Internet service providers (ISPs) like to make promises about “blazing fast” speeds, but how do you know for sure if your internet is moving at the speed you’re paying for? Or maybe you’ve noticed your internet has been much slower lately and want to get a read on it to see if there is a problem.
The good news is that testing your internet connection is free and easy. There are several tools available for running tests, but you may want to check whether your provider offers one. For example, Spectrum and Verizon each have their own speed test pages, and if you were to report a speed issue, using your provider’s tool helps ensure consistency when they try to reproduce your results. There are other tools available that are not affiliated with providers. If you plan to use the results to communicate with your ISP, you’ll want to use their tool.
What Can a Speed Test Tell Me?
Using a speed-testing tool, you can find your download and upload speeds. The download speed indicates how quickly a website will load. The upload speed indicates how fast you can upload a document or image to the web. Your speed test may also include a “ping” statistic, which measures the reaction time of your Internet connection (how long it takes to receive a response after sending a request).
There are many factors at play, including how heavily your neighbors are using the internet at the same time. Be sure to test at different times of day to get an average speed. Testing multiple devices will rule out any issues with that device.
How Does This Information Help?
You can compare the download and upload speeds with the numbers quoted in your internet plan to see if the network is performing as expected. If it does match, your internet activities might benefit from a plan with a faster speed. Users who are just surfing the internet or streaming on one device at a time won’t need the same speeds as an online gamer or a household that streams on multiple devices simultaneously.
If your results differ from the promised speeds, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need a service call. The folks at Tech-Talk have created a helpful list of troubleshooting steps for slow internet at the end of their article on speed testing.
If you’ve gone through all of the steps on the list and you still aren’t seeing the speeds you were promised, it’s time to call your provider with the speed data you’ve collected over a couple of days to find out what is at the root of the issue.
