Speed Test - Quick Start Guide
What does Speed Test Measure?
Speed Test measures the following essential aspects of your Internet service:
- Download speed: measured in megabits per second (Mbps), how fast your computer can receive data from a server on the Internet.
- Upload speed: how fast your computer can send data to a server on the Internet.
- Ping: also known as “latency”, ping measures the reaction time of your Internet connection by calculating the time it takes between sending out a request to getting a response. Measured in milliseconds (ms), ping indicates how responsive your Internet connection is.
- Jitter: based on multiple measures of pings, jitter measures the consistency of your Internet connection. Also measured in milliseconds, the smaller the jitter, the more stable an Internet connection.
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How do I Choose a Speed Test Server?
Speed Test works with a global network of over 5,000 testing servers. The app selects a server nearby your current location with a fast ping, which usually indicates a reliable Internet connection with good throughput.
Testing multiple servers in different locations give you a better measure of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Click the name of the existing testing server to open the SELECT HOST dialog box. By default, you are presented with a dozen testing servers that are close to your existing location.
To test a remote server that is completely outside of your state or even country, type the name of the location (ie. city or country) in the text box below SELECT HOST. As you type, the app will automatically search and present you with the list of servers available in the area of your interest.
Why does the download test work, but not the upload test?
The issue with not being able to perform the upload part of the speed test comes up occasionally with a very small portion of our users. It is mostly related to if the firewall or an antivirus software on the PC is interfering with the test traffic.
Although a firewall that’s correctly set up shouldn’t cause this this type issues, you can temporarily disable the firewall before the test to confirm if it is the cause of the problem. Of course, don’t forget to turn the firewall back on once the test is done.
If this issue persists with one or more computers across your network – whether it’s at home or work – the next solution is to reset the network modem and router by restarting them. This may help to clear up the issues that prevent the Speed Test app from performing the uploading test.
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What is a Good Internet Speed?
Generally speaking, a good internet speed should feature a download speed of at least 25 Mbps. At this speed you can enjoy most online activities, like watching Netflix, Skype, web browsing and online gaming without noticeable stalling. More specifically, you need the download speeds at fast as the following:
- 2 Mbps: for email, social media, and streaming audio
- 10 Mbps: for video chat, upload or download photos, video conferencing
- 25 Mbps: for watching Netflix, online gaming, or video streaming
Why is My Internet So Slow?
There are factors both inside and outside your home that affect your Internet speed:
Factors inside your home:
- Your ISP: the first and foremost factor is your current Internet service package you’ve selected from your ISP. It has an upper cap to the maximum speed limit. In most circumstances, your Internet speed will always be slower than this speed limit.
- Your computer: ensure your computer is optimized and fast enough for handling the type of tasks that you wish to accomplish, be it watching Netflix, online gaming or video conferencing. A slower and older computer will have a hard time of delivering smooth Internet experience.
- Your modem and wireless router: the modem is a device that delivers the Internet service to your home network. Check with your ISP to ensure your modem matches with or exceeds their standard recommendation. The wireless router provides networking services to all networking devices that can be connected wirelessly. Make sure the distance between your networking device and the wireless modem is optimal.
- The number of devices: if you have a few people using multiple devices on the Internet then all of these devices will be competing for the Internet bandwidth, which is fixed, and therefore performance for each individual device will become slow.
Factors outside your home:
- A popular Internet service: whether it is a website or streaming service, if tens of thousands of other people are simultaneously trying to access the same website, chances are it will be slow for everyone.
- Your ISP is conducting maintenance in your area: you may get sporadical or no Internet service while your local area network is under construction or maintenance. Check with your ISP’s outage status update
- Your ISP: is your ISP fulfilling its commitment of providing you with the Internet speed as said on the contract? If all other factors have been ruled out, then your ISP is ultimately responsible for both the Internet service and the equipment they provide. You should consider contacting its customer service to have someone look into the issue for you.
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