How to Test Your Internet Speed

The terms ‘internet speed’ and ‘broadband speed’ are interchangeable It is the speed of uploads and downloads and the measurement of how fast data can come and go through your modem.

Broadband speed is generally measured in megabits per second or mbps. The higher number of megabits you can download per second, the faster the speed of the connection will be. Broadband speed can go up to 1000mbps however, this is not appropriate for average home use and the general cost for this speed of internet connection is very high. This should not be confused with CPU speed which is the overall processing speed of your computer.

How do I test my internet speed?

There are many sites and programs available which you can use to test your broadband speed. You can select one simply by typing ‘broadband speed test’ in your preferred search engine and selecting one of the results to use.

Or you can head to to use the broadband speed test provided by Which? the Consumers Association.

I have the results of the internet speed test, now what?

When you finish an internet speed test you are generally given figures from 3 types of results. Without knowing what these results actually mean it can be difficult to actually understand whether your internet speed is actually good or bad.

First it is advisable to find out what your current broadband speed should be. When you initially took out the broadband contract with your internet service provider they would have provided a quote of an up to speed. Find this out by checking over your contract information or even drop a quick call to the provider who will be able to tell you all of the details.

Latency – or ping, is the amount of time it takes for data to travel from one computer to another on the same network, and back.
Your overall aim is to have the lowest latency possible, preferably between 30 – 50ms.

Upload speed – the rate at which data is sent over the internet. Eg; photo and video sharing.
Your aim for the upload speed is purely dependent on the amount of video and photo sharing you will be doing. The average household broadband speed is around 42mbps, so anything greater than this will do the job.

Download speed – the rate at which data is retrieved over the internet. Eg; movie streaming, music streaming and gaming.
The higher this figure is the better but unfortunately, there is no single optimal download speed as it all depends on what you will be doing with your broadband.

Have a look at this easy guide from Cable to figure out what broadband speed you need.

What can affect my internet speed?

There are multiple factors which can affect the overall speed of your internet connection.

- the type of internet connection you have (see below)
- how many devices are connected
- the quality of the hardware eg: routers and cables
- bad weather
- viruses or malware
- the time of day ‘peak’ hours between 6pm and 11pm
- if you are connected to the internet via Wifi or ethernet connection

Types of internet connection:

Fibre – This is the fastest available type of connection. It uses fibre optic cables which can transfer large amounts of information very quickly however it is not widely available, especially in more rural areas.

Cable – This type of connection uses the same type of cables that transmit TV but are designed specifically for broadband transmission.

Fibre – This is the fastest available type of connection. It uses fibre optic cables which can transfer large amounts of information very quickly however it is not widely available, especially in more rural areas.

Fibre
This is the fastest available type of connection. It uses fibre optic cables which can transfer large amounts of information very quickly however it is not widely available, especially in more rural areas.

Cable – This type of connection uses the same type of cables that transmit TV but are designed specifically for broadband transmission.

Cable
This type of connection uses the same type of cables that transmit TV but are designed specifically for broadband transmission.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line, this is the most widely available type of connection. It is visually similar to a phone line but allows for broadband transmission.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line, this is the most widely available type of connection. It is visually similar to a phone line but allows for broadband transmission.

DSL
Digital Subscriber Line, this is the most widely available type of connection. It is visually similar to a phone line but allows for broadband transmission.

DSL
Digital Subscriber Line, this is the most widely available type of connection. It is visually similar to a phone line but allows for broadband transmission.

Satellite – This is one of the most expensive types of internet connection, it is available anywhere in the country via a home satellite which connects to the internet through geostationary satellites (satellites in space).

Satellite
This is one of the most expensive types of internet connection, it is available anywhere in the country via a home satellite which connects to the internet through geostationary satellites (satellites in space).

Dial Up – This is the slowest internet connection available, it cannot support broadband and has a very limited bandwidth however it is currently almost obsolete.

Dial Up
This is the slowest internet connection available, it cannot support broadband and has a very limited bandwidth however it is currently almost obsolete.

It’s always useful to know how to test your internet speed so you can determine if there is an issue with your broadband connection.
But don’t always assume that your internet is slow because there is an issue with your broadband speed, it could actually be your PC. But that's another story.

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