How To Check My Internet Speed

This quick guide will teach you how to check your internet speed, whether you're at home or at work. As long as you have a current internet connection—and how else would you be reading this guide right now?—there are numerous websites that can help you determine an approximation of your bandwidth, by analyzing and displaying both your download and upload speeds. Knowing your internet speed can help you make important decisions about your internet service provider. Why stick with an ISP that's charging you more money for slower internet than the alternative?

1. Open your favorite internet browser. Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, or anything that lets you access any normal website will be fine. You will not have to install any special applications or browser extensions for this speed test.
2. Visit SpeedTest.net. The website advertises the "global broadband speed test," a quick, hassle-free method of determining your average download and upload speeds. The test does utilize a Flash-based interface, so you may need to update your Adobe Flash Player to the latest version. (A link will pop up to notify you if this is necessary.)
3. Click "Begin Test." The website automatically recognizes your location and selects the nearest server to enable the download test, so you don't need to worry about interacting with the map. You can if you want to test downloads from further servers, although it is not necessary to test your average speed.
4. Wait for your results. The download test begins immediately, followed by the upload test. At the conclusion of the internet speed test, your speed results are displayed. At this point you can choose to save them via e-mail or complete a survey to assist the website's archive of internet speeds available through different internet service providers.