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How to Run a Broadband Speed Test? Wednesday, 23/06/2010 by nik
The speed of the average broadband connection is slowly creeping upwards as providers and telecoms firms roll out next generation technology enabling faster internet access than ever before. However, if you are stuck with a sluggish connection that feels like it is performing well below your expectations that were instilled by provider advertising, you might be getting a little short of patience.
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How to Run a Broadband Speed Test?
Broadband speed is never a constant, as various factors can affect the performance of your connection. However, if you have been sold a service with a promise of high speed, it is worth checking that you are actually achieving this. It is at this point that broadband speed test comes into play, as it will not only alert you to an inappropriately slow connection, but will also allow you to compare providers closely and help you when it comes to choosing a new broadband package.
There are many different types of broadband speed tests available online, with some catering to different audiences than others. In its simplest form, the broadband speed test takes a minute or two to complete and will provide you with the few pieces of information that you will need to make an informed choice. When you initiate a broadband speed test your PC will download a file from the speed test servers and the site should show you how quickly this download is occurring in real time. This will give you the download speed of which your connection is capable. After this is complete, the process will be reversed and a file will be uploaded to the servers from your PC, giving you a reading for your upload speed. You may be able to save this information to your PC for later reference, or email it straight to your provider if you are experiencing recurring problems.
Broadband speed tests will be affected by a number of issues, so it is important that you create the right situation in which to carry out an unbiased test. First you will need to clear out any unnecessary network traffic, which basically means you will need to stop all downloads, close any network hogging programs and make sure that other users in your home are not accessing the internet for the duration of the test. Next you will need to take into account the time of day at which you are performing the test, as peak periods during the evening give everyone a slower connection as the world wide web gets clogged up with traffic. Before six and after 11 in the evening is considered to be off peakand you should get the most accurate speed readings at these times. However, if you believe that your peak time performance is the problem, then running a speed test at this point will also prove useful.
The purpose of running a speed test is to determine the precise speed of your line as opposed to the advertised maximum touted by your provider. Most will sell you a product with a speed of `up to` a certain amountand in reality this maximum is never attainable in normal use. This is particularly true of mobile broadband, as average speeds rarely match up to the speeds boasted by providers.
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