Ongoing monitoring is required to understand the health of a network. There are times when a quick check lets you know if things are working the way they should. This is where you go for a quick test of the bandwidth. This can easily be done with our speed test app. You need to download this app on Windows 10. This speed test has a number of tools used for testing the internet speed that leverages 8,000 servers, globally.
What is Bandwidth?
The amount of data that is transferable from one specific point to another in a given time within a network is known as bandwidth. This is measured in bps (bits per second). This is an important factor when you need to determine the speed and quality of an internet connection or a network.
Talking about bandwidth, you need to be aware that the general range is more important as compared to the specific number. If you have been consistently getting around 40Mbps for the internet speed, but this tends to drop to almost 2Mbps at specific times during a day, you need to look for issues. At the same time, if you get around 41.23Mbps normally and this drops to 40.89Mbps, there is nothing to worry about.
Bandwidth Tests for Local Network
The internet-based bandwidth test involves your internet connection. At times it is important to have some knowledge of the local network. This requires a monitoring software or bandwidth tool which is installed locally.
The Task Manager of Windows can show you the basic data for a bandwidth measurement on a single PC. This is done by selecting the ‘Performance’ tab and clicking on the network interface.
The PRTG Network Monitor is an advanced tool that is required to get the total picture of the network bandwidth. This tool has multiple advantages as compared to the simpler tools as this can not only track but also store the bandwidth results. This also allows you to view how the bandwidth changes over a period of time.
The PRTG tool and other tools which are similar, helps you to monitor all the local network as this passes over the interface.
Other Bandwidth Tests
If you are familiar with the network, even simple tools can give you a clear picture of any issues with the bandwidth. You can ping a router and observe the reply times. If this is higher than normal. or even inconsistent, you need to look for issues.
A command of traceroute helps you get an insight when the ping times are long.
Accurate Results
Following the tips listed, you can get the most accurate results of the Bandwidth Test.
- Use the Ethernet connection between the modem and the computer.
- During the test, make sure you do not surf the net or download or upload any files.
It is advisable not to connect to any Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections.
