Internet Speed Test – For DSL, Cable and Mobile Broadband
The Broadband Expert Internet speed test will work on all the most common types on Internet connections. This is not just a DSL speed test but will work on cable and mobile broadband connections too. Our Internet speed test measures upload speeds and download speeds. Download speeds are the most commonly referred with most Internet providers showing a maximum download speed in their advertising. Download speed is a measure of the speed that your connection can download data from the Internet (e.g. downloading a film, a web page, a game or an email attachment); whereas upload speed is a measure of how quickly you can transfer data back across the Internet. Upload speed is important for activities such as online gaming where data is both downloaded and uploaded back over the Internet.
Why is my Internet connection so slow?
Type of connection and location: DSL connections use copper wires, the further the connection travels from your local phone company’s central office (CO) the more speeds will drop. The quality of the copper line also affects speeds with speeds deteriorating faster as they travel along lower quality or damaged copper lines. Cable connections using fiber optic lines to transmit data don’t suffer from these issues and have greater bandwidth meaning they can carry more data and provide faster connections. If you are on a dial-up connection then this is the slowest type of Internet connection and it’s probably time to consider upgrading to a high speed Internet broadband connection.
There’s a big difference between advertised and actual speeds: Internet providers usually advertise a maximum speed however dependent on lots of reasons including where you live and even weather conditions (which can affect satellite Internet speeds in particular), you will often only get a percentage of the advertised speed. DSL connections in particular rarely deliver the maximum theoretical speed.
Software, hardware, applications, antivirus and browsers: Running an old laptop or desktop computer with out-dated systems may slow down your Internet speeds. You can also help maximize speeds and benefit from better security and functionality by ensuring you are using an up-to-date web browser (a web browser is the application you use to get online such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, or Google Chrome). Viruses can slow down your Internet connection so make sure you have good anti-virus protection that is updated regularly. Conversely don’t run more than one anti-virus system as these systems use bandwidth meaning there is less available for other activities; more importantly though they could conflict with one another and give you a lower rate of protection. Running other applications when they are not needed (such as messenger and Skype), will take up bandwidth and will also slow your connections slightly. If you want to run a true speed test close and logout of all of these applications before running a broadband speed test.
Wireless Routers: If you have a router supplied by your Internet service provider with the plan you subscribe to this should be suitable for delivering a good Internet connection. However if you buy a wireless router (or a standard router) separately make sure it is compatible and correctly configured for your type of Internet connection.
Time of day and contention ratios: You might notice that when you run an Internet speed check that your speeds are different at different times in the day; this isn’t an issue with the Internet speed checker as speeds can differ drastically throughout the day. The bandwidth available in your local area from your provider will be shared amongst a number of different connections; the maximum number of people who can share this bandwidth is called the contention ratio. For example a contention ratio of 30:1 means there are potentially 30 subscribers who can share your bandwidth. At certain times of day more people will be online at the same time meaning there is less bandwidth to go round so everyone potentially gets slower speeds. Internet service providers with lower contention ratios typically have faster and more consistent speeds.