How to Measure Your Bandwidth Speed

The speed of your Internet access is something that can vary greatly based solely on factors beyond your control, like weather or a poorly functioning network. But it can also be due to things like spyware and adware clogging up your bandwidth speed, or cheap neighbours using your wireless Internet rather than paying for their own.

Because of that, measuring your bandwidth speed is a good way of making sure that your Internet is performing to your expectations, or if there may be something wrong with your computer, your Internet, or your Internet carrier that requires changes to be made.

Measuring your bandwidth speed is relatively simple. All you need to do is make sure you are connected to the Internet. Then close any programs that may be accessing the Internet (as well as turning off any computers that may also be using your modem) and go to one of the bandwidth speed test sites.

These test sites will send you a moderately sized file from their server. It will then measure the speed with which your computer is able to download the file, so that you can see how well your Internet is currently performing when it comes to receiving data. You will get a result that will be in terms of megabits per second or kilobits per second.

In many ways, you should not take this result too seriously. That is, if it is a little below your expectations, it may simply be because it is too cold outside, too many people are accessing the website or the Internet, or your Internet carrier is currently performing some type of small upgrade.
Obviously if you find out that your connection speed is working well, there is nothing to worry about. A good bandwidth connection cannot be the result of anything negative going on with your Internet carrier or your computer, so a good result should tell you that the money you are investing in the Internet is going to good use.

However, a poor performing bandwidth connection can also be a sign of many other problems. It can show you that your Internet carrier is not providing you with a bandwidth that you are satisfied with (requiring that you switch carriers), it can be a sign that you have adware or other forms of malware that are using up your bandwidth against your will (requiring that you reformat your hard drive or find a program to remove the unwanted programs) or that your network card or computer are not processing the data at a speed you are satisfied with.

While the results of a single bandwidth connection test should not be considered the final say in whether or not your computer’s Internet access is performing badly, a poor performance on a bandwidth test can be a sign that there is something going on with your Internet access or the programs on your computer, and you can then take that information and update your computer with the necessary changes that you need to make in order to get a better bandwidth connection in the future.