On this page you will find Speedtest from Broadband Speed Checker. Clicking the “Start Speed Test” button under the download and upload speedometers will initiate a test from the nearest server.
I have also listed a collection of other sites that will test your Internet link speed. Bear in mind that there are several factors that affect the validity of the tests, including:
* WiFi running on 2.4 GHz vs. 5 Ghz. 2.4 GHz has been around the longest so it is usually the only frequency on old routers. Do not interpret that as bad! Its frequency allows for more distance, but at the cost of slower speeds. 5 GHz is much faster, but because it is a higher frequency it does not penetrate walls as well as 2.4, nor does it have the distance. It is highly recommended to test both frequencies on your devices at the location they will be used the most.
* The percentage of your link that is in use by other computers on the network. Example, if you have a slow DSL link to begin with, one other computer downloading files, listening to Internet Radio, or watching videos will make a noticeably slower link.
* How the Internet connection is made; is it a direct link? Through a router? Is the router’s firmware up to date? Is the router’s WAN/Internet facing port as fast as your Internet provider’s link?
* Even the computer used to run the tests can change the test results. If it is loaded with adware/spyware, making background updates to the operating system or program files, running programs that check the weather, listening to Internet Radio, all of these examples are consuming Internet bandwidth. Cached pages also affect pages loaded.
* The testing site itself might be congested.
Something else to consider is using various browsers for testing. BHO’s (Browser Helper Objects), toolbars on any browser, Firefox add-ons, and so forth can slow a browser. They might be reaching out to their “mother ship”, scanning pages (though that’s not really a bad thing), reporting to indexing sites, and more.
Having said that, these tests are but one method of troubleshooting Internet connection problems or checking if your provider is giving you what you are subscribing to.
Further reading and useful links:
http://www.speedtest.net/ utilizes Flash and can test from around the world
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ one of the more accurate upload and download tests
http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/
http://www.dslreports.com/stest
http://performance.toast.net
http://www.voipreview.org/voipspeedtester.aspx Test your connection for VOIP capabilities