Friday, December 16, 2011

Internet Speed Test Sites

If your Internet connection seems slow, the first step is to benchmark it using an Internet speed test. An Internet speed test can give you a fairly accurate indication of how much bandwidth is available to you at the current time.
Internet speed tests are great for proving that you are, or are not, getting the bandwidth from your ISP that you're paying for.
Test your bandwidth with one or more of these free Internet speed test sites and then share your results:
Note: The best Internet speed test would be one between you and any given website you're using. That said, testing your Internet speed with any of the services below should give a general idea of the kind of bandwidth you have available.

Speedtest.net Internet Speed Test

Speedtest.net Internet Speed Test

All things considered, Speedtest.net is the best Internet speed test available. It's fast, free, and has available to it a huge list of worldwide test locations, making for more accurate results than average. The nearest server is automatically calculated based on your IP address.
Speedtest.net also keeps a log of all the Internet speed tests that you perform and creates an attractive results graphic you can share online.
Speedtest.net is operated by Ookla, a major provider of speed test technology to other Internet speed test sites. See more about Ookla at the bottom of the page.
Mobile apps for both iPhone and Android are also available from Speedtest.net, allowing you to test your Internet speed from your phone to their servers!
Speedtest.net Internet Speed Test Review
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ISP-Hosted Internet Speed Tests

ISP-Hosted Internet Speed Tests
Testing your Internet speed between you and your Internet Service Provider is probably the best way to go if you're planning on making an argument to your ISP about your slow Internet connection.
Here are several "official" ISP-hosted Internet speed tests:
Am I missing the official Internet speed test site for your ISP? Let me know the name of the ISP and the link to the bandwidth test and I'll get it added.

Consumer Broadband Test

Consumer Broadband Test Internet Speed Test
The Consumer Broadband Test is an Internet speed test setup by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at Broadband.gov.
I suppose you could call this broadband test the "official" US Internet speed test but that would be a bit of a stretch. The Consumer Broadband Test is just hosted by the FCC. Bandwidth testing is actually performed, randomly I might add, by either Ookla (see the last entry in this list) or M-Lab.
While it's not clear in the information provided by the FCC, I'm assuming the closest possible server is chosen automatically for the speed test.

Speakeasy Speed Test

Speakeasy Speed Test
Speakeasy's bandwidth test lets test your Internet speed back and forth from a short list of server locations that you can choose manually.
Speakeasy might be to your liking then if you're interested for some reason in testing your Internet speed between yourself and a specific area of the US verses the closest server possible.
Ookla provides the engine and servers for Speakeasy, making it very similar to Speedtest.net, but I've included it here due to its popularity.

Bandwidth Place Speed Test

Bandwidth Place Speed Test
Bandwidth Place is yet another Internet speed test option. It's unclear if there are multiple servers in use to help give you more accurate results but I'd guess there's only one.
I wouldn't use Bandwidth Place as my only test but it might be a good choice if you'd like to confirm results you're getting with a better service like Speedtest.net or Speakeasy.

AuditMyPC.com Speed Test

AuditMyPC.com Speed Test
Another good Internet speed test site is this one hosted at AuditMyPC.com. While there are no multiple server locations to choose from, the test is quick and the results very easy to read.
Like most other bandwidth speed test sites available, this site tests both download bandwidth and upload bandwidth.

CNET Bandwidth Meter Online Speed Test

CNET Bandwidth Meter Online Speed Test
The CNET Bandwidth Meter Online Speed Test is an Internet speed test that functions like most others.
This isn't my favorite Internet speed test considering that there's only one predefined testing location and no upload test. But hey, the graphics are kind of cool.

Ookla and Internet Speed Test Sites

Ookla and Internet Speed Test Sites
Ookla has a kind of monopoly on Internet speed testing, probably because they've made it so easy to use their technology on other sites. If you look carefully at a lot of Internet speed test sites you find in search engine results, you might notice that ubiquitous Ookla logo.
Many of these Ookla-powered bandwidth tests are essentially identically, meaning you're better off sticking with Ooka's own Speedtest.net.
Some of these speed tests however, like some of the ISP-hosted tests above, are powered by Ookla's excellent software but use their own server as testing points. In those cases, especially when testing your Internet speed against what you're paying for, those tests are better bets than Speedtest.net.

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