How to Test the Speed of an Internet Connection From an iPhone
As an IT person, sometimes it comes in handy to be able to test how much bandwidth your Internet Service Provider is giving you. Normally, I would do this from a regular computer and find a bandwidth test website, but I always thought it would be convenient to be able to do the test directly from my iPhone since I always have it with me. This was a problem in itself, because many of the bandwidth tests out there are Flash-based, and unfortunately, the iPhone can't run Flash and the other Java-based ones I tried just wouldn't work with the phone. Well, thanks to a handy, free app by SpeedTest.net, you can now perform bandwidth tests directly from your iPhone.
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Things You'll Need
- iPhone
- Speedtest App (see Resources Section for iTunes Link)
- Wi-Fi Connection
Instructions
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Go to the app store and download the Speed Test application. At the time of this writing the app is free.
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Click the Speed Test icon to run the app.
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Click "OK" when the app it asks if it can use your current location. This tells SpeedTest.net which of their servers to use to test your connection. They want to make sure you're using the server geographically closest to you, so the results are as accurate as possible.
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Take a quick moment to make sure you are connected to your Wi-Fi network. You should see the connection strength at the top. When you're ready, click "Begin Test" to start the bandwidth test.
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Next you'll see the app go through a download test and then an upload test. What's happening during this process is that a file is being copied to your phone from Speed Test's servers and is then copied back to their servers. The amount of time it takes to do that is used to calculate your bandwidth test results.
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When the app is finished it will show you the results in kbps. Hit "test again" if you need to rerun the test.
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Hit "Settings" and you will be taken to a page where you can change what Speed Test server you are using for the test and also specify the unit of measurement.
It will also tell you your internal and external IP addresses and even try to guess your latitude and longitude. The results page stores your test history for later reference. It's a nice addition if you need to prove to your ISP that your bandwidth has suddenly dropped.
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