Internet Speed: How to test it and optimise it

Why Test Your Internet Speed?

When videos keep stopping and websites load slowly, it’s easy to just say the Wi-Fi is bad and leave it at that. But guessing what’s wrong won’t really fix the problem. A proper speed test gives you real numbers instead of frustration. This is more important now than ever since so many tasks in the home are now dependent on a stable connection.

Streaming problems are typically the first reason that people start to look into their internet speed. Buffering or quality drops usually point to a speed or stability problem and a quick Wi-Fi test can confirm whether your connection is keeping up. The same applies to other activities like gaming, video calls and remote work which rely less on raw speed and more on how responsive and stable your connection is.

Testing is a way for you to understand if the problem is your network or something outside of it. This especially when uploads or stability affect calls and file transfers and also helps you understand what you are actually getting from your provider.

Understanding Internet Speed

Before you start using tools or trying fixes, it helps to know what internet speed actually means. A speed test gives you a few numbers but they don’t all refer to the same thing.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the term that is used to describe how much data your connection is capable of carrying at a single time. For example, when providers advertise a 100 Mbps or 250 Mbps plan, they are referring to this bandwidth.

Throughput

Throughput is the speed that you are actually experiencing. It indicates how much data passes through your connection at a particular time. Congestion, Wi-Fi interference and network load are all factors that can impact throughput. This is the number you see when you run an internet speed test online.

Latency

Latency (sometimes referred to as ping) is the speed at which data is transferred from your device to a server and back. Lower latency implies greater response times. This is important for gaming, video calls and real-time applications. Even with good bandwidth, if the latency is poor, the internet can be slow.

Speed is usually measured in Mbps or Gbps, which are Megabits or Gigabits per second. This is different than MBps which measures in megabytes per second. Since one byte is equal to eight bits, in real life, a 100 Mbps connection is about 12.5 MBps. That is why downloads often appear to be slower than anticipated. In other words, if the connection rate is 1 Mbps, it can transmit, for example, one million bits per second. That might sound like a lot but it has a hard time keeping up with modern tasks.

How Much Speed Do You Need? 

There is no best or perfect single internet speed as every home uses the internet in its own way. What you need depends on what you are doing online and how many people are using the internet at the same time. Doing a speed test is useful to determine whether your connection can consistently support the types of activities you want to do online:

• Everyday browsing and social media: 5 to 10 Mbps per person
• HD streaming: 10 to 20 Mbps per stream
• 4K streaming: 30 Mbps or more per device
• Video calls for work or school: 10 to 20 Mbps, with good upload speed
• Online gaming: prioritises low latency but 20 to 50 Mbps is usually comfortable
• Homes with multiple users need to scale up fast. 

A household streaming, gaming and working remotely simultaneously, could push past 100 Mbps during peak hours. Running an internet performance test at different times provides a better picture of what has going on.

Smart devices are also involved. TVs, cameras, speakers and automatic backups make use of bandwidth in the background. If things start feeling a bit slow, even with a high speed plan, a nbn speed check can show if your connection is hitting its limits.

Testing your speed has the additional benefit of clarifying practical questions. Is your plan suitable? Is Wi-Fi the bottleneck? Or does the problem lie outside of your home? A good Wi-Fi tester provides you with the clarity to make sound changes.

Choosing a Speed Test Tool

Once you have an idea of the importance of testing, then the question becomes how to check your internet speed properly. Not all tools have the same picture. By using a reputable test, you can be sure that the numbers you see are accurate to your actual connection.

• Speedtest by OoklaL: Speedtest is one of the most trusted ones. It is quick and simple and displays download speed, upload speed and latency. Good option for an overall test at home or in the workplace.
• Fast.com: Fast.com is operated by Netflix and is focused on the download speed. It is handy if streaming is your primary concern but is less detailed than other tools.
• TestMy.net: TestMy.net performs longer tests that will surface consistency problems. If you think that you are seeing dropouts or fluctuating speeds, this Wi-Fi tester can show you what shorter tests might overlook.

For Australian users, it can also be helpful to conduct an nbn speed check using an NBN-aware testing tool. These tests will often compare your results to your connection type in terms of typical performance, which provides useful context.

Pro Tip: Using more than one tool is a good idea. If multiple tests show similar results, you can be confident your measurements are accurate.

Preparing for an Accurate Test

Pre-test steps

• Disconnect devices you are not using. Smart TVs, phones, cloud backups and consoles can use bandwidth in the background.
• Close unnecessary apps on your test device. Many tabs, streaming apps or active updates can skew a test Wi-Fi result.
• Use a wired connection if possible. Ethernet removes Wi-Fi interference and gives a clearer picture of your actual service.
• If testing Wi-Fi, stay close to the router and avoid walls or floors between you and the signal.
• Run tests at different times of day. Peak and off-peak periods can vary a lot, and this gives a complete view of your connection.

Background traffic and interference can make your internet test look slower and less stable than it really is. To see your true connection quality, you need to prepare properly before running the test.

Running Speed Test Step-by-Step

1. Open your preferred speed testing website or application and ensure you have no other downloads or streaming.
2. Click Start, and allow the test to complete. Most tools measure the download speed, upload speed and latency in less than a minute.
3. If you are using Wi-Fi, repeat the test in other rooms to help you to determine dead zones or weak signal areas (helpful in the case of larger home). 
4. Running test two or three times will also provide a more accurate picture as small variation is normal and big difference can be congestion or instability. It is also worth saving/screen shooting your results so that you can compare your results in the future or share with your provider if necessary.

Interpreting Your Results

• Download speed – This affects how quickly content loads, streams or downloads. Higher numbers mean smoother browsing and streaming.
• Upload speed – This is important for video calls, cloud backups and sending files. If there is not much space for upload, calls may freeze or the transfer of files may get stuck.
• Latency (ping) – Latency will give you an idea of how responsive your connection is. Lower ping – faster reactions This is necessary for gaming and real-time communications.

Internet speed tests express their results in megabits per second (Mbps). Units of file sizes are the megabytes (MB). One byte is equal to eight bits, thus, downloading may seem to be slow even when the internet speed result appears high. The units are different, and not the connection.

What Affects Internet Speed at Home

Many factors influence how fast your internet feels day to day. Some come from inside your home while others are outside your control. These include:

• Wi-Fi interference from neighbouring networks
• Old or outdated routers
• Distance from the router
• Building materials blocking signal
• Too many connected devices
• Network congestion during peak periods
• NBN infrastructure issues outside the home

Tips to Boost and Optimise Your Home Network

• Place your router in a central spot, away from thick walls and metal objects. This helps the Wi-Fi signal reach more areas in your home.
• Keep your router’s firmware up to date. This can make your connection more stable and secure, and many people skip this even though it can make a clear difference.
• If Wi-Fi coverage is still patchy, try a mesh system or a Wi-Fi extender. You could run a Wi-Fi tester after each change to see if things have improved. If problems continue, you may need to adjust the Wi-Fi channel or upgrade your equipment.

When to Call a Professional

If you have tried all testing and undertaken basic optimisation steps but problems continue, then professional IT support services can save time and frustration. An experienced technician will be able to find problems that are not so obvious, such as faulty cabling, hardware conflicts, or a configuration problem. Channel Tech Support provides Hobart IT services and to diagnose and fix network issues in households and business.