When purchasing the services of a provider, we hope that the speed of the Internet connection will be exactly as specified in the contract. Well, or almost like that. However, in practice, it extremely rarely corresponds to the numbers on paper, because it is influenced by a lot of factors - from network congestion to the state of the client device - a computer, smartphone, tablet or Smart TV. In addition, in the contract the provider indicates the maximum, not the actual connection speed. However, if the latter is constantly and much lower than the first, the quality of the service can be questioned.
To control the work of the provider and simply be aware of the real Internet speed, you need to know how to determine it. Thankfully there is a reason for this a large number of special software and free web services that we will get acquainted with today. But let's start with what capabilities the operating room has in this regard. Windows system. We will also find out how to get the most reliable result.
Built-in Windows capabilities
The easiest and fastest way to view your current Internet connection speed is in the task manager on the “Performance” tab. If the network is lightly loaded, the graph in the “Bandwidth” window will be low; if it is strong, the window will be filled almost completely, and the speed shown in the upper right corner will be closer to what is specified in the contract with the provider. This should be normal. If, when the network is heavily loaded, the speed remains low, it means that there is an obstacle somewhere. But where is it - yours or his?
To find out the maximum achievable (in theory) Internet speed within a specific connection type, open the “Network Connections” folder and select the “Status” section in the context menu of your network.
The necessary information is contained on the “General” tab.
The actual speed is usually 2-3 times lower than the maximum. By the way, when transmitting data via Wi-Fi and cable, it can differ significantly.
Let's say you have determined that the Internet on your computer should be faster. The next task is to find out who is to blame for the slowdown - your devices or the provider.
How to check your Internet connection speed manually
To get the most reliable result, you need to check the Internet speed on a computer to which the provider’s network cable is connected. If it is not possible to insert the cable directly into the computer, for example, if it only supports wireless connections or binds the connection to the router’s MAC address, disconnect all other devices from the Internet during the test.
- Prepare a 1 GB file and select any cloud web service to which you will upload it, for example, Yandex Drive or Google Drive. It is important that the service does not limit the speed of uploading and downloading content.
- Close all programs that use the network and the Internet to relieve the channel as much as possible.
- Disable VPN clients and proxy servers if they are not required to establish access to the global network.
- Record the time and start uploading the file to the cloud server. Note the download completion time.
- Under time control, download the file back to your PC.
Knowing the file size in megabytes and the number of seconds spent on its transfer, you can easily calculate the Internet speed in Mbps. If it is close to that specified in the contract, it means that the provider will fulfill its obligations to you, and the reason for the slowdown is in your devices. If not, then it's the other way around.
For those of you who don't want to do the math, you can test your Internet speeds using the methods discussed below. For reliability, we recommend performing the check several times within an hour.
Web services
Testing your Internet speed using the 2ip service is as easy as shelling pears: click the “Test” button and wait 1-2 minutes.
In addition to ping indicators, as well as incoming and outgoing speeds, 2ip allows you to find out:
- Average Internet speeds in your city.
- Average speed indicators among subscribers of your provider.
- The best tests for all providers for the current day.
- The total number of measurements among all providers.
This is a kind of benchmark. Below on the page is a table of the last ten measurements.
By the way, as of the date of the audit, none of the largest leaders in the provider services market in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan - Rostelecom, ByFly, Ukrtelecom, Kazakhtelecom, MTS, Beeline, Akado, Yota, Dom.ru, Citylink and TTK record holder. The first places were taken by small and not very well-known companies.
And further. If you have something to tell other users about the services of your Internet provider, you can leave a review about it on the site.
- another simple free service of similar purpose. To start the scan, just click the “Start” button. The result will appear on the screen in a couple of minutes.
By the way, if you register for Speedtest (this is also free), you will be able to save the test results in your account and share links to them with other users.
In addition to the web service, accessible online through a browser from any device, SpeedTest exists as an application for desktop (Windows, Mac OS X) and mobile (iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, Amazon) platforms.
Yandex.Internetometer
The Yandex.Internetometer service determines the speed of incoming and outgoing connections without ping. However, in addition to this, it shows detailed information about your Internet connection, operating system and the browser in which you ran the scan. It’s just a pity that there are no benchmarks or opportunities to save test results here.
