Are Broadband Speed Tests Accurate?

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An Internet service provider (ISP) guarantees us certain broadband speeds. However, your Internet connection may sometimes slow down due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, like bad weather.

That’s why most people take online speed tests to check their Internet speed or evaluate how their broadband connection performs.

But are broadband speed tests accurate? So we’ll talk about broadband speeds, how speed tests work, and how to optimise your Internet speed.

Broadband Speed Test Accuracy

Broadband speed tests give fairly accurate results when measuring your Internet speed, depending on how precise you want it to be.

You may notice the difference when testing out multiple speed testers like Ookla, IST.co.nz, or Google. If you’re looking for results with a narrow margin for Mbps (megabits per second), it depends on a couple of factors, such as:

Proximity

When choosing your speed tester, you must pick the one with the closest server to your city if you want to see accurate speed test results.

Since the speed tester fetches data from your broadband Internet provider, it takes a while for the data to reach the points until it gives you the exact information, which is the exact broadband speed.

ISP-generated speed tests are generally inaccurate because their performance tests rely on optimal conditions and use servers that are the closest to you.

So, you’re better off using Google’s speed test if you want unbiased results.

Usage

When checking your Internet speed, it’s in your best interest to turn off any other instances, applications, devices, or services that require network usage.

If you’re streaming Netflix, using online storage programs like Dropbox, or peer-to-peer downloading clients, the speed test won’t give you accurate readings.

Even automatic update settings from any application or antivirus program may also affect your speed test.

Devices and Network Connections

Which device you use and which network connection type you have also affect your testing speed. The testing results may vary if you have a PC connected via an Ethernet network and a tablet on a Wi-Fi connection.

An Ethernet network is significantly faster than Wi-Fi, and even if they’re on the same connection type, a PC generally has a more optimal speed.

There are also differences between broadband and Wi-Fi connection types. Read here to learn more about it.

Why Do Internet Speeds Vary?

The download speed and upload speed are almost always limited by your Internet service provider’s plan, throttling rules, bad weather, or other conditions that can affect Internet speed.

But there’s a reason why ISPs say that their plans offer download/upload speeds “up to (X amount of Mbps)”.

Network Connections Types

Typically, ADSL2+ conventional broadband connections reach around 24 Mbps, while VDSL2 fibre goes around 80 Mbps.

Measuring the margin of acceptable Internet speeds often includes a rule of thumb of around 2 to 5 Mbps.

If your ISP states that their plan guarantees you “up to 50 Mbps” while you consistently measure around 47 Mbps, that is regarded as an acceptable margin. Anything lower than 5 Mbps, and you should definitely contact your provider.

If you want to know more details about Internet speed tests, read Speedtest’s guidelines.

How a Speed Test Works

An internet speed test shows you how fast (or slow) your Internet connection is at the moment of testing. And internet speed tests work by gauging your ping, download, and upload rate.

Ping

When you begin testing the speed, the tester’s client approximates your location with the closest server. Most clients offer you an option to manually choose your main server.

The speed test then sends out a ping to the server, and it replies back with a testing measure in a short amount of time.

Download

Once the ping returns, the tester then begins the downloading test, where it usually tries to open different connections to the server to download a sample of network data.

This procedure is necessary for the tester to gauge the time it takes to get the data and the amount of network usage it requires for the process.

The tester can also notice if you have excess speed, so it may also open multiple connections and more chunks of network data, thus taxing your connection to measure the maximum speed.

Once your testing client detects that it has enough connections and the right conditions for the measurement, it begins calculating the amount of network data downloaded in a certain amount of time and presents you with the download speed results.

Upload

The upload speed testing procedure is very similar to the previous process, but instead of requesting network data from the server, the tester uploads chunks of data from your device directly to the server.

How to Get the Most Accurate Speed Test Results

Source: DepositPhotos

To get the most accurate results for your broadband speed tests, you must first set the optimal conditions by:

• Using an Ethernet-connected device instead of a Wi-Fi network;
• Manually choose the closest testing server;
• And disable all programs and devices that might be using your Internet connection.

Additionally, it’s always a good idea to try out multiple testing servers, routers, or different clients to compare the results for a better overview and a clearer picture.

Your router may have a built-in speed test which is much better than using an external client like Ookla. Restarting it may help to pinpoint the measurements.

But keep in mind that some speed test servers might be used by more people simultaneously, especially during peak times, which may hinder performance. You should try to test your internet speed at different times for comparison.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide answers some questions about the accuracy of broadband speed test clients.

If you’re having problems with your Internet speed, it’s recommended that you contact your ISP because they might be experiencing unforeseen problems or maintenance issues.

Customer support usually helps you with the troubleshooting, or they’ll tell you when the network will be back up.

Then again, if you face consistent problems or feel you pay more than you get, you can always check out other cost-efficient providers with decent plans.