Internet Bandwidth Speed Tests

Internet bandwidth can be best compared to a water pipe. A small pipe will take some time to transfer a certain amount of water compared to the time it will take to transfer the same amount of water using a bigger pipe.

The same thing goes with Internet bandiwith. The bigger the bandwidth, the more data can can fit, and the faster the data is transferrred. Each type of Internet connection type has two channels in which the bandwidth can be measured. These two channels are the download or downstream and the upload or the upstream.

Internet bandwidth is measured in bits per second, the smallest amount of computer data. One thousand of this bits correspond to one kilobit. Internet connections today must at least have a bandwidth of 56 kilobits per second (kbps) to surf the Internet properly.

Most Internet Service Providers (ISP), especially those who provide broadband Internet access charge their clients or subscribers based on the size of their bandwidth. This means a 256 kbps connection will cost more than a 128 kbps one.

There are many reasons why you should test your bandwidth. Knowing your bandwidth will come in handy when you frequently listen or watch streaming audio or video. But the most important or at least most practical reason is knowing if you are getting your money's worth since there are some ISPs that have a certain bandwidth, but when tested, results are far from what they claim.

The best way to test your connection's bandwidth aside from downloading files from the Internet is by using free bandwidth testing services on the Internet. There are countless websites that offer this type of service.

Your bandwidth is tested in two ways, testing those two channels of your connection. The first part of the test usually is the download test. It is done by getting a chunk of data from the server of the website and downloading it to your computer. The time it took to finish the download is recorded. The second part of the test uploads or sends data from your computer and also measures it.

The size of the data over the time it took to transfer it is your bandwidth. A typical broadband connection should have bandwidths ranging from 128 kbps to several megabits per second (mbps). The resulting bandwidth that you get should be somehow close to what your ISP claims you have. Otherwise, you should contact your ISP and tell them about your problem.