To start the test, click the “Measure” button. The result, like its competitors, appears on the screen in 1-2 minutes.
The set of functions is very similar to the service of the same name in the “ru” domain and differs from it only in the design style. In addition to the Internet speed testing button, this resource contains a rating of Ukrainian providers and indicators of the last 20 checks.
For users with Russian IPs, the 2ip.ua website opens in Russian, for residents of Ukraine - in Ukrainian.
To start testing, click the “Test” button. The result will be displayed after the same time as the others.
Banki.ru
Banki.ru uses 2 tests provided by the telecommunications company Wellink. One of them is a traditional test of response time (ping), incoming and outgoing Internet speeds, the second is a test of the quality of online video viewing. Based on the testing results, the service displays brief description your connection: how quickly a new movie series will open, how long it will take to download an album and upload a photo to a social network, what video quality is optimal for your connection, whether the picture will freeze when watching videos through a browser.
Using the service on Banki.ru is no different from others.
Free programs to check Internet speed on PC and mobile devices
If you use the above services several times in a row, you will notice that the Internet throughput indicators will always be different. This is normal, but not entirely informative, especially when the connection is intermittent. Applications, unlike web services, allow you to monitor network traffic continuously. And this is their main advantage.
NetTraffic for Windows
The utility, available in installation and portable versions, is a small window that constantly hangs in the corner of the screen, where the connection speed is displayed in real time.
In addition to current data, it collects traffic statistics for time periods specified by the user. Can monitor multiple network interfaces simultaneously.
TMeter for Windows
is a more advanced Internet traffic monitoring tool than the previous utility, but also very easy to understand and use. In addition to speed parameters, it collects statistics about the IP addresses of visited resources, ports, protocols, etc.
Tmeter has a built-in firewall and traffic distributor (traffic shaper) between devices local network. These functions become available if the program is running on a computer that is used as a gateway to connect other devices to the Internet.
The utility is designed to monitor the entire flow of information passing through the network adapter, including the data transfer speed. Initially it is in English, but a localizer has been released for it (available on the download page), which you just need to copy to the folder with the executable file or program archive.
NetworkTrafficView works without installation and does not require any special settings. Connection data is displayed in table form in the main and only window of the utility.
Internet speed test for Android
The Internet Speed Test mobile application is not only stylishly designed, but also very functional. In addition to collecting the main speed characteristics of Wi-Fi and 2/3G networks, it displays the delay time for sending packets and allows you to select test server(its accessibility and remoteness affect the indicators), accumulates statistics and publishes the results of checks on social networks.
The application is also convenient because it supports even very old versions of Android.
Meteor - speed test for Android
Meteor - speed test - one of the few mobile applications, which received the highest user rating - 4.8 points. It not only shows the real speed of the Internet connection, but also determines how fast popular network programs will work with the current connection quality. Among such programs are clients social networks, browsers, Gmail, YouTube, Skype, WhatsApp, Wase navigator, google maps Maps, Uber taxi service, etc. A total of 16 different applications.
Other advantages of Meteor are that it supports all types of network connections, including 4G, and does not contain advertising.
There are situations when you simply need to check your Internet speed. For example, you may not be able to understand why pages are loading slowly or what your internet speed actually is and whether it matches your data plan. In this case, we advise you to check the speed of your Internet connection using special programs.
Any speedtest program will help you do this. You can use it to check the speed of downloading and uploading files. Our website for checking Internet speed offers you one of best programs to check the speed of your Internet connection Speedtest.net mini.
If you want to find out the speed of your home or work Internet, we advise you to use the Speedtest mini program located on this page. Please note that checking your Internet speed will not take much time, a maximum of two minutes. In addition, this program does not require installation on your personal computer and works online.
Before you run the speed test, we recommend that you complete all downloads in your browser, turn off file download programs such as utorrent, as well as online radio and television. The operation of these programs significantly affects the speed of the Internet and can significantly affect the results of the Internet speed test.
A few words about how Internet speed is checked. After clicking the “Start test” button, a special file begins to be downloaded to the computer and its size and download time are recorded. After the file has been downloaded, the second stage of verification begins - it is uploaded to the Internet. At the same time, the time during which it was produced is also recorded. The program then tells you what your actual Internet speed is.
