If your internet is slow and sluggish, there are a few ways to test its speed to determine whether it’s performing at its best potential. It used to be more difficult to test these speeds as you would need to know a few Windows commands or have access to your router dashboard to get a definitive answer. Nowadays, however, there are online tools that can quickly and easily check the speed on both your computer and your mobile devices.
Here are two ways you can do this:
1. Use Google Search
Google Search now has a built-in tool that allows users to test their internet speeds. Simply type “check internet speed” into the search bar and Google will give you the option to run the tool. This is similar to the way "find my phone" and other Google Search tools and commands are accessed.
Click the button that says “Run speed test” and Google will do the rest. It opens a popup that will test both your upload and download speeds. After this is done, Google will provide a summary of the results and its conclusion on whether your speed is fast or slow.
Compare this speed to your internet plan speed. If it’s nearing the speed of your internet plan, everything is good. However, if it’s underperforming, something may be congesting the network or your ISP is experiencing issues.
This speed test connects to international servers, so it will be a reflection of how your internet speed is performing when downloading from international sites and services.
2. Use Speedtest
The go-to website for many internet users to check their network speeds is Speedtest. To use the tool, you simply need to visit the Speedtest website. The site now has apps available for mobile phones and PCs if you prefer a standalone programme to the website.
Speedtest detects your ISP and IP address and locates your nearest local server, but this setting can be changed if you want to test your speed for international servers.
To run the speed test, press the button that says “Go”. The site will then run the test and give you a summary of your ping, download speed and upload speed.
