Broadband Speed Test
There could be many factors that cause a computer to have slow internet access. Outdated or underpowered system resources, viruses, or spyware can all affect a computers internet performance. A broadband speed test can help a user determine if a computer’s network speed is being affected by something on the user’s system, or if speed is being affected by its connection to the ISP. The way that a broadband speed test works is by having the user both download, and upload a file from a broadband test server. The test server then analyzes the time that the upload and download takes, computes the connection speed, and then reports the speed back to the user.
Broadband speed tests don’t only measure how much data can be downloaded in a certain amount of time, but the tests measure other factors that could slow down a network connection. A broadband speed test also measures the response time, or “ping” between the users’s computer, and the test computer. A network connection with high ping experiences a delay between when the data is sent from one computer to when it is actually received by the other computer. Another performance condition that speed test systems analyze is packet loss. Packet loss is when pieces of the data that are being transmitted are lost due to factors like system congestion or hardware malfunction somewhere between the computers and the ISP. Packet loss can result in computers having to re-transmit pieces of data, and therefore having an overall slower connection speed.
Broadband speed tests can also help verify if a connection is acting slowly because of an outage or slowdown in one area of a region. A comprehensive speed test site will allow a user to test their broadband connection by having the user connect to test servers in other areas of the country, or even servers located overseas. Doing this can also let users analyze the connection speed of a computer in relation to how far the destination computer is from the user.
There are several websites that specialize in speed tests. Most broadband speed test services do not even require users to download or install special software in order to test their connections. Most speed tests can be done within a web browser that is capable of running Flash or Java. One such site is www.speedtest.net, where not only computers internet connection is tested, but it also allows users to compare their results to other users that are using the same internet service provider. This can allow a user to determine if slow network speeds are being caused by a users computer, or their ISP. www.bandwidthplace.com allows users to test their connection quality with their ISP, but also allows them to compare other ISPs and even price alternate services. The FCC also has a speed test page at www.broadband.gov that provides users with test results, but also allows the US government to gather information to identify broadband dead zones in the US.
With internet technologies such as VOIP and video conferencing becoming a major part of home and business communication, internet connection quality is a critical factor when using these types of services. When users have connection problems, an online broadband speed test is a useful, free, and comprehensive method of testing connection speed and quality.
