How To Check Upload Download Speed

Testing your internet connection's performance is even more of import with millions of extra workers working from domicile. You don't need whatever extra software—a web browser will do. But there are also a few things you can do to make sure you are getting the virtually accurate reading of your net connection. Here's what to do!

Get ready

Substantially, what we're trying to practice is compare the amount of bandwidth that's coming into your home with what your Isp is promising yous. First brand sure that you know what your Internet plan is, and what your Isp promises is the minimum connection speed. Consult your pecker or your Isp's Web site for that.

Let'due south plow to the PC. For best results, you'll desire to use a wired connection if at all possible; that way, you don't have to worry about interference and performance fluctuations that tin occur while you lot're on Wi-Fi. If you lot have whatever other wired devices on your abode network, plug your test figurer direct into the modem and so those don't interfere. Again, we're trying to acquire how much bandwidth is coming straight into your home, before it begins getting divvied up among connected devices.

windows task manager — Click the Network column in Windows Task Director to run into which apps, if any, are sending/receiving data on your network.

If you're stuck using Wi-Fi—say, you take a MacBook Air or a tablet or another device that doesn't accept an ethernet port—do what you lot tin to minimize interference. Make certain your Wi-Fi router is away from other electronic devices like cordless phones, and temporarily disconnect whatsoever other devices from your Wi-Fi network—after all, you don't desire another computer on your network to download a gigabyte worth of software updates while you run your tests.

While you're at it, double-bank check to make certain your computer isn't downloading something in the background. Bank check the Job Manager on Windows (summoned by pressing control-alt-delete) or Activeness Monitor on MacOS, and look for network statistics (it's labelled "Network"on MacOS, "Networking" on Windows).

Close or quit all apps on your computer to keep apps from downloading software updates while y'all exam your connexion. Your bandwidth usage may non drop to zero and stay there, only you desire information technology every bit close to zero as it'll get. If your operating arrangement is downloading updates, in that location isn't much yous can do aside from wait and test your connectedness after.

If you're having any problems with your connection, now is a good thought to reset your modem and router. Switch them off and unplug them for a few moments, so plug them back in and switch them on.

Examination your connection

Several sites will help test your connection. Honestly, though, there'southward little demand to set a bookmark. If y'all're using Bing as your search engine, simply typing "speed test" into the search bar will bring up a uncomplicated, obvious in-browser speed test in the list of results. Typing the same query into Google's search engine will produce similar results, though Google is more proactive about telling you what it'south doing and what data information technology collects. Each examination takes but a few seconds to run.

Here's what Bing shows you:

tech maintenance speed test edited Bing — If you use Microsoft's Bing search engine, y'all can get your results back from your speed test back in a flash.

And hither's Google's speed test, alongside its results:

Y'all're perfectly welcome to get elsewhere, too. Ookla's Speedtest.net is the most common site to examination your internet connectedness; all you need is a web browser with JavaScript turned on (it usually is unless you switched it off) and Adobe Flash installed. There are a couple of alternatives if y'all don't have Wink installed (and don't want it installed). In that location's an HTML 5 version of Ookla'southward Speedtest.net, or you can utilize Speedof.me, which also uses HTML 5.

speedofme — Speedof.me is an HTML v-based bandwidth graph that doesn't rely on Adobe Flash.

All yous have to exercise at this point is click the greenish "Brainstorm Test" button, and Speedtest.net volition bank check both your download and upload speed. This may accept anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on your network speed.

Those aren't your only options for testing your broadband connection; MegaPath also offers a speed test, as well as what it calls Speed Examination Plus, which evaluates the quality of your connection in addition to its raw speed. Your ISP might also offer a speed test tool, though you may need to practice a niggling poking around for it. And router manufacturers are increasingly including speed tests in their products' firmware and/or the mobile apps they distribute with their products (although in that latter case, you'll be using a wireless connexion).

Don't exist surprised if testing on more than one service yields slightly different results. The amount of data each test uses, the latency to and from each server, and the always changing network conditions on the Internet will introduce some unavoidable variability. Fourth dimension of day will as well; it's no surprise that you'll probably notation higher speeds at midnight, say, when fewer people volition exist streaming. That variability is the reason that we run benchmark software multiple times when we test a laptop or CPU, to compute an average. Since the tests accept a second or 2 to run, you can do the aforementioned.

Isolate the problem

linksys speedtest — Many router manufacturers include broadband speed-test utilities in the router's firmware and/or in the mobile apps that ship alongside them.

Don't be surprised if you're not getting the peak speed your Internet access provider says information technology tin can deliver—almost no i does. But if your connection is significantly slower than what was promised, many different factors could be coming into play. There might be a problem with your equipment, or it could be an issue on your ISP's stop. Well-nigh ISPs maintain a tech-support page where you can go to run across if they're aware of any problems with their service. This link volition take you to the location of AT&T's DSL troubleshooter.

If your Internet service provider isn't reporting a problem, you can get-go your ain troubleshooting by eliminating your equipment as a factor. First try using a dissimilar estimator. If you lot get acceptable performance on the second motorcar, y'all can't blame the Internet service provider. If the 2nd computer also has a tiresome cyberspace connection, run some other bandwidth test after each of these suggestions: Try using a unlike ethernet cable to connect your PC to your router. Endeavor swapping out the cable that connects your router to your internet gateway (your DSL, fiber, or cable modem). Troubleshoot your router: Turn it off or unplug information technology for a minute or two and then turn it back on. Y'all should e'er be running the latest firmware on your router, and then this is a good time to update it if you haven't lately. If y'all're still not seeing an comeback, endeavour ability-cycling your DSL, cablevision, or cobweb modem.

If you lot've jumped through all of those hoops, and y'all're nevertheless have functioning issues, information technology's time to phone call your ISP's tech-support line.

Updated on March 27 with additional details. Additional reporting by Mark Hachman.