Highfields Amateur Radio Club
PC Help Pages.

A few people have asked me for a reliable Internet Speed checking software or website so that they can see what speed their broadband connection is actually achieving. Personally I usually use http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk but, as you can see, that is a lot to remember / jot on the back of an envelope! (Both this and the site mentioned below arer telling me that I am now achieving speeds of around 5Mb, so it would seem that Virgin Media have updated the 2Mb speed to the "up to 10Mb" here in Cardiff, still at the same price as 2Mb). Anyway the kind people at Broadband Speedchecker.co.uk let people like me add their speed test to their own website.

Currently this tester on this page will cover up to 20Mb speed and is useful for site visitors in the UK only. If you wish to test a faster connection, check the results given here or are outside the UK try http://speedtest.net/ (move the cursor over the box marked "START TEST TO RECOMMENDED SERVER" which will change to "Begin Test" and click to start the test).

Click on the "Start speed test" bar on the graphic below to start the test, but see the Notes further down if this is your first test or you don't see the speed you expect to.

Further information about broadband speeds, an informative 4½ min video and a downloadable consumer guide (relevant to UK consumers) are available at Broadband Speeds page on the Ofcom site.

Notes:
If you don't see the speed you think you should have / are paying for:


1. Check that your computer is not updating anything over the internet at the same time you're running the test as this will impact on the test.
   Other programs too, such as P2P (peer-to-peer, file sharing etc.) may well be using some of your broadband bandwidth without you realising it. If you have such a program installed make sure it is suspended or not running for the test.
   
   
2. If your broadband is supplied via the telephone line, are you close enough to the exchange for top speeds?
   Even with LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) and ADSL 2+ the further you are from the exchange the less reliable the high speed connection will be. There is only so much data you can send at high speed down a twisted pair of copper wires reliably and the longer the wires the slower the reliable sustainable connection will be.
   
   
3. If you are connected to a home network (wired or wireless) and someone else is using the internet at the same time then the total speed will be shared among all the users.
   For an accurate check make sure that only 1 computer (the one you are using) is in connected. Don't forget that an "idle" PC may be updating anti-virus / OS or other software even if it not actually being used. As an example, Denise was streaming a TV show and I ran the test, it showed me about a quater of the usual reported (2Mb) speed.
   
   
4. If you are using a wireless network you may not see the speed you think you should have / are paying for.
   Having checked 1, 2 & 3 above:
   There could be a problem due to signal interference, which requires the computer / router to continually resend messages to overcome. Household appliances (such as cordless phones, wireless CCTV, baby monitors and microwave ovens) and even your neighbours' WLAN can interfere with your network. To avoid slow Internet connections due to signal interference, reposition your router for better performance and change your Wi-Fi channel number. Some Wi-Fi channel numbers overlap with each other. Channel 1 uses the lowest frequency band and each subsequent channel increases the frequency slightly. The further apart two channel numbers are, the less the degree of overlap and possibility of interference. If encountering interference with a neighbours' WLAN, change to a distant channel. Both channels 1 and 11 do not overlap with the default channel 6. Note: most home users will unpack, plug in and use so chances are that most home WLANs are on the default channel, all "arguing" with each other!

   Tried different channels and the test results are still consistantly at a lower speed and this speed is always around the same mark?
   This could be because your wireless router / PC interface(s) cannot handle the full speed of your connection!
   The "fix" is to upgrade youre wireless network router and/or computer interface(s) to one(s) that can. If you're happy with your equipment then discuss with your service provider about dropping a level or 2 for speed to bring the connection in line with the network speed. You may even save some money!
   
   

5. Is Traffic Management active?
   Some service providers (Virgin Media, for example) "Traffic Manage" users to give everybody a chance to do what they want on line.
   With VM Traffic Management, when a user reaches a pre-determined amount of data transfer between certain hours of the day the speed is halved for the next 4 hours. (Check with your service provider for details of any managemant they may have). Obviously, if you test when "cut" to half speed you will get a slower result to the test!
   
   
6. Even if all the above are not an issue for you the time of day can make an impact on the speed of your connection (don't forget the advertised speed usually says "Up To" because of this, and other, factors).
   Try the test at different times of the day.
   From 4PM through to about 11PM is quite a busy time (I've seen my 2Mb drop to less than 300k, some 1.5% of the top speed!) so try during the day or after midnight when traffic on the internet is lower.
   As with a home network, the more users on the system, the slower speed each one can receive.