One of the most well-known internet speed test services available is Speedtest by Ookla. RELATED: Windows computer acting up? Tap or click for seven DIY tools you can use to diagnose the problem. This is especially true if many of your neighbors work from home and hogging up bandwidth on video conferences or streaming presentations. You also might find specific periods when it’s slow, depending on your area’s network congestion. This will give you an overall picture of your connection speed. Write your results down, so you don’t forget. Be sure to run multiple tests over several days at different times. Your mileage may vary.Ĭompare the results you get against the speeds that your internet service provider promises you. It’s a good idea to conduct the test at more than one site. Now that you know what internet speed is required for certain activities, it’s time to test your actual bandwidth and compare it to the speed you should be getting. Households with multiple computers and gadgets, video streaming services, smart appliances, and simultaneous users should aim for at least a 20 Mbps plan. If you continuously download files from the web and cloud storage services, get a plan with this advertised speed at the very least.Ģ0 Mbps and higher – Now we’re talking. Although this is the baseline speed required for HD content, it could still lead to buffering, especially if you have multiple connected gadgets.ġ0-20 Mbps – This is the minimum speed for a consistent and reliable internet experience. This speed may be enough for a one-computer household, but with all the HD content available on the web right now, you should expect constant video buffering.ĥ-10 Mbps – Netflix recommends at least 5 Mbps for a single HD stream, and you’ll double that for two simultaneous HD streams.
However, this is not ideal for video streaming.ģ-4 Mbps – This is the minimum speed for standard video streaming from services like Netflix. In general, the pricier the plan, the faster your internet should be.ġ-3 Mbps – Good enough for web surfing, email, social, casual online gaming (if you don’t mind some latency) and email. Every provider promises different tiers of internet speed rates. Internet speed is typically measured in “megabits per second” or Mbps. You don’t want any activity skewing results. Note: Before you test your internet speed, make sure no one in your home network is doing bandwidth-hogging tasks like downloading or sharing files, streaming videos, gaming, etc. Afterward, compare the results of the test to the speed advertised by your internet provider. Tap or click here for the way tech pros reboot their routers where patience can pay off in a more reliable signal.īeyond that, how can you pinpoint the issue? Your first step is to check your connection speed. You may be tempted to unplug yours and plug it right back in, but that’s a mistake.
Speaking of, your router or modem also be the culprit. Tap or click for ways to boost your Wi-Fi coverage for good, including changing the router’s channel, which hardly anyone does. Wireless networks are notorious for connection problems. We wonder whether it’s our browser, our device, or the website we’re visiting. We all know the pain of “slow” internet: videos buffer, downloads take ages, and a single page can take forever to load.