Slow internet? Here’s how to test your internet speed
Lisa Du is director of ReadyTechGo, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology.
Slow internet is one of my biggest frustrations, especially when I am trying to watch Netflix, and my movie continuously stops!
There are several things that may affect your internet speed, such as:
- Device Connection - Whether your are using a wired internet connection or a wireless (wifi) connection
- Faulty Devices - If you have a faulty or outdated device, this can slow down the speed of your internet for all your other devices
- Time of Day/Network Congestion - The time of day can affect your speed. Think of your internet connection like travelling on a freeway. At peak hour, there are more cars trying to get through!
- Connection Type - Whether you are using broadband connection or Mobile connection (through your 3G or 4G smartphone)
If you are experiencing slow internet speeds, you should connect your internet service provider and let them know what speed you are currently getting. They can make several changes on their end to help improve the speed.
Here's how you can do a speed test before calling your Internet Service Provider:
Speed test
1. Open an internet browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox) and visit the website: http://beta.speedtest.net/
2. When the site has loaded, click on the GO button
3. The speed test will commence...
4. Wait for the results of both the Download and Upload speed!.
These are the results you can provide to your internet provider when they ask you what "speed your internet is".
I did this Speed Test in our Richmond office, and there is big difference to my internet speed at home. At home, I get about 1.24 Mbps... Frustrating!