Test Internet speed and bandwidth
Testing your speed
Knowing your internet speed and how it compares to recommendations from internet-based services, such as Zoom, can help you get the most out of your connection. Because speed is so vital to making your internet-dependent activities work well, you should test your internet speed regularly. There are many websites that can test your internet connection speed.
- https://www.att.com/support/speedtest/
- https://speedtest.xfinity.com/
- https://fast.com/
- https://www.speedtest.net/
You can also download the free Speedtest mobile app by Ookla for Android and iOS to test your connection on your mobile device.
Upload speed vs. download speed
After you finish the speed test, you’ll see two numbers in the results: one is your upload speed and the other is your download speed.
Download speed is the speed at which information travels from the internet to your internet-connected device. For example, if you open a UIndy website on your computer, your download speed would determine how long it takes to load the page.
It is important to note, your Download speeds may be slower and not be accurate if there are multiple users in the home streaming video or downloading large files. The download speeds have a higher accuracy when if no streaming services are running and no large files are being downloaded when the test is running.
Upload speed is the opposite of download. It is the speed at which information travels from your internet-connected device to the internet. If you post to a video to IVS or Brightspace, for example, your upload speed would determine how long it takes your video post to get to the IVS or Brightspace server.
With most internet plans, download speeds are much faster than upload speeds. Streaming videos or music, reading email, are all activities that don’t really need upload bandwidth once they’re initiated.
Upload speeds become much more important for interactive applications such as Zoom for a fully remote course or when you are uploading video.