Okay, so you have a high-speed broadband connection. The advertised speed is 3 Mbit downstream and 768 Kbit upstream. Are you really getting what speeds you are supposed to get?

I test my Internet connection quite frequently to make sure I’m getting what I’m paying for. There are two Web sites that I frequent to test my Internet connection, and I’ve found both of them to be the most accurate for downstream speed tests. As for upstream testing, one out of two of these test Web sites offers a free upload speed test service.

One Web site that I use all the time is bandwidthplace.com. It has test servers all around the world with very good Internet connections, so you’ll get an accurate test result. I like Bandwidth Place because it’s very easy to use, and doesn’t take long to test your connection. You simply specify the type of Internet connection that you have and your current location. If you’re wondering why it asks for your current location, it’s because the site will select the test server that is geographically closest to you. Since Bandwidth Place has a paid service as well, there’s a limitation to the free test. Under the free tester, you will be allowed three tests per month (per IP address). It has two paid packages available. One of its paid packages costs US$11.88 per year and allows 100 tests per month. It’s other paid package costs US$59.88 and allows for 1000 tests per month.

My other favorite test Web site is TOAST.net. This is a small ISP located in Toledo, Ohio. It has a list of test servers (fifteen, to be exact). Eight of the servers are free to use, and seven come with its paid package (US$2.95/month). You probably won’t need the paid package unless, for some reason, you require access to its premium test servers. TOAST.net also has a free upstream speed test to test your connection’s upstream.

I find speed testing an important part of the Internet. Many times when I find that my Internet connection is slower than it should be, I can run a speed test and contact my ISP if necessary.

If you have a suggestion for an article, or a question/comment about this one, please e-mail me.

.::READER SUGGESTIONS::.
Gary said that he likes using the Verizon Internet speed tester, at http://infospeed.verizon.net/speedtest/speedtest500k.asp

Unnikrishnan said that he uses: http://www.numion.com/YourSpeed/
to test his Internet connection’s speed.