Research shows that people spend an average of 23 hours per week using internet-based communication. This does not include streaming television, gaming, or other forms of entertainment. With these numbers on the rise, it’s important to understand what internet speed is and how you can test yours. Internet speed tests are a fast and easy way to distinguish your internet service level whether you are at home or at the office.
What are Speed Tests?
Speed tests give you real-time information on how fast your connection is at that moment. This measurement is usually delivered in Megabits per second, or Mbps. Speed tests measure your download and upload speeds. Also measured are ping and jitter between your device and your connection.
Another detail to note is that speed tests are valid for the current device you are using, not your entire network. A separate speed test would need to be done on each device to get a clear indication of speed per device.
How do Speed Tests Work?
Speed tests send data back and forth between your device and your server within a specified amount of time. As that data and time gets measured, numerical results will be displayed on your screen.
A few things to note about speed tests: 1) Service providers can offer “up to” speeds. This is not a guarantee that the speeds they advertise are what you will receive. 2) You will get the highest speed results when your device is directly connected to your router with an Ethernet cable.
Download Speeds
Download speed refers to how quickly data is transmitted to your device from your server. Download speeds are important for users who do a lot of streaming, download several files, and the loading of websites. Most sources say a good residential download speed is about 10 Mbps per member of the household.
Upload Speeds
Upload speed refers to how quickly data is transmitted from your device to your server. This information is especially important for remote workers that use online services for phone, video, file sharing, and general collaboration. Antivirus software can slow down upload speeds significantly. Traditionally, residential homes only needed about 5 Mbps for upload speed. However, as more and more people work from home, 25-50 Mbps is more desirable.
Ping
Ping refers to the network response on your device. Any latency between your device and the network will show up in this part of the speed test. Wired connections will always result in a higher ping, as wireless connections can have much more radio interference causing issues. Unlike download and upload speed, ping is measured and reported in milliseconds or ms. Ping results between 20 to 80ms (depending on location) seem to be acceptable.
Jitter
The jitter aspect of the speed test checks the consistency of your line. Jitter looks for errors during transmission. Like ping, jitter is measured in milliseconds. Results for jitter should be less than 30ms.
Bigger, Faster, Stronger
So, let’s say you ran a speed test, and you are not happy with your results. What can you do? You have a few options. The first thing you can do is to call your internet service provider. Discuss your results with them and see what service package you are on. Sometimes ISPs offer faster speeds at a different billing rate.
Another option is to utilize fiber internet. While some cable ISPs offer “up to” 1 gig, or 1000 Mbps, of internet speed, consumers will need to pay a premium for these speeds. Companies on fiber networks bring speed averages of around 1 gig of internet speed to start.
Faster Speeds With SUMOFIBER
Now that you know the importance of your internet speed, it’s time to run a speed test of your own. Once you have run your test, you need to analyze your numbers. If you are not happy, it’s time to give SUMOFIBER a call!
SUMOFIBER can help you get started with a fiber internet connection that can make your internet faster than ever before. Whether you are looking to increase your internet speed at your home or office, we can help you out! We are ready and waiting for you to contact us with any questions you may have.
