How to Check Broadband Speed

In the current digitized age, having a fast internet has almost become a necessity, instead of a luxury. Poor net speed can ruin an individual’s experience – be it browsing, video streaming, video calling, and so on. In order to improve and maximize the broadband speed, it is important to first run a speed test.

A speed test is a free web service that measures the speed, latency, and jitter of data sent between an internet connection on a computer or a mobile, and any nearby server. Speedtest.net is the most popular speed test website. An internet speed test will check for the download speed, upload speed, and ping and jitter. Here is how an individual can check the broadband speed of his/her internet connection.

1. How to run a speed test on a computer

   In order to run a speed test on a computer, a user needs to follow these steps:

   1. Disconnect from a VPN in case they use one.
   2. If one uses the WiFi to access the web on a computer, one should disconnect the WiFi as well.
   3. Disconnect any other devices connected to the WiFi in order to avoid any negative effects on the speed test
   4. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the modem’s ethernet ports and another end of the cable to the computer’s ethernet ports.
   5. Unplug the power cable of the broadband modem for approximately sixty seconds.
   6. After sixty seconds, plug the power cable back in, and turn the modem should back on.
   7. Close any program or website connected to the internet.
   8. The speed test can be performed on sites like Speedtest.net and Fast.com. One only needs to launch the site on the computer and click on the ‘Begin Test’ tab. The results will show up in a few moments.
   9. The download and upload speeds should be compared to the net speed promised by the ISP.

2. How to run a speed test on a smartphone

   To check the speed of the broadband internet connection on a smartphone, follow these steps:

   1. Install the speedtest.net app on the phone after making sure that all other devices are disconnected from the broadband connection.
   2. Open the app, and select the ‘Begin Test’ option. The app will send and receive data to and from a nearby server. The results will appear on the screen.
   3. Make sure to compare these results with the broadband speed promised by the Internet Service Provider.
      

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Understanding the speed test results

Internet speed is calculated in Mbps or megabits per second and Gbps or gigabits per second. The download speed shows how fast data can be transferred from the internet to the device. This speed affects web activities such as browsing, online streaming, etc. Whereas, the upload speed will show how fast data can be transferred from the device to the internet. This affects activities such as video conferencing, uploading documents, photos, videos, etc.. The ping results will show the reaction time between the device and the test server. Higher ping rates mean that the net speed is slow.

Factors affecting the speed test results

There might be several factors affecting the internet speed test. This includes which day of the week it is and what the exact time is. The age of the smartphone or computer and the broadband plan used affects the results as well. Moreover, tests are more accurate over a wired connection than on WiFi. Living far away from an exchange also deters one from availing the fastest internet speed as promised by the ISP. By working on these factors, one can increase internet speed significantly.

Conclusion

It is important to run a speed test every now and then, to troubleshoot different factors which might be reducing the speed of your internet connection. While most broadbands offer a fast download speed, the upload speed is relatively slower. Fiber broadband solves this issue efficiently by offering a high speed internet connection with equally fast download and upload speeds. Moreover, the distance of the device from the cabinet or exchange also does not affect the speed of a fiber broadband connection. Get lightning fast internet speed with the fiber optic internet services provided by ACT Fibernet. Simply search for ‘fiber internet near me’ and discover the nearest ACT Fibernet service in your area.