How to check your Internet speed
You may need to check your Internet connection speed if you think that your provider is not providing the stated maximum value, or you just want to know how Internet speed is measured, how to prepare equipment for testing, and how to measure the connection using special services and programs, etc.
Mbit / s and Mbit / s-what is the difference
The values of MB and Mb used in the measurement of the speed of the Internet, often cause confusion among users. Although they are related concepts, they do not mean the same thing. Explanations for the symbols:
· MB (MB, the letter " B " is large) - megabyte;
· Mbit - MB, the letter " b " is small) - megabit.
The ratio between these values is calculated by a simple equation: 1 MB = 8 Mb. Actually, Internet speed is more often measured in Mb / s (megabits per second). This unit can be seen in the tariff offers of providers. Less frequently, kilobits and gigabits per second (Kbit/s and Gbit/s, respectively) are used. The unit of measurement MB / s is usually found in loader utilities (torrents).
Important! If the maximum Internet speed according to the tariff plan is 100 Mb / s, then in uTorrent and similar programs, its maximum values will be close to 12.5 MB / s (100 / 8 = 12.5).
Download speed, return and ping
Internet speed is the time period during which a packet of data from a computer is sent to a specific server (or several servers) and back. Accordingly, there are two types of speed:
· incoming - receiving (downloading) data;
· outgoing - sending (sending) files.
The first refers to the speed of getting data from the network when a user downloads movies, music, or uploads photos. The second is the speed of data transfer to the network, for example, when sending emails. Incoming and outgoing values are strongly related to each other, and the higher they are, the better. Different tasks may require different Internet speeds:
· web browsing, social networks, easy online games - > 2 Mb / s;
· video conferences, low quality videos - > 3 Mb / s;
· medium and high quality video - > 5 Mb / s;
· Full HD movies - > 8 Mb / s;
· 4K video - > 25 Mb/s.
The server response time, measured in milliseconds (ping), is an important characteristic associated with incoming and outgoing speeds. The lower the value, the faster the Internet as a whole works. Ping fluctuations are especially noticeable in online games, where you need a very fast server response that does not create visible delays. In practice:
· ping < 40-great for any web activity, network games, including multiplayer competitions;
· from 40 to 100-normal for web surfing and working, suitable for strategies without the direct participation of many participants;
· >100-bad both for games and for performing many tasks online
Such an indicator as" jitter " (ping jumps that affect the stability of the connection in general) also affects the overall speed of the Internet. The lower its value - the better.
Speed of connecting the computer and network equipment
We recommend that you examine the properties of the current connection immediately before testing. This is necessary to make sure that the hardware (network card, router) and operating system do not "cut" the speed, that is, they work normally on the user's side. In Windows you can do this as follows:
1. Press the Win + R key combination, enter ncpa.cpl in the window that appears, and press Enter (network connections can also be opened via the " control Panel»/ "Network and shared access control center").
2. Find the active connection in the "Network" section, right-click on it, and select "Status" from the drop-down menu.
In the window that opens, you will see the maximum possible connection speed - in older computers and network cards, this is usually 100 Mbit / s, and newer hardware supports connections up to 1.0 Gbit/s. If the specified values have deviations from the passport values (for example, if the card characteristics indicate 100 M/b, the connection properties reflect 25 M/b), it is likely that there are problems with the hardware, cable, or restrictions of the OS itself.
Important! In the case of a wireless connection, the numbers may be affected by the settings of the distributing router, its location, power, and similar parameters of the receiving device.
Preliminary preparation for verification and tests
For a more objective and accurate measurement, we recommend following these steps:
1. Stop all current downloads (or pause them).
2. Stop all current processes related to the update (antivirus programs, Windows system programs).
3. Close all applications that require an active Internet connection.
4. Stop programs that heavily load the hard drive, RAM, or processor.
You can monitor these types of programs and processes through the "task Manager". To call it, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Pay special attention to the processes on the network tab. Running programs, such as uTorrent, can greatly affect test results. These applications must be stopped and closed.
Online testing of Internet speed
A large number of utilities, applications, and online services have been created to test the speed of your Internet connection. The latter are most suitable for the average user, since they are mostly free and designed specifically for non-specialists. Using online testing, you can determine whether the connection speed stated by the provider corresponds to the real one.
Important! We recommend running the test several times on two or three services. The total result should be compared with the speed specified in the contract with your provider.
Fast
Service fast.com being very easy to use, it can't guarantee the most accurate data. The fact is that it only measures the download speed to a user's device from an online Netflix movie theater. Its servers use a content delivery network called Open Connect. In other words, Fast is perfect for checking the bandwidth of a connection with Netflix, and not very good for checking the actual connection speed with different points (servers).
However, the results of this internetometer, in general, coincide with the results of similar services, and therefore shows to some extent the correct picture. Plus, the resource is very simple and intuitive. It checks the speed automatically.
