Check Your Internet Speed With A Free Broadband Speed Test

It's important to know what your Internet connection speed is and if there may be a problem with your connection.

You can check Internet speed with this simple free broadband speed test. If your connection speed seems low you may want to look more closely at what programs are running as well as who has access to your Internet connection.

To run the speed test effectively you need to make sure you are not downloading or uploading anything and make sure any users who share your connection are not downloading or uploading either. This will allow the speed test to check your actual connection speed without any interference.

When you have checked your Internet speed you may want to make a note of the download and upload speeds. If the speeds seem low you may want to check there are no other users using the connection and that you are not downloading or uploading any files. If you have an e-mail client running please make sure it is not checking your mail while you run the speed test.

What Should I Do If My Connection Is Slower Than It Should Be?

If you think your Internet connection speed is lower than it should be then you should check with your cable company or whoever supplies your Internet. Check what speed you are supposed to be getting. If this isn't what the speed test is reporting you may want to check what programs on your computer are using the Internet.

A good way to monitor what software is accessing the Internet is to install a firewall. There is often free firewall software available such as Sygate Personal Firewall. The firewall software will ask you every time a program on your computer attempts to access the Internet. This makes it easy to spot any programs which may be using your connection.

Often it is more likely that someone who has access to you Internet connection is downloading or uploading and that this is affecting your connection speed. Check any other computers in the house to see if they are using the Internet connection. If you must, switch off all the other computers in the house and then run the speed test.

It is really a process of elimination to find out why your connection speed isn't what it should be. You may also want to look at any attached computers or devices if you have a wireless network at home. If your wireless network is not secured you may have someone local hopping onto your wireless connection and using it without your permission.

It is always best to use encryption on your wireless network and this can be done easily with most home routers and access points.

If you still find yourself having problems it may be worth asking the cable company to come out and check the connection. They may charge for this but they will also be able to quickly locate a problem and in the rare event that someone is actually physically hooked into your cable and stealing your connection they will be able to find out and take the necessary action.