How do I check what I am getting performance from my Internet Service Provider?
Run an online speed test to determine what you are currently getting for download and upload speeds. There are many free providers of the speed test, but we recommend using the following service: https://www.speedtest.net/. Run the test a few times and provide your ITC Support with your Ping Latency, Download, and Upload speeds.
Why is my upload speed slower than my download?
When you run the test, you may notice that the upload speed is much slower than your download. This is usually normal, because most high-speed Internet connections, including cable modems and DSL, are asymmetric — they are designed to provide much better speed for downloading than uploading.
What speeds do I need for streaming or large downloads?
If you’re asking this question, you’re already sick of the wheel of constant buffering. To get the best possible performance, you generally want download speeds at least as fast as the following:
- 2 Mbps is preferred for social media, listening to audio recordings, emails, and low-quality video streaming.
- 10 Mbps is preferred for uploading photos or videos, HD Video Streaming, and video conference calls like Zoom.
- 25 Mbps is preferred for 4k video streaming and most online functions
What speeds do I need to transfer large files?
You can transfer large files at any speed; it’s more a question of how long that transfer will take. Here are a couple of tables to help you out:
What’s an acceptable ping (or latency) for online video conference calls?
If you’ve ever noticed that other people always seem to have a better experience than you, that might be because they have a faster ping. Here’s a rough guideline:
- Great: 0-59 ms
- Not Bad: 60-129 ms
- Barely Good Enough: 130-199 ms
- You Better Dial Into Clas: 200+ ms
What should I do if my internet speed is slow?
Before you contact your internet service provider (ISP) or mobile carrier, check to see if you’re running any ongoing downloads or other programs like video chat, Netflix, or online gaming that might be hogging your bandwidth.
Run a broadband speed test. Close those and check again. If your Speedtest result still seems slow, reboot your phone or computer, modem, and router. Then make sure that your router does not have any Quality of Service (QOS) features turned on. If that doesn’t fix the problem, here are a few more steps you can try.
Contacting your ISP or carrier for help is an excellent next step after you’ve gone through these steps. Keep in mind that on higher bandwidth connections (150 Mbps and above), you will need a higher quality router to keep up.
Why am I getting different speeds between my computer and my phone/tablet?
Speedtest measures your real-time network connection, so tests taken within a few minutes of each other might vary a little based on network congestion and available bandwidth. If your Speedtest results are significantly different, make sure that you’re:
- Testing the same connection. If one device is on Wi-Fi and the other is not, you’re testing the speeds of different connections.
- Testing on the same server. Speedtest automatically selects a server to test to based on ping, but you can also choose a server to test to.
Also, note that there are large variations in Wi-Fi and cellular radio quality and MIMO stream handling quality between devices. These variations can cause a device to deliver slower test results than another device or computer.