Internet speed testing - How ISPs go about testing for speed on the Internet

Your PC is probably infected with adware & spyware if: You have downloaded music online Your PC is running extremely slow You are pestered by those horrible popup ads Your homepage keeps changing

Internet Service Providers - ISPs carry out tests on many internet backbones before committing to purchasing bandwidth. There's been many studies rating internet backbones, and while useful in helping to make an informed purchasing decision, it's also important for ISPs to carry out their own "real world" tests.

These "real world" tests may not be as scientific as "pure tests" carried out by research companies, but ISP’s users won't experience perfect test conditions either, even under normal usage.

How fast the connection goes to "Internet hot spots" and not the overall connection speed is one of the main factors in choosing a backbone. By this we mean sites that many users visit on a regular basis, such as search engines like http://www.google.com or companies providing services like Windows Update at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

Calculating Speeds using Trace Route

One free useful tool in calculating speeds is trace route. You'll find trace route included with all major operating systems.

The utility program goes by different names:

• Under Unix - traceroute
• Microsoft Windows - tracert

Simply type "tracert destination" e.g. "tracert microsoft.com" to view how fast it takes to run through all the different stages of the routing to microsoft.com. This test should be carried out on a series of different backbones then compared to help find the most suitable one for the ISP's needs.