To ensure you’re getting your money’s worth from your internet service provider, use websites like SpeedTest, AuditMyPC, and CNET Bandwidth Meter Speed Test to test your connection speed. Run multiple tests at different times of day and use different websites for accuracy. Factors like distance from the DSLAM and rogue software can affect speed. Contact your ISP if you suspect a problem.
With personal hard drives soaring into terabytes and graphics-intensive media content an integral part of the average website, it’s no wonder speed online is becoming more important. ISPs sell access plans guaranteed to fit within a range or based on a maximum connection speed of so many kilobits or megabits per second. The question is, are you getting your money’s worth and how can you test your connection speed?
Fortunately, several websites are dedicated to performing various functions that can accurately test your connection speed. They report the number of kilobits or megabits successfully transferred to your computer, divided by the seconds it took to transfer, to calculate speed. Some of the more popular sites are SpeedTest, AuditMyPC and CNET Bandwidth Meter Speed Test.
SpeedTest uses your IP address to estimate your geographic location so it can suggest a server near your location to test your connection speed. This provides more accurate results than providing the test from a server located somewhere across the country. A server that is further away will have more “hops” between itself and your computer, meaning that data packets traveling between the server and your computer will need to be routed through more computers. The more hops, the higher the chances of latency issues unrelated to the speed of your internet connection.
The CNET Bandwidth Meter Speed Test asks for your zip code, connection type, and Internet Service Provider (ISP) to give you feedback on how your connection compares to others with the same type of service, and providers. ISP access is voluntary.
Since a variety of issues can affect every single data transfer, it’s best to run several tests, perhaps at different times of the day, and use the average result as an indicator of how fast your Internet connection is actually running. It’s also a good idea to use different websites to test your connection speed.
For wired Internet customers, please note that connection speed may vary based on how many local residents are browsing at the same time. You may find that your internet connection is faster during the day when people are at work, than at night when more people are home and online.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) customers are unaffected by load, but are affected by distance from the local DSL Access Multiplexer (DSLAM). The DSLAM feeds the DSL in the local neighborhood, with signal degradation at the outer limits of the DSLAM’s range. A customer who lives on the periphery of the DSLAM’s range will have a slower connection than a customer who lives close to the DSLAM, even if both parties subscribe to the same plan.
After testing your connection speed, if your Internet connection is noticeably slower than expected, you might want to try running virus and spyware scans. It could be that your connection is fine, but a background process of rogue software is using your Internet connection for its own nefarious purposes, leaving you with only a fraction of your allotted bandwidth. If you believe it is the connection itself, contact your ISP and they will be able to test the connection to verify proper operation or repair problems.
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