Checking Internet speed is a completely simple and safe procedure. The only nuance that you should remember is that when downloading and uploading a file, traffic is counted, so take this into account if you do not have unlimited Internet.
As a rule, the speed of the Internet connection depends on many parameters.
To more accurately measure Internet speed, you need to:
- Only 1 computer should be connected to the router;
- The testing computer or laptop must be connected to the ONT or ADSL router via an Ethernet cable (Not Wi-fi);
- On the testing computer, all programs for downloading or communicating on the Internet are closed (which take away speed, albeit insignificant);
- Open a browser with one tab and run an internet speed test.
Also, the speed of your Internet connection depends on your hardware: Network cards, if the computer is connected via cable to a router or Wi-Fi adapter, via a wireless connection to the router. These devices have their own Internet connection bandwidth, and if you have high-speed Internet, and the network adapter does not support this speed, then the speed will not match your tariff plan.
If you meet these criteria, speedtest will show your speed, which should match the tariff you have chosen.
For other providers, such as Onlime, Beeline, etc. using Ethernet technology (when a twisted pair cable enters your apartment), you can measure the speed directly without a router. Connect your computer directly to the Internet cable, set up the connection and check the speed.
Internet providers boast about their fastest data transfer speeds, but what is the reality? The speed depends on many factors: time and day of the week, communication channel congestion, technical condition servers, the state of communication lines and even the weather. When purchasing a certain package of services, you want to be sure that the money is not being paid in vain, and that the Internet speed corresponds to the advertised speed.
We will check using special services on the network, because this is the most convenient, accessible and accurate way to determine Internet speed. Speed is measured from the computer to the server on which the service runs. Accordingly, indicators from different services will differ.
Measured:
- incoming speed, i.e. the one from which we download from the Internet
- outgoing – speed of information transfer, i.e. when data is transferred from our computer, for example when you send an email or file, or a torrent is opened.
As a rule, these two indicators differ, for me - up to three times, depending on what you test. The outgoing speed is usually lower because it is used less often.
Data transfer speed is measured in kilobits or megabits. One byte contains 8 bits plus a couple of service bits. This means that with a result of 80 Mbps, the actual speed is 8 MB per second. Each speed test consumes about 10-30 megabytes of traffic!
Ookla SpeedTest
Today's best service, designed for testing Internet connection throughput. Accurately determines the maximum possible speed for your computer on this moment.
To start the test, click the big “START” button. The service will determine the optimal server and begin transmitting data. As testing progresses, the current speed is displayed. It usually grows as the process progresses.
Please note what indicators are determined:
Very approximate good values for wired Internet:
- “download” - incoming speed: 30-70 Mbit/s
- “download” - outgoing speed: 10-30 Mbit/s
- "PING" : 3-30 ms
For mobile 3G/4G Internet:
- incoming: 5-10 Mbit/s
- outgoing: 1-2 Mbit/s
- PING: 15-50 ms
PING is an important indicator; it is the time it takes to establish a connection. The closer the server, the lower the value and the better.
SpeedTest has servers all over the globe, so first your location and the closest server are determined, then the test data is transmitted. The measured speed is the maximum possible for your computer at a given time. This is achieved due to the fact that the server for data exchange is located in your city or region, and the closer the server is to the computer, the higher the speed. But you can choose any server!
Thus, it turns out that we will get a speed that is not achievable for most sites on the Internet, well, because their servers are located further away. Thanks to this “trick” I got the best results. The obtained figures can be compared with those declared by the provider, but the actual speed on the Internet is still lower.
Speedtest has applications for smartphones:
After testing, a permanent link to the results and a picture is provided that you can show off on social networks
If you check the speed several times in a row, you will notice that it is different each time. It depends on the load of the provider and server. Therefore, I recommend running the test several times and calculating the average speed, this will be more correct.
After registration, the history of all checks becomes available and the ability to compare them, which is also important. You can run a test from time to time and then look at the history for the year, and in a graphical representation. It will immediately become clear where your provider is developing (or, on the contrary, it will turn out that it’s time to change it).
SpeedTest app for Windows 10
Using the application, you can find out what the quality of your Internet connection is.
