Bandwidth and network speed can make a big impact on productivity and performance. It’s important to test your bandwidth speed to ensure it’s meeting your business needs, but before we dive into how to test your bandwidth speed, let’s start with what bandwidth means.

What is Bandwidth?

Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transmitted over an internet connection in a specific amount of time. Commonly mistaken for internet speed, bandwidth measures the amount of data sent within a network, while speed measures how fast that data is received and downloaded.

How to Test Your Bandwidth

Testing your bandwidth speed couldn’t be easier with TPx’s free bandwidth speed test. Click “Go” and the bandwidth speed test will connect to one of the TPx test servers located throughout the country. If will automatically select the server that is closest to you, but you can select a different server if you prefer.

Understanding Your Results

Understanding your current bandwidth connection can help you make informed decisions about your network needs. TPx’s bandwidth speed test is made up of four components:

• Ping: The term ping is used to measure the round-trip time for reaching a server and is measured in milliseconds (ms). A high ping rate means you’re likely experiencing latency issues, whereas a low ping rate reflects fast response times.
• Network Jitter: Network jitter is measured in milliseconds (ms) and shows delays in audio or video connections. A low jitter score reflects consistent response times from audio and video connections.
• Download Speed: Download speed is measured in megabits per second (mbps) and shows the capacity of your connection. The higher your download speed, the faster you will be able to download files from the internet.
• Upload Speed: Upload speed is the counterpart to downloads and measures your connection capacity as it relates to how fast you can upload a file. A higher upload speed means that you’ll be able to upload quicker. Since many internet users download over upload, your speed for download is likely higher than your upload speed.

Evaluating Your Bandwidth Needs

Now that you understand your current speeds, you might be asking yourself, “what’s next?”

To understand if you need additional bandwidth, you need to estimate what your business needs are and what your usage looks like. While sending a basic email or general WiFi take less bandwidth than you might think, coming in at approximately 1 Mbps each, the number of employees you have completing similar tasks at the same time can strain your network and cause your bandwidth requirements to change.

Reliability and Speed

Did you test your bandwidth with our free bandwidth speed test? If your bandwidth and internet speed isn’t what you hoped it would be or need, TPx can help with reliable and fast network connectivity. Contact Us and learn how we can help improve your bandwidth speed.