What is an internet speed test? Internet speed relates to how fast your broadband connection runs. This is a good way to check up on your internet service provider. You are looking for consistently good performance – not fast one day and slow the next. Therefore its advisable to constantly check the speed. Perhaps it runs well at one time of the day and not so good the next? If you do discover a problem then immediately contact your supplier and inform them. Remember you are paying for high speed internet access – and that is what you should be receiving!

High speed internet is known as broadband. In the early days of the internet most users had dial-up. Dial up had speeds of 56k. Nowadays with broadband speeds are up to 512 kb. Broadband usually comes into your home or office via DSL, cable or satellite. Most people use either DSL or cable. Satellite can be quite a bit slower – and is usually used in rural areas where DSL and cable are not available.

When you access broadband the amount of data you will be able to access relies on the bandwidth that is available. Your internet provider should be able to inform you of your bandwidth. They may have many users on the network at one time and this may affect the bandwidth. It is worth checking that the amount they promised it what you are receiving. Testing will help you figure out your bandwidth at different times of the day or week.

Usually you can check the speed of your internet without uploading any software on to your computer. It requires a small data file being transferred to your computer from the test server and then returning it back to the server. It does not install anything on your computer. There are quite a few sites that offer internet speed tests. Look for a reliable one.