Communication quality differs from speed. For example, a file may be downloading at breakneck speed and suddenly the download is interrupted and you have to start over. After finishing the test in the application, you need to click on the results:
To determine the quality of communication, the following indicators are used:
- Ripple (jitter) - phase pulsation, the smaller the better. Up to 5 ms.
- Packet loss - what percentage of data was lost and had to be resent. Should be 0%
Internet meter from Yandex
Unlike Speedtest, the service from Yandex measures the data transfer speed between your laptop and its servers, only its own. It turns out that the speed here should be lower than in the speed test, but it is closer to reality for working on the RUNet.
Click the “Measure” button and wait a while while Yandex tests. The time will depend on the speed itself, and if it is too low, or there are communication interruptions, the test may freeze or fail.
Yandex tests as follows: downloads and uploads a test file several times, and then calculates the average value. For better accuracy, strong dips are cut off. However, after each re-check I received different results with an error of 10-20%, which in principle is quite normal, because... Speed is not a constant indicator and fluctuates all the time. This was during the day, and then I tested early in the morning and the result jumped with a difference of up to 50%.
Yandex Internet Meter also shows the IP address and detailed technical information about the browser.
Service 2ip.ru
I have been using this wonderful service for a long time. The 2ip.ru service will also show you, give complete information at this address, check any of your files for viruses, tell you a lot of interesting things about any site on the Internet (IP, site engine, presence of viruses, distance to the site, its accessibility, etc.).
2ip determines your provider, the optimal server and checks the speed between you and this server, just like SpeedTest.Net, but 2ip has fewer servers, so the ping will be higher. But there are statistics on the average speed in your city and your provider. With each repeated test, my speed changed slightly - within 10%.
Another service that runs on HTML5, without Flash or Java, just like the previous services.
OpenSpeedTest will help you measure throughput between Western servers. You will notice that the pings have become even higher.
Works stably, averages the obtained values, fairly predictable and repeatable results.
The service is not of particular interest for testing high-speed Internet, but it may be of interest to those who use a modem or other not very fast internet. The results show average results for various network interfaces (modem, coaxial cable, Ethernet, Wi-Fi) and yours for comparison.
Here the measurement accuracy is expressed as a percentage. It is calculated based on whether the speed during data transfer was stable or fluctuated greatly. The more stable, the higher the accuracy.
I will separately note the testing method using . To do this, take a torrent with a large number of seeds and look at the real data reception speed.
For everyone, before testing it is advisable to:
- Close all programs except the browser (especially those that can download something) and leave only one tab of the speed testing service active
- Wait until the end or stop all downloads in your browser!
- Check if any program is using the network. To do this, open the “Task Manager” using the “Ctrl+Shift+Esc” buttons, go to the “Performance” tab and click on the network adapter. If there are several of them, then there will be only one with data:
See how much data was sent and transmitted in the last minute. If no program uses the network, then there should be a few to tens, a maximum of a hundred kbit/s. Otherwise, reboot and check again.
Let's sum it up
Finally, I want to say that not a single service was able to determine the maximum possible indicators for my Internet connection. I say this because when downloading from torrents, my speed reaches 10 MB/s. This happens thanks to downloading from various sources, scattered around the world, at the same time (this is how torrents work). And the services work with only one server, albeit a powerful one. Therefore, I can recommend the uTorrent program as a tester, but it works on active distributions where there are dozens of seeders.
Do not forget that low speed may be due to, or due to a weak Wi-Fi adapter. Please write your results in the comments and don’t forget to post the article on social networks.
Video review:
Many modern Internet providers claim that they provide maximum data transfer speeds. How true is this statement? The speed of data transfer is influenced by various factors: day of the week, time, communication channel congestion, condition of communication lines, technical condition of the servers used, even the weather. Clients purchasing a certain package of services want to be sure that for their money they will be provided with Internet at the stated speed. In this article, we will tell you how to find out your connection speed, as well as which services are best to use for this purpose.
How can you check your Internet speed?
To check Internet speed, we will use special services available on the network. This method is the most accurate, accessible and convenient. In this case, speed is measured from the computer to the server on which the service runs. The indicators will differ from each other in all cases.We will measure the incoming speed, as well as the outgoing speed (the speed at which we transfer information, for example, through a torrent).
