And only some of those variables are within your control to optimize. However many factors, including your device and their server, can influence those results.
The amount of time it takes to send that file to the server and receive it back is what determines the results the app displays. What happens next is that a chunk of data is sent from your device to a server they have access to, which is usually chosen by location. Testing internet speeds start by simply bringing up the app or website and clicking the start button.
Many of the speed test services on the market are available as either an app you install on your mobile device or via a web browser. Setting Up for Testing Internet Speeds A speed test app measures the speed of a connection between your device and its server. Remember, not everyone travels with boosters and antennas. That's the data these apps are looking to record so that other users know what to expect. You should only report speeds to these crowdsourced resources using your baseline readings - unenhanced - without boosters & antennas. Adding in your experimental data with boosters & antennas can skew the results for everyone. The results of these speed tests get recorded in a central database for sharing about your current location with others. Please don't use these crowdsourced apps for *testing* your signal enhancing efforts. These resources might also include the functions for testing internet speeds for a cellular device. There are also several crowdsourced coverage map and signal map apps out there - like Open Signal. One nice feature is that it has optional limits on mobile data use.
The app tests several video and audio streaming plus videoconferencing services to determine if there is any throttling in the connection.
You can click on "Show More Info" to get access to upload speed and latency results. The reading you get here will likely differ from other speed test services, as it will reflect any video resolution throttling speeds in effect (for instance, if your data plan only allows for 780p resolution, may reflect only 3-5 Mbps speeds, whereas Ookla's app might show 38 Mbps which is the speeds you'd get for non-video web surfing).
By default, they show just download speeds as applied to a video file - since that's what's important to stream video.
There are many free apps and websites designed for testing internet speeds. Testing Mobile Internet Speeds Video OverviewĮnjoy this quick video recapping the importance of performing speed tests to determine your mobile internet data performance:īe sure to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more video guides & news updates.