Quickly check the speed of your broadband connection

MSE_Martin

What’s this about?

While broadband is sold on the speed, it’s hard to know what you’re really getting. Broadband speed checkers are commonplace, but a new one makes it much easier for novice web users to visualise the speed of their connection.

Simply log on to www.speedtest.net and select your local server. Look in the “download” box for your speed; this should be around the amount promised by your Internet Service Provider when you signed up.

How to do it a bit more of a techie way

This site http://specials.zdnet.co.uk/misc/ban...eedtest50.html does a similar test but as its is downoloading a real file as opposed to a test file, actually looks at how your broadband and firewall interact, giving a more accurate speed. Also http://www.samknows.com/broadband/ is a good site for more accurately checking broadband supply around the UK.

If you repeatedly find it’s slower than the speed you paid for, get in touch and complain!

tvmick

Seen this before, It doesn't represent true speed at all.My speeds are always 0
If you have a Firewall or cookie control of any sort it will NOT work properly.
The GUI looks good but that's it..... Sorry

spacker_2

This one and adsl guide and some others are now so out of tune its unreal, the best thing to do is ask what download rate you should be seeing i.e On a 2meg is about 250kb/s now go to a reliable website at the quiet hours and download any program I use itunes, and see what your speed is, now ofcourse this also has variables but not as many as speed tests as there is (in theory) less people using a download than a speedtest.

This is about the best Ive used http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/

banger9365

these speed tests are all good and dandy put the do not give you a true speed the only way I have found to do that is has spacker says download a file from a good source preferably from Your isp some thing like http://gamefiles.blueyonder.co.uk/blueyondergames/ ,this is what us on cable us and the cs us this site too to test the speeds on cable

Mal27

Yeah, these seed tests are never a true representation of your connection. Closest thing you can get to the real figure is as highlighted above - although make sure you use a download manager to max out the connection as a normal download will never use the full capacity.

ducky2004

I think the ZDNET one works better as it tries to download a big picture file
and timed it and hence works via firewall etc. (This is the same concept as downloading a big file except that server side timing is probably more accurate
than download speed indicated by browser)
http://specials.zdnet.co.uk/misc/band-test/speedtest50.html

toys19

Hi I regularly check my Broadband speed using all of these servces, I am on Talk talk, although they promise up to 8 meg, I never get more than 2, and I live in a city centre!!!
Basically I have been ripped off, and there seems to be very little I can do about it, any ideas?

Thanks

Toys

cbrown7

I agree with toys19.

Learn more than you need to know about your telephone exchange here http://www.samknows.com/broadband/ including the max speed that it supports.

My local now gives up to 6.5Mbps connection but I only ever get 2Mbps with TalkTalk. I've contacted them but I think they currently have other priorities!!!!!

Coldfinger

Read other people's Talk Talk speed gripes here

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews98376.html

http://www.broadband-help.com/providers/reviews/156

You are not alone.

nelly_2

mines 10 megg off NTL so thats not far off

coensel

toys19 wrote:

Hi I regularly check my Broadband speed using all of these servces, I am on Talk talk, although they promise up to 8 meg, I never get more than 2, and I live in a city centre!!!
Basically I have been ripped off, and there seems to be very little I can do about it, any ideas?

Thanks

Toys

I am a bit surprised to see Martin saying "and complain". It is rather important to bare in mind that the BTMax product, which I imagine most people are signing up for when choosing 8Mbit broadband does not promise any speed.

The rule for BTMax is that it can deliver up to 8Mbit, the terms and conditions of your contract should be reflecting this.

Speeds are depending on things like:

• Contention ratio (with how many people, eg neighbours and other people in your area, are you sharing the line), some providers offer a 20:1 ratio, which potentially gives you more reliable speeds at busy times, however the standard is 50:1 I believe.
• Copper quality of the line from BT Exchange to your house, I live a long way away from my exchange, and should not be able to get more then 3Mbit, but I am getting 5 - 6, this is likely to be the quality of the line.
• Provider (I find that you get what you pay for, and often it is usefull to check sites as ADSL speedguide to see how people rate providers).
• Your modem, different modems synchronise differently with BTMax (BTMax decides on what is the maximum speed it can deliver you, if you disconnect your modem a couple of times, it will simply lower your speed as it thinks you get disconnections). A good read is this article.

I can go on for a bit if you'd want to, but you see, it is not as simple as "check your speed and complain", remember that and remember that most 8Mbit products do not guarantee you anything!