Summary
Do you know how fast your internet connection is?
Depending on which service you use, you could get vastly different results.
So how can you know for sure, and does it matter?
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Your internet service provider might even have its own speed test service.
Some speed test services let you choose a server, others give you no choice.
Some might not even have a server within hundreds of miles of your location.
Because there are so many variables involved, different services will give you different results.
Some services are vague in their reporting.
I decided to put these three services to the test to demonstrate the variability between them.
Tests were conducted at around 2pm on a boring Tuesday, within a few minutes of each other.
The results were surprisingly consistent, but each service reported things a little differently.
Speedtest.net seemed to be bang on the money in terms of my a bit slower than advertised expectations.
Both Fast.com and Speedtest.net used servers that were located only a few miles away.
All of these results were consistent with each other.
Fast.com frequently reported higher speeds, while CloudFlare was consistently the slowest.
Whats more, they can be different depending on the time and day of the week you test.
Or would you rather know the theoretical maximum, when most people are tucked up in bed?
Your ISP would certainly pick the latter.
There are some good reasons to test your internet speed periodically.
The main reason is to find out whether youre getting the performance you pay for.
You want to see a nice reassuring 0% next to your packet loss results.
Specifically, old wireless standards can dramatically slow down your connection.
This is why I used Ethernet for testing the various services above.
Thats why its so important todetermine if your router is your networks weakest link.
None of these tests will actuallyaffectyour performance, its just one interpretation.
The speed at which data is transferred between you and a server can vary dramatically in real-world uses anyway.
Eventually,switching to a faster DNS serverwill yield a better browsing experience than upping your internet plan.
It’s true in other areas too.
For example, Netflix only recommends a speed of 15Mbps or better for its highest quality Ultra HD content.
Which Speed Test Should You Use?
That said, wed recommend picking a service and sticking with it for consistent results.
