What Is A Broadband Speed Check
We often hear of a free 'broadband speed check' as a means of finding out how fast we really can access the internet from inside the home or office, but very few people understand what this concept refers to, and what it is actually measuring. The interesting article below, written by George Chamoun, explains in a little more detail where this concept comes from, and how you can obtain a broadband speed check for yourself.
There are two measured elements that determine your internet connection speed. They are: The download rate, and the upload rate of data measured in bits per seconds. Usually, it is expressed in Kilobits per second. A bit is the smallest piece of data that can be stored in a computer. The bit can be either "0" or "1". The byte is eight bits. Example of a byte and bits are the following: Bit= 0 or 1 Byte=8 bits 1 byte=10011101 (eight bits) A single character needs one byte or eight bits to be stored in a computer. So, when the data rate is 1 byte/sec, that means one character per second is the rate at which data is transferred through your connection. This is very slow, and only intended for an example. In order to browse the internet, you must have at least a dial up access with a 56kb/s modem, in order to get a meaningful and practical result. There are different types of internet connection. First they introduced the dial-up connection using your phone line, then the broadband was introduced. The broadband internet connections are DSL, Cable, or Satellite internet services. They are widely used and expanding due to the high bandwith. When you get an internet service, your provider states that your speed will be a certain numbers. They usually give you a good idea, but not an exact one. The common asked questions among internet users is: How do I know what is my connection speed, and if I am getting what I was promised?. If there anyway I can test my connection, and do I need to buy expensive software to test it?. The answer is simple. There are two ways to test your internet connection speed: 1. The manual simple calculation test
2. A test through a 3rd Party server
1. The manual method: I mentioned that the connection speed consist of two numbers, the download and upload speed. So, in order to gain your broadband speed check, what you do is download from the internet any free software, and watch the result box with the result that show the size of the file and how many seconds it tool to download. When you are done recording the download speed, upload a file of a specific size (1 Mb, 2 Mb), and time your watch when you start. When the file is uploaded, check your watch and record the time it took for the task. Then divide your file size by the seconds it took and you have the upload speed. If you file was 2 Mb. that took 5 minutes to upload, then your upload speed is 2 Mb./300 sec. or 6.826 Kbits/sec.You can run the above test couple times, and then take the average for a better result. 2. The automated broadband speed check at a third party service: This is my preferred one, where you get to a website where the test is done for you. It is done using a script installed on their server, and letting you download and upload to their server a test file (invisible to you). Then, the result is displayed on their webpage. You just have to register for free using your email. It is free. This is a website address where they offer you a free internet connection test: http://www.visualware.com. In summary, don't settle for numbers given to you by your services, do the tests whenever you can. You enjoy it, and feel that you are getting your money worth. This is because some servcies charges you 35 dollars or more for a high speed internet service. Thanks,
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Chamoun
Summary So now we know it is possible to obtain a Broadband Speed Check, which will help you to see what rate of data is obtainable through your home or office broadband connection. Many websites exist to offer a broadband speed check service, some for free, others charging a fee or requiring you to sign up to one of their other services. Choose carefully, and the information obtained from your broadband speed check can be helpful in understanding the media you can access from your internet connection. It will be essential if you are considering taking advantage of high bandwidth services, such as Broadband TV. It will also give you an indication of the level of quality (VoIP QoS) you can expect to receive from your Voice Over IP service (at least in terms of the connection quality) Return From Broadband Speed Check To VoIP at Home
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