How to Run an Internet Speed Test to Check Your Business Network Speed

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In business, a slow or disrupted internet connection can be frustrating and have a significant impact on day-to-day operations, productivity and communication. Slow internet can be caused by:

• Your business’s network connection
• Damaged or faulty hardware equipment
• Faulty network infrastructure such as cables or your router
• Data hungry applications
• Your geographical location
• Network congestion at peak times
• The number of people using your connection
• Your business data plan, which may be insufficient for the size of your business

If you think your business isn’t getting the speed it should be from your network connection, an internet speed test is a good way to help isolate what’s causing it. But how do you run an internet speed test, and what exactly does it tell you?

What is an internet speed test?

An internet speed test is the best way to approximately measure the current maximum speed of your network connection from your computer. If you’re troubleshooting your slow internet connection, running a speed test is the first step to determine if it’s due to your internet service provider’s (ISP) performance, or being caused by something else.

What does an internet speed test tell me?

By running an internet speed test from your computer, you measure:

• Your ping – the reaction time (latency) of your connection – how long it takes data to take a round trip from your device to the test server that the speed test is using, measured in milliseconds (ms)
• Your download speed – how fast you can get data from the test server to your location in megabits per second (Mbps)
• Your upload speed – how fast you can transmit data from your device to the test server (also measured in Mbps)

Your business internet plan will state what maximum download and upload speeds you should be guaranteed; the catch is that this is generally phrased as a promise of “up to xxMbs”. Your plan’s upload and download speeds will be different.

How do I run an internet speed test?

Using a free internet speed test online like Ookla’s Speedtest.net is a fast way for anyone in your office to run a speed test.

To run the test online, search for Speedtest.net in your browser, and click through to open it. Check the server you’re connecting to (you can change it, if need be, but you should always use the test server geographically closest to you) and then simply click ‘Go’ to perform the speed check.

The first test is to send a “ping” or simple signal to the test server, and it measures the response time (latency) of this. The download test is next, then the upload test. It will push this as hard as it can, to determine the maximum speed of each, based on how long it took to send or receive a chunk of data, and how much of your network resources it used to do so.

How can my business resolve slow internet?

If your speed test results show your business network connect speed is poor:

• Try running it from different locations and devices to help narrow down whether the issue is widespread, or isolated to one device or location
• Close any open applications on the device you’re testing, before running the speed test
• Ask other team members to do the same (if you’re in a shared office) while you run the test to troubleshoot the issue
• Run the test over WiFi, and when connected via an ethernet cable
• Ring your ISP to check your data plan is fit for your business
• Get help from a dedicated business IT service provider, who can help you switch to a reliable, robust business grade internet connection

Here at Computer Cures, we understand how frustrating a slow or faulty internet connection can be for your business, and how significantly it can impact your organisation. We’ll perform a 5-point internet connection audit to help troubleshoot your internet connectivity issues and provide practical, expert recommendations and actions based on our findings to help you stay connected – guaranteed.