COVID-19 has changed the horizons of everyone’s life. Isn’t it? No one thought of being house-arrested for almost a year. And during this time, the thing we probably did the most is browsing the internet. We became more and more inclined towards digital services and entertainment.
The preferences of physical mobility swapped with concluding them digitally. Consequently, we have started to rely on the internet more than ever.
With the advancement of the internet facilities, all we look for is better speed. Nobody wants to see the buffering icon on their screens while playing a video as it is highly frustrating.
Well, to keep up with the pace, it’s no more normal to not have an internet connection. The internet has undoubtedly become an essential part of our life. What can not be done online nowadays? Gone are the days when we had to go and stand in bank queues, electricity bill queues, water bill queues, etc. and wait for hours.
Moving on, in the technical world, no one wants the traffic to reduce on their websites just because of more loading time. Right? Elongated loading time bugs off a lot of visitors.
According to the statistics, on average, we do not even wait for 2 seconds for a site to load. This shows that having a high-speed internet connection has become more of a necessity.
Now, while planning to get an internet connection, it is crucial to check the speed that it has to offer. Performing a speed test is a good idea. Want to know why? Let’s find out.
Why is it Important to Perform a Speed Test?
Well, there are specific reasons to perform a speed test that are as follows:
- You must get what you pay for. It is important to ensure that your ISP is delivering the promised internet speed
- To walk along with the trends of technology, you need good internet speed. A high-speed internet connection ensure that you access the web conveniently
- To check if there is unnecessary stress on the network due to more devices
What to Look For While Performing a Speed Test?
For performing a speed test, you need to make use of a suitable speed test website or application. Here are important facets that you need to keep in mind while choosing a website or app for testing your internet connection’s speed:
- User-friendliness: If a speed test website is not interactive or user-friendly, it becomes a challenging experience for you to use the website.
- Accuracy: The most important factor while performing a speed test is to get accurate results. So, it’s important that the speed test website you are using promises high accuracy of the test results.
- Appealing design: A good interface design results in a better customer experience. Undoubtedly, you will tread off instantly if the website is complex and looks unattractive.
- Detailed information: The result of the test performed consists of several factors like ping data, upload speed, and download speed. Make sure that such basic information is provided to you.
Most Reliable Speed Test Websites
Now that you have become familiar with the essential factors that you must look for in a speed test website, here is the list featuring some of the best speed test websites that you can use:
- SpeedTest.net
- Speedof.me
- Xfinity Speed Test
- Google Fibre Speed test
- TestMy.net
- Speedsmart
- Internet health test
- Fast.com
Let’s dig deeper and analyze each one of them.
1. SpeedTest.net
SpeedTest is owned by Ookla. Combining both speed and intelligence, it is one of the most reliable internet speed test websites. Being one of the oldest players in its respective field, SpeedTest is still running with a strong foot.
Once you run the speed test, the results will include factors like upload and download speed, packet loss, and latency. Post signing up, you will be able to track your previously performed tests as well.
Endowed with a large number of resources and tools, it also provides you with a wide number of servers.
2. SpeedOf.me
It’s an HTML-5 based speed test website. An extremely lightweight and simple website designed to deliver results with accuracy. Once you perform a test, you will get the information of the download speed, latency, upload speed, server location, and more.
Provision of history records helps you to make easy comparisons that you can later share on Facebook and/or Twitter. It can calculate the most reliable service for you from the available 127 servers.
If your sole motive is to test the consistency of your internet connection throughout, which holds specific importance when it comes to online gaming or video calling, then this website is an ideal choice.
3. Xfinity speed test
Not everyone is well acquainted with technology, hence, they look for simple websites or platforms to interact with. In that case, the Xfinity speed test becomes a top choice. After delivering the required results, it helps you to understand in basic language what the statistics mean. It provides you with solutions to queries like, how you can improvise the speed, and more.
Along with delivering valuable and accurate internet speed data, this testing website is delightfully user-friendly.
It is not mandatory to subscribe to them, they still provide you with accurate insights. Although there is no provision of saving the tests performed, other than that, they stand strong by delivering a wide variety of credible information.
4. Google Fibre Speed Test
Google Fibre speed test powered by Google, is a lightning-fast speed test website. The platform is highly efficient and simple.
After the test concludes, results include information about ping data, upload speed, and download speed. You can send feedback to them too. Not just the accuracy but they also provide additional data to help you know the data speed that you require according to your needs.
Furthermore, click on the ‘Learn more’ option after your test results and get informative data that will help you to clarify any further queries.
5. TestMy.net
Testmy.net also runs on HTML5. Although the user-friendliness is not that seamless, you will get the most accurate and credible results. It allows you to test the upload & download speed, latency, and ping of your internet connection. After performing the test, you will get a detailed graphical representation of the statistics.
Additionally, they provide you with information about the internet speed test and its importance. The website also performs comparisons with others.
Tracking the data is also simple. Like other websites, you can preserve your observations for later too.
6. Speedsmart
Speedsmart is another great speed test website that you can easily access on a number of devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, etc. With great reliability and credibility, there is no additional need for any plugins like Java or Flash. The exclusive testing method ensures that you get accurate results.
It comes with both Android and iOS App, which allows you to test and keep track of your internet speed tests conveniently using your smartphone. With a user-friendly and graceful UI, you will get a smooth experience.
7. Internet Health Test
With an extremely simple and friendly UI, the experience is hassle-free. The end result contains insights like upload speed, download speed, jitters, and ping. You can use their app too for testing the internet speed using a smartphone.
Once you start the speed test, the time taken is comparatively longer but worth it. A deep and detailed analysis is presented to you at the end. There are a variety of server arrangements that it scans. After scanning through a plethora of different servers, it gives you a comprehensive result.
Whatever tests you perform here will be stored in their database. Also, you have the option of sharing the results on either Facebook or Twitter.
8. Fast.com
Netflix has come up with this new venture. The primary motive is to find the compatibility of internet speed with Netflix. As Netflix is a streaming platform, videos are mostly high-definition and some videos are even available in 4K resolution.
Combined with a simple user interface, the accuracy of the website is commendable. After the test is concluded, you will be able to see the current download speed of your internet connection.
No additional data regarding the latency is provided though. There are options for choosing different languages as per your demand.
So, these were some of the best recommendations available in the market for you.
Common Reasons for Slow Internet
Here are some of the main reasons for slow internet speed:
- Ample users: When the same network is used by a lot of people simultaneously, the speed of the internet goes down.
- Throttling by your ISP: If the plans are not timely renewed, your internet service provider may reduce the speed of your internet connection.
- Weak hardware: The devices and hardware you are using for connecting to the internet may have limitations in terms of internet speed. It’s important to check if your modem, mobile device, Wi-Fi modules, etc. supports high-speed internet.
- Applications running in the background: Sometimes the applications on the devices run in the background while being connected to the internet. This is another possible reason for your internet speed to become slow.
Conclusion
To ensure that you enjoy a seamless web experience, you may need to check the speed of your internet and the speed test websites mentioned above will help you with that.
In case, your internet speed is not up to the mark, here are some pointers that you can perform afterward:
- Contact your ISP if you are unsatisfied with the internet speed
- Change the hardware equipment for better compatibility
- Upgrade your internet plans as per your requirement
With this, the article comes to an end. We hope that the information delivered will come in handy for you.