People across the globe rely heavily on their internet connections to stay connected with others, enjoy entertainment, and tackle work tasks. Technology has come a long way since the days of a dial-up connection, but when your connection slows down, it can feel like you are back to that speed once again. Testing your internet speed can help you gain insights into the connection and what might help speed it up again.
Why Test Internet Speed
Whether you are surfing the web, streaming video content, or trying to work, it is important to know that your internet speed can keep up with your needs. Certain actions taken online use more bandwidth, such as streaming videos or using a video-chatting app, but your internet should be able to keep up with what you do online. Conducting a quick internet speed test is an easy way to take stock of the performance of the connection.
How to Test Internet Speed
Many online tools offer internet speed testing, which you can use to determine the speed of your connection. A speed test will measure both the upload and download speeds, and both of these numbers are important for different reasons. The upload speed refers to how quickly you can send something from your electronic device to a server, while the download speed measures how fast you can pull something from another server to your device. To most users, the download speed is more important because it enables actions like video streaming, gaming, and video chat.
Internet speed is measured by megabits per second, which is often shortened to Mbps. If you were trying to download a file with an internet speed of 100 Mbps, you could download 100 megabits of the file per second. Internet service providers often provide several levels of service to subscribers, and the speed you choose will depend on your online usage and the number of people and devices using the subscription.
Accuracy of Internet Speed Test Results
Although many online tools offer speed testing, not all will offer accurate results. Additionally, the actions you take when conducting a speed test will impact the accuracy of the results. It is important to perform a speed test with a wired connection, rather than a Wi-Fi connection, as your ethernet connection provides service directly from the source. Wireless connections have to travel through a router, which can impact the speed. Internet connection speeds can also change throughout the day, based on peak usage times. Running the test several times during a day can give you more accurate results.
If you use Cox as your internet service provider, you may be wondering why your Cox internet is so slow. This provider offers an accurate speed test to determine the speed of your connection, which you can use to make sure you are getting the speed for which you pay in your monthly subscription fee. Internet speeds continue to get faster, so test yours to ensure that your connection is consistently measuring at the subscription level you expect. If you are not getting the speeds you should be, contact your provider to find out why and what they can do to fix the problem.
