Internet speed is one of the most misunderstood subjects when people or businesses are looking for an internet service provider (ISP). Your internet speed determines how fast it will take to accomplish specific tasks and how many people can get similar speeds simultaneously.
What Is Internet Speed (And Why It Matters)
Internet speed refers to how much data can be transferred over a single connection at what speed. Internet speeds are a big deal, especially for increasingly connected businesses, which will be discussed later in this article. Using it when you’re on the go allows you to be more efficient and productive. The speed of the internet is also crucial in terms of how it connects us to everything else. Internet speeds have become a measure of how fast we go on the web. Using applications, visiting websites, and consuming content on the web are all impacted by your internet connection speed.
Testing your speed
The first step in knowing how fast your internet speeds are is by performing a speed test. This will measure not only how fast it is, but also the quality and stability of the connection. Multiple tests are run simultaneously that analyze your internet connection, specifically your download and upload speeds, as well as your ping. When you check your internet speed, the values will represent the specific quality of the connection, allowing you to determine if you need to improve or if you need to change ISPs completely. You can use specific online tools, which will usually perform three separate tests for each aspect that makes up “internet speed.” This process will often involve:
- Download test:In order to measure download speed, multiple connections must be opened to the server simultaneously to download a large file. Due to the maximum bandwidth being used by the internet connection, this can determine the maximum rate of data transmission on the network. In the end, the available download speed is determined by measuring data volume against measurement time.
- Upload test:Tests are performed on upload speed by reversing the analysis of the download. The test server is again connected multiple times. This method works by creating a large file of random data on your device and pushing it through all connections to the server rather than downloading it. Data is sent across multiple streams to the server to ensure maximum efficiency. The speed of uploading data is determined by recording data throughput against time.
- Ping:An internet test server receives a small packet of data during the ping test. This package will be delivered back to the device when it has been received by the server, creating a roundtrip. In modern Internet jargon, latency is sometimes called ping, and it is the amount of time it takes for this roundtrip to be completed. Multiple ping tests consecutively to achieve an accurate reading, and we determine the final result by averaging all the results.
Important Speed Terms To Know
A few terms need to be understood before one can comprehend internet speeds. You can use these terms to determine if you need to upgrade or not.
Bandwidth
Data transmission capacity over a given length of time is called bandwidth. Therefore, it is the total capacity that a network connection can handle at any given time. A good analogy to understand the importance of bandwidth compared to raw speed is by thinking of a fast car that represents speed. If there is only one lane and other road users, you won’t get the full speed, no matter how fast the vehicle.
Bit
Computer speed is measured by bits, the smallest unit of data. Due to its small size, it is often measured in thousands of units, as in megabits per second (Mbps).
Byte
Eight bits make up a byte. You can also measure Internet speed in terms of available memory or what is being transferred, making it helpful in understanding internet speeds.
Latency
The latency is the time taken for data to travel from your computer to the server and back (and then back again). The lower the latency on any internet service is, the more responsive it will be.
Mbps
A broadband speed is measured in megabits per second. This is the amount of data that the connection can accept in one second. It is often used with the term “download speed” to describe the speed of downloaded data from the internet.
MBps
When discussing data transfer rates, megabytes per second are used as a file size unit, and the figure will usually appear as MB.
Why Speed Matters For Business
The speed of your internet connection is vital for consumers but critical for businesses these days. With the advent of video conferencing and more employees working from home, connections need to be secure and fast.
Video Conferencing
Increasingly, businesses realize the benefits of video collaboration; it becomes clear that bringing the entire team together to solve a problem can be more effective than just sending a message. It requires much bandwidth to make this work, and a stable connection is essential for efficiency.
Data Protection
Businesses already understand the importance of keeping several backups of their data in different locations. A very stable connection is needed to ensure that you can adequately upload large amounts of data to a backup service data center.
Productivity
Employee productivity can increase in step with your business’s internet speeds. This is because many tasks will often require necessary but straightforward communication with other team members. By increasing your internet speed, you will find that collaboration increases, and fresh ideas can flow more freely. In the age of Google business suite, some Adobe products, and various Microsoft services, more and more work is increasingly being done online, so a faster connection means working more efficiently and with less downtime.
As you can see, internet speed is more complex than merely how fast you can download a file. It relates to the general stability of the connection and how efficiently it transfers data. The importance of business is unquantifiable as the nature of work is changing. Nevertheless, a high-speed, secure internet connection is more vital for business than ever before.
