Internet Speed Test

about broadband internet speed test

This is estimated connection speed which may not reflect your real connection speed.

Use of the internet has now become an essential part of most peoples lives. They use the internet on some devices like;

• Smart phones
• Smart TVs
• Computers
• Tablets
• Laptops

All these devices must be connected to the internet to operate smoothly and continuously. Smart phones connect to the internet via the cellular service providers or Wi-Fi. All the other devices need internet connections, and this service is provided by an Internet Service Provider, commonly known as ISPs.

The internet speed provided depends on the technology used by the ISPs that provide the service. If they provide a fiber optic connection, the speed will be really fast. Cable and copper-wire connections will be slower. In some areas, a mix is used by ISPs in providing internet connections. Some ISPs will provide fiber optic to your Wi-Fi device. The Wi-Fi bandwidth is shared between the different devices. Other ISPs have fiber optic junction boxes. From these junction boxes, they provide users internet via copper wire lines which are used for telephone connections. TV cable operators provide the internet to users using their own network’s cabling system.

The usage of internet has witnessed a phenomenal increase in the last decade. To meet the increase in demand, both internet service providers and mobile phone service providers have had to find new technologies to provide fast internet connections to users. There’s a lot of competition among internet service providers to provide top quality service and speed to users. Some cities in the US and Europe provide 2GBps speed to internet users. Providing high-speed internet service requires a lot of investment by Internet Service Providers which they are compelled to do if they want to remain in business. Some governments are also profiting by selling high-speed connectivity licenses.

These days, there’s a lot of talk about internet speeds and the reason for this is that the internet has changed the way people communicate with each other, play games, view entertainment, listen to music and work. The question on every internet user’s mind is; ‘what is a good internet speed.’ But how do we determine how much internet speed do we need? You can run an internet speed test, but what does it tell you, and how useful is the information that you get from it. There are some internet speed test providers like; Comcast speed test, Verizon speed test, speed test Ookla.

A typical internet speed test will tell you; ping, download speed, upload speed and some internet speed tests provide some other information. When an ISP provides you an internet connection, they will tell you the download speed that they will provide you, or promise to provide you. You can check the speed by running an internet speed test.

Internet terminology

Before we examine the internet speed required to support all the devices that are using the internet in our homes, like TV receivers, game consoles, and other smart devices. We need to understand the terminology.

Streaming: This is a type of download, but it’s not saved on any device. When you watch a movie on Netflix or YouTube, it’s streaming the movie to your device from a storage device located somewhere else. You only need a certain amount of bandwidth to watch the movie without it stopping and buffering during play. You don’t have to download the video to watch it.

Download: Downloading is the actual transfer of data from one location to your device. Downloading consumes more bandwidth than streaming. You download applications, games, files, emails, etc. and store them on your device.

Upload: Uploading is the opposite of downloading. Whereas in downloading a file from another device is downloaded on your device, in uploading you transfer a file from your device to another device.

A Closer Look at Internet Speed Test Data

You must check the service level of your ISP account. You must make sure you are getting the speed that you are supposed to get. An internet speed test will verify if you are getting the promised speed. The three data items displayed in most internet speed tests are;

Ping: This reflects the latency in a computer network. In simpler terms, it means the delay before data can be transferred between two computers. When you run the test, it tries to find a server which takes the least time to respond to a data exchange request. Once it establishes the connection the time taken in doing so is displayed as ping time in milliseconds.

Download Speed: The test requires the server to send data across and clocks the time it takes for the data sample to be transferred. The average time is displayed as download speed, which is indicated in Mbps (Mega bits per second).

Upload Speed: The test sends sample data to the server and measures the time it takes for the data to reach its destination. It is displayed as download speed indicated in Mbps.

Internet Connection Speed Test Tool

To run internet speed test, you can go to SmallSEOTools on your search browser, or you can copy/paste smallseotools.com/internet-connection-speed-test-tool in a tab of your browser. Press the ‘Begin Test’ icon, and it will run the test. After the test is completed it will display; average, minimum, maximum download and upload speeds.

It’s a convenient and simple tool to use. You must speed test internet periodically to ensure you are getting the promised speed from your ISP.

What is a good internet speed?

It is a question that’s commonly asked by internet users. The question varies like; what is a good internet speed for gaming? What is a good internet speed for streaming? The answers to these questions differ. Bandwidth for online gaming is around 150Mb per hour. According to Netflix, you need .7 Mbps to 5.3 Mbps to stream movies. Streaming music requires less bandwidth. When you know the bandwidth that is consumed, you can estimate what a good internet speed that you need to support your current and future internet requirements is.

you can also check PTCL internet speed with our PTCL speed test tool.

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