Do you know what is an internet speedtest? Or how fast does your internet run? We all wonder at one point or another. Ever since we started depending on our devices to work, having reliable internet has become a necessity. Slow internet speeds can put a damper on your work productivity, if not bring it to a standstill.
For that reason, internet speed tests can be useful. An internet speedtest measures how fast your internet is in real-time, typically in less than a minute. It can also give you other important stats such as download and upload speed, ping time, and IP address, and help give you the information you need to make internet service decisions.
Let’s Dissect the Speedtest:
Now that you know what a speedtest is and how it works, let’s get down to what information you receive from a speedtest:
- Download Speed: download speed refers to how fast you can retrieve data from the internet. Think downloading apps, downloading files, saving photos from google to your phone gallery, etc.
- Upload Speed: The opposite of download speed, upload speed refers to how fast you can send data from your devices to the internet. Think uploading pictures to Instagram, making Facebook posts, uploading files to an email etc.
- Ping-time: Ping time is how fast your internet connection is at getting a response back after sending a request. Ping time is measured in milliseconds, so as you can imagine, it’s pretty fast.
- IP Address: IP address stands for internet protocol address, and it is a series of numbers that identifies any internet connected device that uses internet protocol for communication.
Jitter and Latency
Jitter and latency are two important factors that can affect the quality of internet connections. Jitter is the variation in the time it takes for packets of data to travel from one point to another. Latency, on the other hand, is the amount of time it takes for a packet of data to travel from one point to another.
When performing an internet speedtest, jitter and latency can have a significant impact on the results. A high level of jitter can cause packets of data to arrive at their destination out of order, which can lead to delays and interruptions in the transmission of data. Latency, on the other hand, can affect the overall speed of the connection, as the longer it takes for packets to travel, the longer it will take for data to be transmitted.
To minimize jitter and latency, it is important to have a stable and reliable internet connection. This can be achieved by using high-quality equipment and ensuring that all devices are properly configured. Additionally, using a wired connection instead of a wireless one can also help to reduce jitter and latency.
Wired vs. Wi-Fi
Keep in mind that a hard-wired connection to your internet will give you a higher speedtest result than a Wi-Fi connection due to several factors. One of the main reasons is that Wi-Fi is a wireless technology and is subject to interference from other devices and physical obstacles, which can slow down the connection.
Additionally, Wi-Fi signals can degrade over distance, so the closer the device is to the router, the faster the connection will be. Wired connections, on the other hand, are not subject to these issues and are typically faster and more reliable.
What Devices Do Speed Tests Work on:
Gone are the days, where we only used computers to connect to the internet. You most likely use a bunch of different devices, and the internet speed test can tell you all of the info above from virtually any of them. Here’s some devices you can speedtest:
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