Some ISPs question the legitimacy of many Internet speed testing sites, as they should, most of them aren't very good. At TestMy.net we are obsessed about accuracy. We have over 15 years of experience testing the World Internet. Our servers are on a network that has direct peering with some of the biggest names in the Internet backbone. The network has a total capacity of over 2000 Gbps and our servers have multiple gigabit uplinks into that network. TestMy is ALWAYS overstocked with bandwidth and can meet the needs of even the most demanding connections. Our servers are also configured and tested to maintain full quality of service for thousands of miles.
Does your ISP send you to a speed test they host?
Internet providers like to eliminate any variables when testing, so they send users to internally hosted speed tests. This can help an ISP mask their shortcomings, namely with peering. Remember, your provider isn't only responsible for giving you access to their servers... you're paying for Internet service, not LAN. Make sure that they don't fool you into believing the problem is on the 'other guys' end. TestMy.net has been a trusted free Internet resource since before your ISP ever even thought about making a speed test... possibly before they even existed. Furthermore, TestMy grades all connections based on the same criteria regardless of provider and we are not affiliated with any providers so our results are completely unbiased. We work for the consumer not the ISPs.
Be cautious of any internal speed test that your ISP may refer you to. Your ISPs test can still be helpful in troubleshooting but in most cases these servers are on an internal network server and they WILL NOT give you real world results. Some other speed test sites also will lead you to believe that testing off a server close to you will help... the only thing that helps is your ego. Testing off a server that is next door does not give you a real world results. How could it? When you use the Internet how often are the servers right next to you... rarely. Other speed tests rely heavily on donated servers. The idea behind TestMy.net is that we give our users a benchmark under controlled conditions. Using servers of known quality.
Many call center techs and Internet technicians already know and trust this service. But, if your ISP questions our results or they try to send you to their speed test you may want to question the reason why. They expect you to go out on the Internet, right?
Flash Based Speed Tests Out There
Flash is the wrong protocol to use for speed testing. Completely bad idea. There is buffering between the application and the browser and throughput bursting due to CPU usage. Flash based tests need to make adjustments for this... rough estimate adjustments of up to 40 percent. How can the test be accurate if it's being adjusted by up to 40% to offset an unknown variable. TestMy.net does not use Macromedia Flash or Sun Java for testing. Our proprietary testing method is unlike any other speed test in existence. We have no need to make any adjustments to your results. When you test here the numbers returned are precise up to 0.0001 and are not doctored in any way. Unlike the vast majority of speed tests out there, TestMy calls it how it sees it!
The true worth of an ISP
In our opinion the true value of an Internet service provider isn't always measured in megabits. Truly great providers maintain
good peering relationships with other providers so their users sustain quality speeds throughout the Internet, not just near by. What good is an Internet connection if you can only get your advertised speeds on your providers internal network (or on the edge of their network). It's the INTERnet not INTRAnet. If you run a speed test elsewhere and get higher results than you get here, poor provider peering may be to blame.