These indicators usually differ from each other; the outgoing speed is usually less than the incoming one. The service that shows the highest incoming speed will be considered the best.
Before starting testing, you must complete the following steps:
- Close all applications except the browser (especially those programs that can download anything).
- Wait for the downloads to finish or pause them in the browser.
- Make sure that it is not updated during the check operating system or other applications.
- To prevent the Windows Firewall from affecting the results, it is also advisable to disable it.
Services through which you can check your speed
There are several services on the network through which you can check the data transfer speed:, etc. You can test several of them and choose the most suitable one. Below we will look at the most popular of these services.Internet meter from Yandex
To test the speed of your connection using this online service, you must. Once you do this, you will see a big button yellow color « Change" Here you can see your IP address. For Yandex to start testing, you must click on the button and wait a bit. The duration of testing is determined by the speed itself. If the speed is too slow or there are communication interruptions, the test may freeze or fail.
Yandex, testing speed, downloads and uploads a test file several times, after which it calculates the average value. At the same time, it cuts off strong dips, which ensures the most accurate determination of the connection speed. However, despite this, after repeated checks we received different results, the error of which was 10-20 percent.
In principle, this is normal, since speed is not a constant indicator, it jumps all the time. Yandex claims that this test accurately determines speed, but many factors influence the result.
Service 2ip.ru
quite popular. With its help, you can not only determine the speed of your Internet connection, but also find out the IP address of your computer. This service will provide complete information on your IP address, check any of your files for viruses, and also tell you a lot of interesting information about any site on the Internet (site engine, IP, distance to the site, the presence of viruses on it, its accessibility, etc.). d.).To check the speed, click on the “Tests” tab on the inscription “Internet connection speed”.
After that, indicate the speed declared by your provider so that the service can compare it with the real speed, then click the big button “ Test" After running several repeated checks, you will have to enter a simple captcha.
This service provided almost 3 times higher outgoing connection speeds and slightly lower incoming speeds. A BB code is proposed to insert a picture containing the test results into the forum. To insert the code on the site, you will need to edit it yourself.
The changes in speed after each retest were insignificant - within ten percent.
Speedtest.net
This is a very convenient, serious service that allows you to determine the speed of your Internet connection with maximum accuracy. Although this site is located in America, the test uses a server located near the user, so this server is suitable for everyone, regardless of their location.This “trick” allows you to get the best results, but it also has its own negative sides. The user has the opportunity to compare the obtained figures with the data declared by the provider, but the actual Internet speed is lower precisely because the remaining servers are scattered throughout the planet. Therefore, it is advisable to use several services simultaneously to check the speed.
All this works on flash animation, so not everyone can make money. To start testing, you should then press the " Start checking».
After the testing process is completed, the user can see a link to the picture, which he can insert into the website himself, as well as a BB code intended for forums.
As you can see, this test finally showed high incoming speed and normal outgoing speed, however, we were able to achieve similar results only on the fifth attempt, since the results vary significantly. But at similar speeds, close to theoretical ones, this situation is normal.
The service periodically hosts SpeedWave tournaments, during which you can compete with other participants or just find out what speeds generally exist.
After registering on the portal, you will have access to the history of all your checks, thanks to which you can compare various indicators. You will be able to run the test periodically and then check the year's history in a graphical view. This will clearly demonstrate to you whether your provider is developing towards increasing speed or whether it is time to change it.
You can also visit a foreign service that tests not the speed, but the quality of communication. This is also a necessary thing. The service closest to you is selected, after which the level of communication quality from this service to you is tested. We got the following results:
"Grade B" - considered to be good quality communications. Packet Loss (that is, packet loss), if equal to zero, is a very good indicator.
MainSpy.ru
, click the “Run Test” button.
It does not average the obtained values. If you wish, you can insert a picture into a forum or website. Each repeated test showed completely unpredictable results, and the largest number of real indicators were never reached.
Try it, maybe your results will be better, but we won’t use this service anymore.
Speed.yoip.ru
This server only tests incoming speed. Test high-speed Internet using of this service does not make sense, it can only be useful to people who use not very fast Internet or a modem. There are 5 packages used to run the test.
The results display the average results for different interfaces for comparison, as well as your result for comparison.
