Testing your Internet connection's performance is a straightforward exercise. You don't need any extra software—all you need is a computer with a Web browser. But there are also a few things you can do to make sure you are getting the most accurate reading of your Internet connection. Here's what to do.
Get ready
For best results, you want to use a wired connection if at all possible; that way, you don't have to worry about interference and performance fluctuations that can occur while you're on Wi-Fi. If you have any other wired devices on your home network, plug your test computer directly into the modem so those don't interfere in your testing.
If you're stuck using Wi-Fi—say, you have a MacBook Air or a tablet or some other device that doesn't have an Ethernet port—do what you can to minimize interference. Make sure your Wi-Fi router is away from other electronic devices like cordless phones, and temporarily disconnect any other devices from your Wi-Fi network—after all, you don't want another computer on your network to download a gigabyte worth of software updates while you run your tests.
Check your computer's activitiy viewer to see if something on your computer is hogging your bandwitdh.
While you're at it, double-check to make sure your computer isn't downloading something in the background. Check the Task Manager on Windows (summoned by pressing control-alt-delete) or Activity Monitor on OS X, and look for network statistics (it's labelled "Network"on OS X, "Networking" on Windows). Close or quit all apps on your computer to keep apps from downloading software updates while you test your connection. Your bandwidth usage may not drop to zero and stay there, but you want it as close to zero as it'll get. If your operating system is downloading updates, there isn't much you can do aside from wait and test your connection later.
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