How to do this:
1. You just need to go to the website and wait for testing to complete.
2. If you need to check the data transfer speed and find out the ping, it is better to use another service.
Speedmeter
Internetometer speedmeter.de - modern Internet speed test. Speedometer is great for quick verification. The service allows you to measure the current connection speed with the nearest server (out of 5000 servers worldwide).
You can test incoming and outgoing speeds (checking the connection with the maximum number of connections per minute that the user's computer can establish), and ping. Verification is performed using HTML 5, without any additional software or Adobe Flash.
How does it work:
1. You need to go to the website and click the "next" button.
2. you can repeat the test, copy the link to the result, and share the results on Twitter or Facebook.
Speedtest
Service for checking Internet speed speedtest.net - perhaps the most famous among analogues. The user has a huge list of test points located around the world. The optimal server for testing is selected based on the IP address in auto mode.
Speedtest keeps logs with test results and graphs that can be shared on social networks. The company developing the service is a kind of monopoly in this niche, many online internetometer use the "engine" with the Ookla logo. In addition, Speedtest is recommended for verification by most providers. Among the disadvantages of the service is the use of outdated Flash technology, which does not work in all browsers, and a lot of ads on the main page.
How does it work:
1. to check the speed of incoming / outgoing Internet connection and ping, simply click on the "Start" button on the main page of the site.
2. Wait for the end of the test (the procedure takes about a minute).
SpeedOf
Site for checking the speed of the connection speedof.me differs from its counterparts primarily in its single-threaded nature, while most others are multithreaded. The developers of Speed Of claim that this approach makes measurements more accurate and transparent. In practice, really single-threaded file downloads are closer to real web surfing than regulated multithreaded tests that uate, rather than determine, Internet speed.
Speedo uses ultra-fast connection technology and native browser capabilities (HTML5, JavaScript), rather than third-party plugins such as Flash or Java. The service's unique algorithm cannot be deceived by speed-enhancing tools. While other sites connect the user to the nearest diagnostic server, Speedoff searches for the fastest available server at a given time. The disadvantages of the service include the inability to create a user account.
To activate the testing process:
1. Click the Start Test button on the Test tab of the main page of the site.
2. on the History tab, view your verification history.
TestMy
Online service testmy.net allows you to check whether the current connection speed is the same as your provider's stated speed and compare it with the results of other users in your region.
TestMy runs on HTML5, so it is available on all devices. It collects the results of tests in a massive database, which can be very useful for comparing data with sorting by provider, region, and city. Ping, incoming and outgoing speed tests are available, as well as a combined connection check.
Starting test:
1. Test is carried out on the starting page of the service button “my Internet”.
2. Then select one of the four options-upload, download, and combined latency.
«Yandex.Internetometer»
The determinant of the speed of the Internet yandex.ru/internet ("Yandex.Internetometer") is one of the many Yandex services that shows information about the browser and connection. Additional options include IP address detection, fairly detailed information about the system, network connection, and browser.
The internetometer tests incoming and outgoing connections. Ping checks, as well as history checks, in Yandex.Internetometer " aren't avalable. If necessary, you can share information on your blog or social networks.
Starting testing:
1. Click "Measure".
2. As with other services of this kind, it is recommended to perform the measurement several times for a more accurate result.
2ip
Service harvester 2ip.ru it allows you not only to measure Internet speed, but also to perform many (32!) other related measurements. The site works fairly quickly and is not overloaded with ads.
To check the connection:
1. Open the Tests tab.
2. Click "Internet speed Testing".
3. Click the "Test" button.
In a minute, the user can see the results for incoming and outgoing speed, as well as the ping value. If you want, you can share the information on social networks.
Important! On the 2ip site, you can find the latest measurements of users whose results can be compared with your own. There are also reviews of one or another Internet provider, ratings of providers (including a certain "honesty Rating"), and a lot of other useful additional information.
Testing via torrent
According to experts in the field of IT, the most objective result of the speed of the network connection can be obtained with the help of torrent downloadres - MediaGet, uTorrent, BitTorrent and similar.
Measurement of the speed of the Internet using torrent programs is as follows:
1. Stop / close all applications that load the network (use the "task Manager"to detect such programs).
2. Select and upload a file that is being copied by a large number of distributors and is larger than one Gigabyte (smaller is possible, but the measurement results may then be less accurate).
3. when the download is complete, right-click on the file and view information about it, in particular, the average reception speed.
The reflected numbers are the objective download speed. Unfortunately, when using this method, it is not possible to determine the ping and find out the objective outgoing speed.
As a rule, the tests considered are quite sufficient to determine whether or not there are serious problems with the network. But there are many other nuances that negatively affect the stability and speed of the connection (especially wireless), such as weather conditions or the number of users connected to a single source.