Let's sum it up
Not a single service was able to determine the maximum possible indicators characteristic of our Internet connection. Therefore, to test the maximum incoming speed, you can use the program. To do this, find a popular distribution that has 20 or more seeders, download it and watch the speed.When testing, remember that the reason for the low speed may also be the low performance of your computer.
When choosing a provider and connecting to the Internet, each subscriber wants to be able to quick access to the World Wide Web. But what if the Internet speed, in your opinion, does not correspond to what is specified in the tariff plan and you suspect that the line is damaged, or even worse, the provider does not provide you with services in the specified volume? In this case, you should check the quality of the connection and, if it turns out to be poor, take appropriate measures.
Internet connection quality
The quality or speed of the Internet connection is one of important characteristics, which is worth paying attention to when choosing a tariff plan. It determines how quickly pages and files from the Internet will load, and whether you can launch your favorite online game or not.
Essentially, this is the time during which information is exchanged between your computer and other servers on the World Wide Web. This value is measured in megabits per second; less often you can find values indicated in kilobits.
Unfortunately, the numbers specified in the contract do not always coincide with the real ones, so special tests should be carried out periodically and if the obtained values diverge significantly from those indicated, contact your Internet provider.
Test mechanism
Analysis on all services follows the same principle. You go to the site and request a speed test. Your computer automatically sends a package of documents to the server, using the line of your provider. After receiving the files, the program sends them back to the computer. In this case, the volume of the packet and the time spent on its receipt and transmission are recorded.
Based on the data received, the following information is displayed:
- Ping is the time spent sending data on a computer network from client to server and vice versa. Usually measured in milliseconds.
- The transfer rate at which your computer transfers data. It is measured in megabits per second, less often in kilobytes.
- The receiving rate at which your computer receives data. Also measured in megabits per second.
How to find out the Internet speed?
You can check your Internet speed from Rostelecom using various services. For testing, you should select a site that you trust, and also disable all programs for downloading files, instant messaging clients such as Skype, ICQ and others, since their work significantly affects the analysis results. In addition, it is recommended to check several times during the day, or even several, in order to draw the right conclusions regarding Internet speed.
Using Speedtest
One of the most accurate is the speed test from the Speedtest service. The check is quite easy. To do this you should:
Upon completion of the test, you will find out the speed of receiving and transmitting data in megabits per second, as well as ping.
Using the official Rostelecom service
Rostelecom also offers its customers a free Internet connection speed test. True, experts believe that its results are less reliable than those obtained when testing using Speedtest.
To measure you should follow these steps:
- ping, measured in milliseconds;
- incoming and outgoing speed in megabits per second.
Other testing methods
If the test results do not satisfy you, you can also find out the quality of your Internet connection using other equally well-known services, such as:
- speed-tester.info;
- 2ip.ru/speed;
- pr-cy.ru/speed_test_internet;
The principle of their operation is the same as those described above. The only difference is that the first two are designed directly for analyzing the Internet connection, the others provide a number of other features, such as checking IP, website traffic, pages, etc. Therefore, the data obtained with their help is considered less reliable.
Causes of poor connection
The test results showed low speed, but what is the reason? There are several options:
- Your computer is infected with a virus that uses the Internet to transmit and receive information.
- If you have a Wi-Fi router, then your neighbors may have connected to you.
- Your modem has broken down or its settings have gone wrong.
- Problems with the cable in the house or apartment (pinched or torn cable, damaged terminals, etc.).
- Line problems.
- Provider's server load.
What to do?
If the test results are bad, that is, significantly lower than the values specified in the contract, then you should definitely take the following steps:
- Scan your computer thoroughly using an antivirus program. It is advisable to update it before doing this.
- Change the password for the wi-fi router.
- Just in case, try connecting another modem (if you have one) and check the integrity of the cable in the apartment.
- If all of the above actions do not produce results, you should contact Rostelecom technical support and leave a request to check the equipment and line.
To do this, dial the number 8-800-300-18-00 and tell the operator about the problems that have arisen. He must register your application, which will be reviewed within three days. At the same time, the company’s specialists will not only check your line, but also the equipment, and then provide you with information about the problems found.
In most cases, contacting technical support should solve your problems with your Internet connection. If you do not see a positive result, you should change tariff plan, choosing the one with the lower speed. This way you won’t overpay for the Internet.