Testing Your Broadband Connection Speed

Following is a list of sites that offer testing of your connection speed. There are a few things to consider when digesting the results. Among them are traffic conditions, distance of server to your location, and the method in which they do the testing. Through my experience, I have found the java app from DSLReports to be the most accurate. The others might make you feel good with bloated numbers and you may choose that, but for accuracy stick with the DSLReports style of a testing or one that was setup by your ISP.

Some things to keep in mind!

• It is recommended that you reset your modem and/or router before performing any speed tests. If you doubt me, do the test before and after recycling the power to your equipment, and compare the results. My guess is you'll find anything from a minor variation to one that is most favorable.

• Do your testing as early as possible in the day. 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning is a good start!

• Close every application down with the exception of one browser window.

• An alternate to using these speed testing sites is to download large files preferably via FTP from a server on your own ISP. Jot down your results. Make your network changes (i.e. MTU etc) and go back for further testing.

• I don't recommend so-called Internet boosting utilities, as most times, these can do more harm than good, especially if you are on a LAN.

• Many of these sites use different methods, usually methods that won't burden their own servers. While this is good for the test site, it's not very accurate information for you. Also, many of these links are little more than portals to advertising and a way for these sites to draw in users.

You can check out my Tweak Your Connection page, but it's a work in progress.

(All of my testing has been done on a 1.5 Mbps ADSL connection so your actual mileage may vary!)