5 Ways to test your Internet connection speed
There are many sites out there that allow you to easily test your internet speed. Why would you want to test? I see a lot of companies that pay for a speed that they don’t have or can’t reach because of hardware limitations. If you have an older firewall, for example, it may have a lower maximum throughput than the new speed you are paying for.
1. http://www.Speedtest.net – One of the most popular ones out there.
2. http://speakeasy.net/speedtest/ – A great alternative
3. http://www.speedio.com – It also shows the number of connections per minute and average ping time
4. http://www.Pingtest.net – Broadband quality analyzer
5. http://www.BandwidthPlace.com – This is the simplist and easiest to use of them all. Just press Start.
If you find that you have reached a maximum much lower than expected then do the following steps.
STEPS TO DIAGNOSE
1. Connect you computer directly to your router (eliminate the switch)
– If you get full speed then your router or switch are probably to blame
2. Plug your computer by itself in the router (assuming your router is providing DHCP service)
– If you get full speed then your switch is probably to blame.
Check that all you computers are connecting consistently at the correct speed and not falling back to a slowing speed. Keep in mind that “falling back” is a dramatic loss of speed. You’ll notice a difference going from a 1Gbps (a.k.a. 1000Mbps) to a 100Mbps link.
Make sure that all the cables you use at CAT 6 or 5e at a minimum for 1G speeds. Make sure all your cables respect the maximum lengths and are in good shape. Also check that the wiring in your walls is CAT 5e certified. If you’re moving to 10G speeds, then you’ll want the CAT 6 as a minimum.