Connection lagging? Here’s how to test your Wi-Fi speed
Ever feel like your internet is running slow? Webpages seem sluggish while uploads and downloads take forever? It’s very frustrating, especially when you pay for high-speed internet.
Many things can cause websites and emails to load slowly. It could be your browser, your computer or a website problem. Tap or click here to see which browser is best for your needs.
The first culprit to investigate is your internet connection. Speedtest.net is a simple way to find out if you’re getting what your service provider promises.
How to check your internet speed
Just visit Speedtest.net and click “Go” in the middle of the screen. It will automatically detect test servers near your location. For the first test, use the server it chooses. Afterward, you can try other servers around the country if you want.
It will quickly tell you the ping, upload speed and download speed of your connection.
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Ping measures how fast you get a response back from the test server. Lower numbers are better. If you play online multiplayer games, you’ll want less than 100 milliseconds.
As for uploading and downloading, measurements are given in megabits per second, and higher numbers are better.
You can compare these numbers against the speeds that your internet service provider promises you. Speedtest also lets you compare against other people with the same service.
Be sure to run multiple tests over several days at different times. This will give you a better overall picture of your average connection speed.
Before you test your speed, close any other browser tabs. Also, stop any downloads you may have in progress. You will also want to use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi, just in case your Wi-Fi is spotty.
Speedtest will recommend you download Chrome to improve your speed, but it isn’t mandatory. Whichever browser you use, just make sure it’s updated. Tap or click here to learn how to update your browser to the latest version.
Remember to always update for faster speeds and for more protection against viruses and malware.
Tags: browser, connection speed, Download speed, internet, internet speed, malware, speedtest, Wi-Fi