It sends a small message to the server, high then responds. Ping works by measuring the time it takes for the server to respond to a request from the user’s ISP. It determines your location from your IP address as soon as you land on the site picks five nearby servers (out of a list of more than 1,000) to measure the ping, download speed and upload speeds over TCP with with an HTTP fallback. Up until August 2017, more than 10 billion speed tests had been completed. It was developed by Ookla and has been around for years (since 2006, to be precise). is perhaps the most well-known broadband speed testing tool around. It may be that network throttling has a detrimental affect on your connection and if this is the case, it could be wise to choose a broadband provider that doesn’t restrict broadband speeds at different times of the day. If you want a really accurate average speed, try re-performing the test at different times throughout the day and work out the mean to see just how well (or badly) your broadband connection is performing. Proxies can also interrupt an internet connection, so switch these off as well as VPNs or compression engines, which can commonly mask any connection issues.įinally, make sure you run the test more than once to find an average speed. Close all apps apart from the browser you’re using to run the test.Īside from your computer, make sure no one else on the network is using their computer, a connected TV, NAS or mobile over Wi-Fi or ethernet for the same reasons detailed above. A slow computer could also affect how accurate your results are. Make sure your computer isn’t doing anything memory-intensive, such as running a virus scan or processing video. Streaming or downloading media such as music, TV shows or films is also a big no-no. Plus, if the app finds something’s changed, it'll start to re-sync with your account, which could consume bandwidth tooĪlso, avoid downloading anything - even software updates - while you're performing the test to ensure nothing could hog the connection. You generally want to avoid those that are pinging frequently to the internet checking for changes, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, email etc.Īll of these types of apps are constantly checking for any changes, meaning they use a lot of bandwidth all the time. If you want to get the most accurate results of your internet connection’s speed and reliability, make sure any apps that use significant bandwidth aren’t running. There are plenty of things that can sabotage getting the most accurate speed test results, whichever tool you use to try and work out whether your connection is performing as well as your ISP says it should. Read next: Ofcom - Broadband buyers to get speed guarantees or be free to leave How to get the most accurate results This data can also be used by the general public to help them compare their current provider against others and of their performance isn't as good as other sin the area, there's a good reason to switch broadband supplier. Most of the tools detailed below create their own reports and league tables to compare the major broadband providers and this data is made available to the ISPs themselves as well as Ofcom to give an overview of the UK's broadband market. The final reason for testing your broadband speed is to help companies improve their services in certain areas. If you want to compare your speeds other your friends or neighbours, it's another good reason to test how fast your broadband is running. The majority of broadband suppliers have peak and off-peak speeds and so at peak times (evening and weekends), they'll reduce speeds so they can ensure no one hogs the bandwidth. You may want to see whether your ISP is throttling your data at certain times of the day. It's important to note that all ISPs describe their limits as "up to" because the actual speeds you'll get will depend on a range of factors, such as how far you are from the exchange, the infrastructure to your home (are the cables in good condition) and of course the equipment you have in your home, such as the router and the devices you're connecting to the internet. If your ISP has promised you a certain speed, you'll want to check that's actually what you're getting (or at least if it's close enough to the advertised speed). If a sluggish internet connection isn't enough to convince you to perform a speed test, there's a variety of other reasons you may want to check its actual speed. Our guide to the best tools to text your Internet speed offers you with five options to see how your broadband performs and how it compares to other suppliers in your area, helping you make a more educated decision. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
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