Netflix Launches Fast.com

How Fast is Your Internet Connection?

We all want the speediest connection as is possible to the Internet. We are also subject to the contract we set up with our Internet Service Provider (ISP). Generally speaking, if you are getting about 85%, or better, of the advertised speed, you are doing OK. But how do you know your actual throughput at any given time? You’ve got to measure it, of course.

Some Internet Speed-Measuring Tools

Netflix Fast.com Test Site

Netflix has just launched a web site called “fast.com“. It is advertisement-free and reminiscent of the sparse-looking Google search page. Simply go to the web site and it will automatically begin the speed test for you.

A click on the Replay Button will run it again. Pure and simple.

Speedtest.net

At the previously mentioned Fast.com site, there is a link to the “Speedtest.net” site where you can compare the results.

I must say they are pretty close.

Dave’s Computer Tips

Of course, Dave’s Computer Tips (DCT) has a link you can use without leaving home. It is in the Main Menu and labeled “Speed Test“. ← (but you can just click here)

Summary

If you find that your speed is not up to snuff, there are but a few things to try. Don’t expect miracles, though. The only way I know of to increase your Internet speed in any meaningful way is to pay more money to your ISP. If you are not getting nearly the speed your ISP promised when you signed up for their service, then it’s time to make a phone call. Don’t be shy– you’re paying for it, you deserve it. Make them fix it. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

You can run any of these tests multiple times and get as many varying results. I ran the Fast.com site test a half-dozen times in a row and the results fluctuated by more than a couple megabits per second in a very short time. This is not a problem with the Fast.com measuring system; this is a normal condition in Internet Land.

Probably, the best way to get a well-rounded and more accurate representation of your Internet connection speed is to run several tests over the course of a day. For example, run one in the morning, then during peak usage times, and maybe one in the middle of the night. Average them out and see what you end up with.

The middle of the night is not a problem for me because I am a devoted night owl. It’s the morning one that I have trouble with,

Richard

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