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Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like to tell customers how lightning fast their service is compared to that of other companies.
But, of course, in the real world, the actual Internet speed you get will often not live up to the ideal promoted by your ISP.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was an Internet speed test that let you see how fast your Internet service really was?
Well, actually there is!
Internet Speed Test – Speedtest by Ookla
If you head over to www.speedtest.net, you can access an Internet speed test service called Speedtest by Ookla.
And, conducting the test couldn’t be easier. Just click the “Go” button, and your test will start running:
The service will first conduct a ping test (explained below) and then test your download and upload speeds. The test then displays your final results:
You can even share your results on social media by clicking one of the share buttons.
Interpreting The Results
Ping describes the reaction time of your connection. It measures – in milliseconds – how long it takes to get a response after it sends a request. Fast ping is good, so the lower the number the better.
Download shows how fast data can be downloaded to your device and is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). The higher the number the better.
Upload shows how fast data can be uploaded from your device. Again, the higher the number the better. With most services, your upload speed will be a lot slower than your download speed. This is normal.
Speedtest Awards
The site also includes a lot of interesting information about Internet speeds around the world. Clicking the Speedtest Awards link in the footer of the site opens a page that provides data for “The World’s Fastest ISP’s and Mobile Networks”. You can click a flag to get more information about speeds in different countries:
Speedtest Accounts and Apps
Speedtest also allows you to create a free account if you want to access your historical results and manage preferences.
And, you can even download and install an app that runs the speed test and stores your results right on your desktop.
Speedtest by Ookla provides an excellent, very useful, and completely free service to Internet users all around the world. Even if you don’t have a need to use the service that often, it’s good to know it’s there.
