What Is Internet Speed and Why It Matters?

Internet speed tests are now a common diagnostic tool for identifying connection issues and determining that you're getting the service you're paying for. But have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when you click that "Start Test" button? Let's uncover the mystery of internet speed tests. For more tech insights and VPN comparisons, visit: VPN Comparenow

The Basics of Speed Testing

Fundamentally, an internet speed test measures three important aspects of your connection:

Download speed: How fast data travels from the internet to your computer
Upload speed: How fast data travels from your computer to the internet
Ping/Latency: How fast a packet of data can make a round trip

Some of the more sophisticated tests also test measuring jitter (variance in ping) and packet loss (data that never arrives).

The Speed Test Process Step by Step

Step 1: Server Selection

When you initiate a speed test, the utility first selects a server to test from. The majority of speed tests select the closest server to your geographical position by default to preclude distance factors from impacting the results. Some tests provide an option of selecting servers manually from various locations.

Physical distance from you to the test server significantly impacts your results, particularly for measuring ping.

Step 2: Ping Test

The test begins by sending a tiny data packet to the server and measuring how long it takes to receive a reply. This is repeated a few times to create an average ping time, in millisecond (ms). During this step, the test may also track jitter by looking at the variations between these ping times.

Step 3: Download Test

To calculate download speed, the test establishes multiple connections to the server and downloads sample data. All tests proceed in the following manner:

Start with small size to find initial speed
Automatically increase the size of the test iteratively in accordance with connection speed
Establish multiple parallel connections to maximum your bandwidth
Find out how much data is downloaded in a specific time interval
Compute speed in Megabits per second (Mbps). Up-to-date speed tests adjust the test time and data size dynamically based on your connection speed to provide accurate measurements without sending too much unnecessary data.

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Step 4: Upload Test

The upload test works similarly to the download test but in reverse directions. The test sends data from your device to the server and times how quickly the send is:

Create sample data packets on your device
Send these packets to the server through multiple simultaneous connections
Take a measurement of data uploaded within some period of time
Calculate the speed in Megabits per second (Mbps)
Upload tests are generally performed with smaller samples of data than download tests since most consumer connections have very small upload relative to download bandwidth.

Step 5: Analysis of Results

After these tests are completed, the program processes the raw data to generate your ultimate results:

Identifies and removes outliers that might skew findings
Calculates averages and peak performance
Compares results with expected speeds for different activities
Presents the data in a readable format

The Technologies Used in Speed Tests

HTTP/HTTPS: Browser tests use typical web protocols
WebSocket: Enables real-time communication for improved testing
HTML5: New tests utilize HTML5 capabilities instead of conventional Flash-based methods
TCP/UDP: Tests utilize other internet protocols to test performance

Our speed test actually utilizes WebSocket technology for improved real-time testing and HTML5 for plugin-free testing.

Factors That Affect Speed Test Results

1. Server Location and Load

Physical distance from the test server and load on it may have a dramatic impact. Running a test with a server in another part of the world will always register higher ping and potentially lower speeds.

2. Device Limits

Your computer, operating system, and browser all can limit test outcomes:

Older computers are not capable of performing high-speed tests
Some browsers are more suitable for speed testing than others
Network interface cards' highest throughput rate

3. Wi-Fi versus Wired Connections

Wi-Fi connections almost always run slower than wired connections due to:

Other devices' interference
Distance from the router
Wi-Fi protocol limitations
Physical obstructions between your device and router

4. Network Usage

Other devices and apps on your network during the test consume bandwidth and influence results.

5. ISP Traffic Management

Some traffic management strategies employed by some internet service providers can influence speed test outcomes:

Bandwidth prioritization for speed tests
Throttling of specific traffic
Peak hour congestion management

Getting the Most Accurate Results

Close other programs and stop downloading
Disconnect other devices from your network for a time
Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi when available
Try different speed test utilities and compare results
Conduct tests during different times of the day to record deviation
Test from multiple servers to achieve routing complexities

Conclusion

Internet speed tests provide valuable feedback about your connection's quality, but how it is done enables you to more accurately interpret results. No speed test is perfect, but it provides you with a good way of estimating the quality of your connection and breaking down issues.

By accounting for all the various factors that could influence test results, you can better understand what your true internet speed actually is and better gauge whether or not you're getting the service you're paying for from your ISP.