Tests to Measure Internet Speed
The ability to measure Internet speed provides a variety of benefits to Web surfers. Users who require high-speed connections for streaming and uploading video, podcasting or power browsing for work need a consistent, stable connection. Routine speed tests help establish whether or not a service provider delivers this. Random tests also allow account holders to verify that the speeds promoted to them at sign-up time are the speeds they actually experience.
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Download Speed
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The amount of data your computer downloads in a second from the Internet is translated into a measurement of kilobytes per second (Kbps) or megabytes per second (Mbps). This measurement is known as your download speed. A high download speed enables Web pages to load faster and videos to stream with little to no buffering time. Maximum download speeds in the U.S. are 56 Kbps of data for a dial-up connection, 256 Kbps for a 256K DSL hookup and more than 10 Mbps for broadband.
Upload Speed
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Upload speeds are particularly important for Internet users who regularly share videos or pictures on the Web. Because of this, measuring your upload speed is as important as determining an average download speed. The maximum upload speeds in the U.S. are 33.6 Kbps for dial-up, 128 Kbps for a 256K DSL hookup and more than 2 Mbps for a broadband line.
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Testing Downloads and Uploads
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To test your upload speed, find a picture, video or text file in your computer. Right-click the selected file and take note of the file size. Open up a file-hosting service or your email account and upload the file. Use a clock or timer that measures second increments and record the amount of time it takes to upload the file. Divide the file size by the number of seconds to determine your upload speed. To test download speed, pick a PDF document or MP3 download to save on your computer. When the download starts, view the download window and record the file size. Track the download speed with your clock. Divide the file size by the number of seconds the task took to determine your download speed. While this process isn't 100 percent accurate because it relies on host servers and outside files, it can provide you with approximate speeds.
Speed Tests
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Many websites test your download and upload speeds by allowing you to connect to a server in one of several locations throughout the U.S. and world. Speakeasy, Speedtest and MySpeed all provide this service. After you connect, these sites measure your download and upload speeds and display the data on screen. Third-party speed tests such as these allow Internet users to more effectively monitor the quality of their service.
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