If you take out an internet subscription with your provider, you also want to be sure that you get what you pay for. You can test this yourself by means of a speed test, although several tests are sometimes far apart. We give you tips for measuring your speed.
It is best to do a speed test more often in one day. Spread this out. This way you can find out whether you continuously maintain the same speed, or whether it always deviates. You can perform this test independently on different sites, but you will see different results. Possible options are speedtest.nl and internetspeed-testen.nl, we recommend speedtest.net.
Provider test and connection
If an independent speed test such as Speedtest.net shows that your speed is lower than expected, we advise you to perform a speed test of your internet connection via your provider in addition to an independent speed test.
You can also read from this whether you are receiving the promised speed. For example, if you pay for a package where you have 50 Mbits per second download speed and 20 Mbits per second upload speed, you can see from the results of the speed test with your internet provider whether you have achieved those speeds. If the speed test of the internet provider does give good results, then you know that the problem is caused by the connection of your internet provider's network to the internet and not your own internet connection.
The first speed test we went through at 11 am.
It is important to know whether you have internet via cable, fiber optic or the outdated ADSL. If you work with the latter, you depend on how far your modem is from the local exchange. The greater the distance difference, the slower your internet connection will be. There is nothing that can be changed if this were the only problem.
Divergent results
You can get different results with the speed tests. There can be several reasons for this. To be able to perform a test properly, we advise you to close all internet-related programs when you do a speed test. Think of web browsers, e-mail programs and started updates, downloads and uploads. In addition, it does not hurt to perform the speed tests on different devices. If you work with an outdated desktop PC, there is a good chance that this can produce different results. It also doesn't hurt to give your device's processor some space by closing unnecessary programs. The less your processor does, the faster your internet connection can become.
Another cause of a disappointing speed in the case of ADSL, VDSL or a fiber optic connection can be digital television. Sometimes bandwidth is taken from the connection by watching digital television because IP television is used. This can certainly play a role if you are looking at two receivers at the same time. This does not apply to cable internet, where the television signal is separated from the internet signal.
The second speed test at 1 pm. These are minor differences in our case.
Wi-Fi
If you use WiFi, the distance between your device and the router determines the speed. You can improve internet speed if you use Wi-Fi closer to the router.
Resolving problems
If the speed tests via WiFi continue to be low, even if you have done everything you can to address deviating results, you can use the InSSIDer program. With this program you can check the channel you are active on nearby. If several people from the same provider are connected to the channel, you must adjust the channel to a quiet channel in your modem settings. This will increase your internet speed.
If your speed via a PC connected with a network cable is much lower than you would expect, try connecting a PC or notebook directly to your modem (router) with a network cable. This excludes the possibility that the problem is in your own home network. If the speed is still much too low, you can call the internet provider to ask if there might be a malfunction. Not all problems can be solved. The distance from the local exchange to your house will not change, so with ADSL you are highly dependent on it. However, if you use an internet connection via cable or fiber optic, you should get about the speed.
