

Yous can cheque which apps are using up the network connection with Task Manager.

  1. Correct-click on the taskbar and select Chore Manager.
  2. Select the Processes tab.
  3. Select the Network field to sort active processes by network employ.
  4. Make a note of the processes at the top of the network usage listing.

If there are any non-browser processes using up a lot of network bandwidth, you tin can right click on the procedure and select Terminate task to close them.

One time you're sure those processes eating upward your network card's bandwidth are closed, yous're ready to run your Wi-Fi speed tests.

Issue: Existing Internal Network Traffic

In that location are 2 kinds of existing network traffic that can negatively bear upon your Wi-Fi tests. These are internal traffic inside your home, and external traffic in your neighborhood.

Internal traffic would be your kids in their bedroom streaming high-bandwidth games while yous're trying to run your Wi-Fi speed examination.

This bandwidth consumption is like also much water trying to fit through a pipe going out of your house. Your network speed test could render a low (and false) outcome.

Solution: Stop all internal streaming during your exam.

Make sure anybody in your house is disconnected from the internet during the pocket-sized timeframe you're performing your Wi-Fi speed testing. This volition ensure that you lot're testing truthful network streaming when your system has access to your entire net bandwidth.

Event: Existing External Network Traffic

Many people don't consider the impact neighbors have on internet speed. This is specially true if you lot're on a cable internet connection. In the case of cable net, neighborhoods usually share a connection to a nearby network router on the route to the local Internet service provider's main hub.

This is specially true if you live in highly populated neighborhoods where a lot of families alive close to one another.

If you run your Wi-Fi speed exam during a time when everyone in the neighborhood is at home streaming movies or playing online games, you're going to see a meaning drib in your examination measurements.

Another issue with neighbors is overlapping wireless channels. The best matter to do is to scan for all the networks nearby and endeavour to switch to a different aqueduct.

Also, about people are however using 2.4Ghz networks, so moving to a 5Ghz connection can actually speed things up, though this would normally require upgrading your router.

Solution: Perform multiple tests at dissimilar times of the twenty-four hours and week.

By spreading out your Wi-Fi testing over multiple times of the day, and during different days of the week, you'll ensure you're getting a skillful film of your true network speed.

You can use the best measurement as a baseline for your ideal internet speeds, and the lowest measurement as what you lot can expect during meridian net use hours in your neighborhood.

How to Use Wi-Fi Speed Tests

If you find that your Wi-Fi speeds aren't what you expected, don't despair. There are several actions you can accept to right the problem.

  • Make sure that your router settings are correct and optimized.
  • Troubleshoot your in-abode Wi-Fi configuration before blaming your ISP.
  • Call your ISP and report the trouble. They may need to send you a replacement router.

Ultimately, just accepting and dealing with deadening Wifi or slow internet speed isn't a good pick. It can affect your enjoyment of streaming video and music services, drag your online gaming to a crawl, and make your overall internet feel miserable.

And then run a few speed tests and make sure you're getting the speeds that you're paying for.