Table of contents:
⦁ How to test your internet speed?
⦁ Internet speed via cable and WIFI.
⦁ What the speed test measures;
⦁ Upload speed;
⦁ Download speed;
⦁ Ping.
⦁ The difference between internet speed and bandwidth.
⦁ What speed should you have according to your connection?
To perform a meaningful speed test allowing you to measure the exact internet speed you receive from your internet provider, it is recommended to:
- Connect your computer directly via Ethernet cable.
- Ensure that the computer is not performing other tasks that may slow down the internet speed, such as downloading.
- Disconnect other devices, leaving only your computer connected.
- Run the speed test.
2- What the internet speed test measures:
a) Upload and Download speed:
Speaking of Internet speed, we must distinguish between the two facets: the upload speed and the download speed.
- Upload speed: is responsible for the speed of uploading digital data such as attachments in your e-mail (photos, videos, Word documents...). So, the upload speed is the speed at which your internet connection allows you to send data from your devices to the Internet.
- The download speed: is the speed at which you can download data from Internet to your devices. The download speed is the speed at which your internet connection can retrieve data from the Internet.
b) The ping:
Or "latency" refers to the time it takes for a small set of data to be transmitted from your device to a server on the Internet and back to your device. Ping time is measured in milliseconds (ms). Ping is a crucial indicator for online games, but also normal Internet browsing.
The ping test also appears in the speed test at the top of the page.
3- Internet speed and bandwidth:
Because this question of the difference between bandwidth and internet speed always comes up, we will start by presenting the difference between these two concepts.
Internet speed:
This is the actual connection speed that the Internet user receives instead of the bandwidth, which is the theoretical maximum speed. The throughput can be seen as the actual bandwidth that remains of the theoretical bandwidth after the latter is exposed to various interferences such as the number of users, the type of data transmitted. etc., which makes it is often lower than the bandwidth. The throughput is measured at a specific time of the day.
Bandwidth:
This term is used to indicate the maximum throughput of the transmission channel. It signifies the network’s capacity, i.e. the amount of data that can flow over the web in a given period.
The measurement of internet connection speed follows the following units of measurement:
| Unit of measurement | Abbreviation | Equivalence |
| Bits per second | Bits/s | 1bit/s = fundamental unit |
| Kilobits per second | Kbits/s | 1Kbit/s = 1000bit/s |
| Mégabits per second | Mbits/s | 1Mbit/s = 1000 000 bits/s |
| Gigabits per second | Gbits/s | 1Gbit/s = 1000 000 000 bit/s |
4- Internet speed via Ethernet cable vs WI FI:
The result of the speed test via cable is not similar to that via Wi-Fi.
Because in the case of a wired connection (via Rj45 cable), you receive almost all your throughput because the wired connection allows a faster and more stable data transmission than the wireless connection.
In this case, via Wi-Fi, the test result will generally be lower than that of the cable in the case of a wireless connection due to the various interferences that the Wi-Fi signal can suffer, such as the walls of your house, electromagnetic waves, metal etc.
5- What speed should you have according to your connection?
Your internet speed depends entirely on the technology you use (fiber optic or ADSL) and, therefore, on the speed of your internet package. Or if you are connected with a smartphone to a 3G/4G network or a 5G connection.
In theory the internet speeds according to each technology are generally as follows:
| Technology | Download speed | Upload speed |
| Optical fiber | 300 to 8000 Mbps | 300 to 700 Mbps |
| Coaxial cable | 100 to 1000 Mbps | 10 to 100 Mbps |
| VDSL | 25 to 90 Mbps | 3 to 30 Mbps |
| ADSL | 1 to 20 Mbps | 128 to 800 Kbps |
In the case of a cellular internet connection, the theoretical speeds of the different networks are:
| Technology | Download speed | Upload speed |
| 5G | 300 to 2000 Mbps | 20 to 300 Mbps |
| 4G | 20 to 300 Mbps | 10 to 100 Mbps |
| 3G | 2 to 30 Mbps | 1 to 10 Mbps |
Note that these speeds are theoretical. The actual speed you receive in practice will be influenced by several factors such as the simultaneous use of bandwidth by different devices (smartphones, televisions, tablets ... etc.) and the distance between you and your Internet router.
By applying the following tips, you will be able to improve your internet connection speed and have a better throughput:
- Connect your computer to the modem in wired mode, i.e., via Ethernet cable.
- Make sure you have reliable equipment, especially your modem and router.
- Turn off any connected devices that you are not using.
- Get as close to your router as possible to receive an optimal signal.
- Pay attention to the location of your router, which should be placed in an open and uncluttered area, ideally in the middle of the house, to optimize the Wi-Fi signal.
- Choose a fiber optic connection: If your line is eligible for fiber optic and you have another technology currently (ADSL or VDSL), we strongly recommend that you switch to fiber, because it allows higher speeds.