If you are having issues with your internet connection you need to perform a broadband bandwidth test or a broadband connection test. In order to do so you need to find a website that offers a reliable broadband bandwidth test. I prefer to use a web page called DSLReports. The are many reasons why I choose this site, but probably the biggest is because they have been around for so long and I am just familiar with them. There are many other good free broadband bandwidth test sites out there so do not feel you have to use them, it is just a suggestion if you are not sure where to go.
Running Your Broadband Bandwidth Test
After you go to www.dslreports.com you should see a link at the top that says tools. Here you will find everything you need to test your internet connection. You should see a link there that says speed test. This is probably the best initial broadband bandwidth test as it will give you an overall measurement of the health of your system. The test is completely free and only takes a couple seconds. The first screen you get after selecting the test gives you a selection of servers to choose from. Just pick the one that is closest to you and has available connections.
Once you do that the test should begin. If you have any troubles getting to this part check the Frequently Asked Questions section of the web page to see if your problem is listed there. The biggest mistake people will make is that they do not have the correct versions of Flash installed on their system. Flash is a completely free program that allows the broadband bandwidth test to run on your computer. You need to have at least version 8 installed. You can have a higher version to run this broadband bandwidth test, but the minimum is 8.
So the server has been picked, the program is running, now it is time to take a look at what all the numbers mean. The first number you should see is your download rate. This is measured in kilobits per second. Most people know of files measured in kilobytes, so you need to convert this number over. The quick and easy way is to divide it by 10. This will give you your kilobytes per second download rate. Divide that number by 1000 to get your megabytes per second download rate. That is it, it really is that easy.