Yours internet speed at home cannot be magically increased by a speed test. They depend on the specific internet plan you have registered for ISP, but there are many reasons why your actual Wi-Fi speed may be lower than you expect. For example, the slower you go, the slower you will go router, especially if there are many walls and obstacles between them. Speeds can also change during peak hours or when you have an ISP applies data caps or restricts connections to help maintain overall network performance.
If you are interested in knowing the true internet speed of your home, there is an easy way to check. Internet speed testing is quick and easy, and you have many free options to choose from. You can even run one of the same programs you use to install router. In most cases, the test is as easy as pressing the “Go” button and will not take more than a minute.
A good speed test is your current download speed, download speed, and latency (or ping) no matter what device you’re testing – but which of the many options that promises to do exactly that should you rely on?
I’m glad you asked. Here are the first ones we applied and why.
Also read: How to test Wi-Fi routers
Screenshot by Ry Crist / CNET
One of our favorites is the Ookla speed test, which is one of the first speed tests on the internet. Aside from its popularity, we like Ookla because the speed test has everything a basic user needs: accuracy, the ability to view your speed test history (when you create an account), multiple servers to connect to, and even handy software. For speed testing from your Android or iOS device. By the way, Ookla’s speed test is also the test we use when testing Wi-Fi routers.
Over the years, Ookla has done a good job of keeping up with the times, adding new features and capabilities. The service recently released a video-specific speed test that measures your network’s ability to manage 4K video streams. In addition to websites and smartphone apps, Ookla also has apps that you can run on Windows or Mac. You can even take an Ookla speed test on your Apple TV.
All that said, Ookla shows banner ads when you’re doing basic speed tests. This is not surprising, but depending on the strength of your connection during the test, it may have a small effect on your results.
Screenshot by Ry Crist / CNET
Fast.com is another great broadband test, and the interface is as simple and straightforward as it gets. However, one of its biggest advantages is that it belongs to Netflix. This may seem strange at first glance, but in fact this is what makes it an excellent choice for online broadcasters, as the test is built around checking if your link is strong enough to broadcast at maximum resolution without buffering Netflix.
While Fast.com is an excellent tool for some, it will not be the most useful test for all users. The main interface is easy to use, yes, but it doesn’t have some advanced settings and dimensions that you can find in other speed tests. Most importantly, you can’t determine which server you want to connect to for your test.
Screenshot by Ry Crist / CNET
None of these speed tests are difficult to use, but the M-Lab Internet Speed Test is probably the easiest to find. In short, the open source M-Lab test was developed by a team of computer scientists and academic researchers with the support of Google, and is a test that opens every time you type “internet speed test” into the Google search bar. Click the blue “SPEED TEST WORKS” button to see your download speed, download speed, and delay time in a few seconds.
It’s as simple as possible because you won’t have to bookmark it or remember exactly what it’s called. There are no ads during the test, and the only information shared with M-Lab is your IP address. Just know that the M-Lab test does not allow you to choose which server to use during the test, and it is only designed for internet speeds up to 700 Mbit / s. If you’re trying to speed up a gigabit connection, you’ll want to move on.
Screenshot by Ry Crist / CNET
If you are looking for a test that looks not only at speeds but also at consistency, Speedof.me is the way to go. Like Ookla, the test interface does an excellent job of showing fluctuations in your download and upload speeds. Over time, this can make it easier to find out if something is wrong with your connection, especially since Speedof.me allows you to compare your results with previous tests. Its mobile-compatible website is also great for testing on your phone, allowing you to quickly test your speed on the go without downloading software.
Speedof.me is not a perfect choice. For starters, there is no option to manually choose which server to connect to. If a home network isn’t your advantage, visualized information may seem more confusing or cumbersome than something like Fast.com, which simply gives you a number.
Screenshot by Ry Crist / CNET
Testmy.net is an internet speed test that works entirely on HTML5 and PHP. This means that you do not need third-party software such as Java or Flash to perform your test, which can give you more accurate results. This makes it a useful tool for comparing performance between different browsers. You can also create an account to track your internet speed for future reference or comparison.
However, this is not the most user-friendly tool. With a lot of in-depth information, you will have enough information to research, most of which may not belong to you. The design is also a bit ugly by speed test standards, and actually requires a few clicks before you start testing, which isn’t as simple as other speed tests with large “Go” buttons as the page loads. .
Frequently asked questions about the speed test
What is good internet speed?
The Federal Communications Commission sets broadband speeds of at least 25 megabits per second and at least 3 Mbps downloads, but according to the FCC’s own speed guide, this is a bare minimum for things like 4K video streaming and large file sharing over the Internet. .
High-speed internet plans are starting to emerge from a number of providers, including AT&T, Comcast, Frontier, Verizon Fios, Ziply Fiber and others, with speeds of 2, 3 or even 5 gigabits per second (which is 5,000 Mbps). This is too much for most homes, at least until now. The ideal is a symmetrical internet connection with downloads as fast as downloads – a speed of 100Mbps would be perfect for most homes.
In addition to showing the current download and download speeds for the device you’re running the test on, most internet speed tests will give you a number called a ping, which is a measure of latency measured in milliseconds. Simply put, a ping number is the time it takes for your device to send a signal to any remote server you connect to during a speed test and then receive a response. Think of it as a round-trip flight time for your internet connection.
If you are connecting to a server that is too far away, or if there is any interference in the connection, the ping will rise. If you’re connecting through something like a network router or bandwidth, where you have to make a lot of wireless connections before your data can reach the modem, your ping can also increase a bit.
In most cases, the ping differences are very small, so you won’t notice them without a speed test. However, if you try to make decisions for a few seconds in an online multiplayer game, you will start to feel a high ping, which can also lead to annoying delays during video call conversations.
Like ping, vibration is measured in milliseconds, but instead of measuring the time it takes for your device to send data to a remote server and receive a response, jitter describes the delay differences between data flows to different client devices on your network. If the vibration is too high, it means that the data is not flowing to your device as efficiently as it should, and this can cause problems such as buffering during streaming and video calls.
Can speed tests help improve my internet speed?
Speed tests will do nothing to change the speed of your home’s Wi-Fi network, but they are an excellent diagnostic tool – a quick way to check how your network is working in different parts of your home.
The best way to use speed tests is to run them on different phones in your home on your phone or laptop. If you find a dead zone where the speeds are low, you may want to consider placing a distance extender in the room closest to the dead zone where the speeds are strongest – from there it will re-broadcast your Wi-Fi signal and potential speed. work is underway. If you find a lot of dead zones in the places you want to join, it may be time to upgrade your router. Consider going with a network router that uses multiple devices for the best Wi-Fi coverage in your entire home.