I’ve been asked by several clients about internet speeds, specifically what’s “fast” and how can one know if one’s getting the speed one’s paid for. It’s easy to test your system and find out.
1. Conduct a speed test. It just takes a minute and it’s pretty cool. Write down your results when done.
2. Find out what you’re supposed to be getting by looking up the speed promised by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Here are links to a few wired (ie, not wireless) plans in the San Diego area:
Cox – Economy/Value/Preferred/Premier
RoadRunner – Basic/Standard/Turbo
AT&T – Basic/Express/Pro/Elite
3. Compare your results from Step 1 to the promised speeds in Step 2. If your numbers are in a mixture of Mbps (Megabytes per second, aka Mb/s) and Kbps (Kilobytes per second, aka Kb/s) you’ll need to translate them to compare. 1 Mbps = 1024 Kbps. Here’s a handy calculator to translate them for you.
Voila! If your speed is not what’s promised, give your ISP a call. If you’ve been suffering with slow speeds you may notice that upgrading is only a few more dollars a month. Personally I’ve had great customer service with Cox and the Preferred plan, while not the fastest they offer, works fine for me.
Likewise, if your speeds have slowed to a crawl, you might need some tech assistance. Your internet speed is influenced by a number of factors in addition to your ISP speeds and most companies offer decent troubleshooting assistance. Either way, a little check up is the first step in making sure you are getting what you’re paying for!
