Internet Speed & Quality Test
Understanding Your Broadband Quality Results
Evaluating your broadband speed and quality is crucial, and Speed Test offers the most accurate assessment available. While many tests focus solely on download and upload speeds, we take it a step further by introducing performance quality benchmarks – latency and jitter. These metrics directly impact the daily operations of businesses. Leveraging decades of experience, our test provides the most comprehensive measure of your internet connection. Recognizing the vital role internet connections play for businesses, we offer our speed test free of charge. For an in-depth understanding of how your connection performs, choose Speed Test as your go-to tool.
Why Should I Test My Internet Speed and Quality?
Beyond internet speed, assessing the quality of your connection is crucial. While traditional speed tests focus on throughput, it’s essential to evaluate internet quality. Providers may utilize outdated copper connections or advanced fiber connectivity, impacting factors like latency, jitter, and packet loss, thereby influencing bandwidth quality. Depending on your usage—whether for VoIP, video conferencing, or mission-critical applications—you may require higher quality service. Our Internet quality test comprehensively examines these aspects, revealing potential risks to your business.
If your Speed or Quality is Lower Than Expected
If you are experiencing a slow or poor connection, there are several steps you can take to try and improve your speed.
- Stop any downloads or programs that may be using your connection.
- Use a wired Ethernet connection instead of WiFi or cellular services, as there may be interferences with those signals.
- Try rebooting your modem or router and run the speed test again.
Usually one of these steps will improve your connection speed. However, if you continue to experience slow speeds, you may need to contact your service provider for further assistance.
Glossary of Terms
Network latency represents the duration it takes for a data packet to travel from its source to its destination. In real-time applications like VoIP, maintaining minimal latency is crucial to prevent issues such as voice packets arriving out of sequence, resulting in undesirable effects like echo or talk-over. To evaluate the variation in latency across the network over time, a jitter test is employed. This test involves sending data packets repeatedly over the network and measuring the time taken for them to reach their destination. By comparing the results of successive tests, one can gauge how stable the network latency is. Elevated jitter values may require measures to improve network performance.
Glossary of Terms
- Download Speed
- The term “download speed” denotes the rate at which data is transferred from the Internet to your computer, representing the largest amount of data received within a specified timeframe. Measured in Megabits per second (Mbps), higher Mbps values indicate faster download speeds. Several factors can influence download speed, including the type of Internet connection, signal strength, and the number of users sharing the connection. While connecting to a high-speed Internet connection, adjusting router settings, or using a faster browser can enhance download speed, it’s crucial to recognize that various factors may impact the achievable maximum speeds.
- Upload Speed
- In contrast to download speed, upload speed gauges the maximum amount of information you can send from your computer through your access provider’s connection, also measured in Mbps. While download speed is crucial for activities such as streaming video and downloading large files, upload speed holds greater significance for tasks like video conferencing and transmitting sizable files. High-speed internet connections generally exhibit higher upload speeds than download speeds. Therefore, when seeking a swift connection for uploading substantial files or engaging in video calls, it’s advisable to verify your provider’s upload speeds before finalizing a purchase.
- Latency (Ping)
- Internet latency measures the time it takes for a data packet to complete a round trip between two points. Elevated latency can manifest in voice calls through conversation delays and periods of silence, while web pages may load more slowly. Various factors influence latency, including the physical distance between the two points, the type of connection used, and the network’s traffic volume. Generally, latency exceeding 50 milliseconds is deemed high, with the average human blink lasting about 400 milliseconds. Mitigating high latency often involves ensuring devices are close and connected via high-speed options like fiber optics, though server location may also play a role in some instances.
- Jitter
- Network latency signifies the time taken for a data packet to traverse from its origin to its destination. In the realm of real-time applications like VoIP, maintaining minimal latency is crucial to avoid issues such as voice packets being delivered out of order, leading to echo or talk-over effects. Assessing the variation over time in latency across the network requires a jitter test. This test entails repeatedly dispatching data packets over the network and gauging the time it takes for them to reach their destination. By comparing the outcomes of successive tests, an indication of how stable the network latency is can be obtained. Elevated jitter values may necessitate measures to enhance network performance.