| A bandwidth test is a program that sends one or more files of known size
over a network to a distant computer and
measures the time required for the files to successfully download at the
destination, and thereby obtains a theoretical figure for the data speed
between two or more points, usually in Kilobits per second (Kbps). Bandwidth test results
can vary greatly based on several factors that include:
- Internet traffic (speed generally decreases as volume increases)
- Variable propagation delays (can artificially inflate or degrade the
result)
- Noise on data lines (has a real detrimental effect)
- The sizes of files used for the test
- The number of files used for the test
- The demand load on the test server at time of test
- Geomagnetic and/or thunderstorm activity
In order to get a reasonable estimate of bandwidth throughput,
use three or more different test sites, and run each test six times. The top
and bottom 1/3 of the figures should be disregarded and the middle 1/3
of the results should be averaged. |
