WHAT IS WIFI SPEED TEST AND HOW TO PERFORM IT

SOURCE: The NetSpot Team

Everywhere you go, there is always someone who complains about internet speed. As a matter of fact, a survey carried out about three years ago shows that barely four in ten users said they were satisfied with their average internet speed.

When you consider the fact that the average digital user increasingly depends on the internet to carry out or delegate tasks, then the need for enhanced Wi-Fi speed is understandable. Everywhere you turn to – at home, office, public places like parks or restaurants – people are busy surfing the internet on their mobile gadgets.

The advent of the Wi-Fi technology has also made it easier for people to watch movies on their PC, laptops or smart TVs and also attend webinars as well. All these require that you have a stable internet connection or you will be frustrated, and your efforts at learning will be thwarted irreparably.

But how can you determine your Wi-Fi speed, you ask? This question will be answered in the next section.

WiFi Speed Test: What is WiFi speed?

WiFi speed is a measure of how fast or how slow your internet connection is at your present location. What most users get when they subscribe to a WiFi plan is average speed – also known as your normal usage speeds.

In most cases, it can be challenging to determine what is considered fast or slow internet since internet speeds are usually described in Kbps, Mbps, and at times Gbps. Your location, data plan, etc. play a crucial role when it comes to WiFi speed.

What is considered to be a good WiFi speed?

Your WiFi connection should depend significantly on what you do on the internet. You don’t need a super-fast internet connection to carry out boring tasks like checking your email, etc.

Therefore, a good WiFi speed should be at least 1Mbps. This is because in most cases, you don’t need too much bandwidth to check your email, load web pages or watch YouTube videos. If your work doesn’t require spending a lot of time online, then you should be able to get along with the lowest internet tier that your internet service provider (ISP) delivers.

On a general note, web surfing and checking your social media and email accounts will require a download speed of approximately 5 Mbps (megabits-per-second) or less. The faster your internet speeds, the quicker you can load pages or links.

How to Run a WiFi Speed Test

There are several ways you can run a WiFi speed test depending on the app you choose to use to check your bandwidth. The test allows you to check both your upload and download speeds while helping to pinpoint existing issues with your network connection. It is highly recommended that you perform multiple tests to get the best results.

For instance, you can run a speed test on NetSpot by scanning either an open network or a closed one with a password that you know. NetSpot will proceed to calculate the network speed at all data sampling points by sending off requests to servers and then measuring the time that is needed to both send signals and receive responses.

What is the Best WiFi Speed Test App?

Internet service providers (ISPs) love to make a lot of promise when it comes to delivering access to the internet. However, they don’t usually deliver as much as they promised.

You can determine whether or not your ISPs are ripping you off of your hard-earned money by embarking on what is known as the WiFi speed test. A WiFi speed test will let you know if your ISP is delivering on their promise or determine if there is substantial interference which may be affecting the quality of your internet connection.

Additionally, your home router could be in the wrong spot which causes signals to reach only a few specific areas in your home. Other WiFi networks that operate on the same WiFi channel as your network can also lead to a poor internet connection.

This is why a speed test is highly crucial for you. You can either carry out WiFi speed test online or by making use of WiFi speed test apps for Mac users.

WiFi speed test apps work by checking out the following components:

• Latency

• Upload speed

• Download speed

From the perspective of an average internet user, download speed is the most vital component since it influences how long it takes for sites to load as well as how fast they load. However, both latency and upload speed also play crucial roles in ensuring that you enjoy your browsing experience online.

Latency is the time – measured in milliseconds – it takes for data packets to travel from the point of origin to their destination. Latencies under 100ms are usually very good. Most WiFi speed test apps test this feature several times before determining the outcome.

Upload speed – measured in Mbps – has to do with how fast you send or upload data to other internet users. It affects how quickly videos, photos or other large files will upload. Most internet service providers have smaller upload speeds when compared to download speed.

When WiFi speed test applications measure upload speed, they set up multiple connections with different remote locations and transmit premeditated amounts of data. These apps end up ascertaining how long – or how much time – it took for the data to be received, thus using the information to calculate your precise upload speed.

After various WiFi site surveys, troubleshooting, an analysis, the best WiFi speed test app that emerged as the most prominent is NetSpot.

NetSpot takes the lead among all the WiFi speed test apps for your Mac and Windows out there. What makes NetSpot unique in all aspects is its ability to adjust to the needs of both beginners and professionals alike.

Anyone who wishes to carry out a WiFi speed test online can gain access to the free version of NetSpot to determine WiFi performance without the need to read through long and boring manuals or tutorial videos.

The user interface and features of this innovative application are user-friendly and self-explanatory. NetSpot continues to dominate this niche, thanks to its extensive features, user-friendliness, reliability, and excellent 24/7 support.

A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Test WiFi Speed with NetSpot

Step 1

Launch NetSpot and initiate a new site survey.

Step 2

Choose the wireless network you want to test as soon as you land on the Active Scanning screen. Take note that you can run active scans on networks that you can access, which could be a network with a password that you know or an open one.

Step 3

NetSpot will proceed to do its magic by measuring the speed of the network at every data sampling point. This is possible by transmitting the requests to different servers and evaluating the time that is needed to send a request and to receive a response.

You can carry out this process for every wireless network you want to test. As soon as the survey is completed, you can examine the visualization data for the tested wireless network speed.

Conclusion

If your wireless network seems sluggish or you suspect that you are not getting what you paid for, you can test the speed of the system by utilizing this inventive application called NetSpot.

NetSpot is easy to use, accurate and comes with extensive features as well as a modern user interface. You don’t need to study rocket science before using this groundbreaking WiFi speed test app.