How to check internet speed on a computer or mobile device

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

What to do before the test and what services to use.

1. Prepare the device

These steps will help you get more accurate test results.

• Close file downloaders, streaming service applications, and other programs that may be using the Internet.
• If you measure the speed in the browser, switch to incognito mode: extensions that can affect the speed do not work in it by default. Also, close all unnecessary tabs.
• If you are using a VPN, disable it.
• If you want to know the maximum speed that your home provider provides, connect your computer to the Internet via a cable if possible. The result can be influenced by the characteristics of the router, the level of interference in the wireless network and the distance from the signal source. Therefore, a cable connection will provide more accurate readings.
• If you want to know exactly the speed of the router, then connect the device via Wi-Fi.
• Disconnect all gadgets from the Internet, except for the one on which you want to test the speed of the Network.

2. Understand the metrics

Incoming speed (Download Speed) - the speed of downloading files from the web. This indicator is considered key, it is its value that is most often called Internet speed. The higher it is, the faster web pages open, content is downloaded, and games and online broadcasts work more stable.

Outgoing speed (Upload Speed) - the speed of uploading files to the Network. The higher the value of this parameter, the faster data is transferred from the local device to the server or to the gadgets of other users.

Ping (Ping) - the total time it takes for the outgoing signal to reach the server and the response to your device. Measured in milliseconds (Ms). The lower this indicator, the faster the server responds to your actions. As a rule, ping below 50MS is enough not to experience latency even in demanding online games.

Mbps (Mbit / s or Mbps) and MB / s (MB / s) - megabits and megabytes per second. These are popular units for measuring internet speed. You can convert one to the other: there are eight megabits in one megabyte.

3. Check your internet speed using these services

It is important to understand that each service gives only approximate values. In addition, ping and speed strongly depend on the distance and the current load on the server participating in the test. The closer it is and the fewer users it serves at the moment, the better the performance.

Therefore, it is optimal to measure the speed in several services and at different times of the day, and take the arithmetic average as a result.

Yandex. Internetometer

Platforms: web

The simplest Yandex tool. Shows outgoing and incoming speeds. For convenience, the results are displayed simultaneously in both megabytes and megabits per second. You cannot select a server for testing.

Yandex. Internetometer →

Fast

Platforms: web, Android, iOS

Netflix service. By default, it only shows the incoming speed. But if you click More Info, Fast will also display the ping, which is labeled Latency, and the outgoing speed. The server to check is automatically selected.

Fast →

Speedtest

Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Apple TV

It is perhaps the most popular internet speed testing service in the world. Speedtest has more than five thousand servers at its disposal in different countries. You can choose one of them manually or rely on auto-selection. The service displays outgoing and incoming speeds, as well as ping.

Speedtest keeps a history of measurements. With its help, you can track how your internet speed changes over time. And if you register, the history will start synchronizing between all devices via the web version. Synchronization is not available on Speedtest clients.

In the mobile application, you can choose the units of speed measurement: megabytes, megabits, or even kilobytes per second. In addition, the program provides a free VPN with a 2GB per month limit.

The service displays ads. It can be hidden in mobile applications for $ 1.

Speedtest →

Speedcheck

Platforms: web, Android, iOS

Another cross-platform service that is rapidly gaining popularity. Speedcheck displays ping, outgoing and incoming internet speeds. You cannot select a server for testing, but there is a measurement history that is synchronized between devices.

The app is more functional than the web version. The program evaluates the suitability of the current wireless connection for various tasks: games, streaming, video communication, and so on. Grades are given on a five-point scale. In addition, you can select the units of measure for speed, just like in Speedtest.

The app displays ads that can be turned off for $ 4.

The Android version has a couple of exclusive features: the ability to set up an automatic check of the Internet on a schedule, as well as detailed statistics of the results.

Speedcheck →

Meteor

Platforms: Android, IOS

An application from OpenSignal, a wireless analytics company. Meteor not only displays Internet speed and ping, but also estimates how efficiently installed programs can operate at current rates.

The application keeps a history of measurements and displays the results on a map. This way you can see where the internet works best.

μTorrent

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android

In addition to the specialized services listed above, the incoming internet speed can be checked using μTorrent or any other torrent client. This method will be convenient if you already know how to download files from trackers.

To use the client for the test, put on download any large file that has more than 1,000 distributors (seeds) and as few downloads (liches) as possible. This will ensure the maximum download speed. Also, make sure that the program settings do not specify any restrictions on the download speed of content and that it does not download files in parallel from other distributions.

The torrent client always shows the speed at which it downloads files. Its average value can be considered the approximate incoming Internet speed.

μTorrent →

This material was first published in August 2017. In April 2020, we updated the text.