How To Measure Bandwidth For Landline Access

Is your internet connection too slow for streaming, video conferencing, and home office? This is how you can check whether the promised bandwidth actually reaches you. These possibilities for bandwidth measurement exist, and this is how you proceed. Enlarge How-To: Measure bandwidth for landline access

The bandwidth information provided by the provider usually uses the phrase “up to” and, as far as possible, avoid “constantly” or “continuously.” Therefore, it can happen, especially in the evening hours and on weekends, that the bandwidth drops significantly below the promised values ​​and is insufficient because too many users are logged on at the provider’s distribution point and mutually take away bandwidth.

Why Measure The Bandwidth At All?

With the PC-WELT tariff comparison, you can find the most suitable tariff for you. If your provider does not achieve the desired speed and bandwidth, you should consider switching. But before doing this, you should absolutely rule out that technical defects in your area of ​​responsibility slow down your Internet connection because a problem with the cabling or the router can be the cause of a slow internet connection. Basically, it always makes sense to know the exact bandwidth available on your own connection.

For this reason, too, you should take a close look at the current bandwidth. If there are problems, you can file a well-founded complaint with the provider with the exact data and request a solution to the problem.

There Is a Difference Between Upload And Download Speeds.

While download speed plays a role when streaming, surfing, and downloading files, upload speed is also important when working in the home office. Namely, when you want to upload files to the company servers. But the upload speed is also important for video conferences.

Usually, the upload is much slower than the download. The providers often show the upload speed in their product description in a much smaller font.

The Federal Network Agency Provides a Desktop App For Broadband Measurement.

Ideally, you should, of course, use provider-independent tools for bandwidth measurement wherever possible. This ensures that the result corresponds to the actual performance. The Federal Network Agency provides a desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Download: You can download these broadband measurement apps here for free for Windows, macOS, and Linux. A measurement directly in the browser is possible here.

With this app, you can test the bandwidth of your internet line independently and comprehensively. The desktop app allows you to compare the performance set in your tariff with the actual bandwidth.

You can use the app to carry out a single measurement or several measurements over several days. Such a series of measurements is necessary if, with individual measurements, you find that the bandwidth that actually arrives at you does not correspond to the tariff you have taken out. With a “verification procedure,” you have solid evidence that the provider has to rework.

How To Measure Correctly

EnlargeInstallation Of The Bandwidth Measurement Of The Federal Network Only.

For a test, download the latest version of the desktop app for your operating system. By running the approximately 122 MB file, you install the desktop app on your PC. After the first start, you confirm the license conditions.

Enlarge Confirm The License Conditions Of The Bandwidth Measurement

After confirming the license conditions, you can first carry out a one-time measurement in the window. This will then show you exactly what the current bandwidth of your Internet line is. If the service deviates from your tariff, you can also start a “verification procedure” with the bandwidth measurement. The desktop app carries out twenty measurements spread over several days.

Carry Out a Single Measurement

The first step is always a single measurement. Once you have started this, first select your provider. In order to achieve an unadulterated result, it makes sense to connect the PC directly to the router via a network cable. This excludes speed problems of the WLAN. Of course, an Internet provider cannot guarantee the speed of the WLAN, as its performance depends on many factors. If it is not possible to establish a cable connection between the measuring PC and the router, you should carry out the measurement as close as possible to the router if it also provides the WLAN.

On the next page of the desktop app, select your tariff if you can see it in the drop-down box. If you cannot find your tariff in the list, use the slider to set the bandwidth that corresponds to your connection according to the contract documents. You also have to specify whether your contract has a throttling, for example, if a certain data volume has been exceeded.

Then enter your postcode and choose whether you want to anonymously share the location of the measurement with the Federal Network Agency. This has the advantage that the agency’s bandwidth map can also reliably indicate to other users whether other users are also having problems with the bandwidth. If you allow sharing, you have to confirm the access again in the web browser. Then select how satisfied you are with the provider in general. Then start the measurement by clicking on “Start single measurement.”

Enlarge Start a Measurement In The Federal Network Agency’s Desktop App.

The tool then tests the runtime of the data packets to the Internet hub in Frankfurt. The desktop app then checks the download and then the upload bandwidth. The app then displays the result in the window. You can save the result as a PDF and a CSV file using the links at the top of the window. It is also possible to start the measurement again in the window.

Enlarge The Measurement

“Show details” gives you more information, such as your IP address and the bandwidth comparison with your tariff. You can see the result of the last measurements via the link “Measurement progress”.

Measure Bandwidth For Cable Users

In order to measure the performance in the cable network, it can also be useful to compare the result of the bandwidth measurement by the Federal Network Agency with the measurement tool of a cable provider. One example of this is Speedtest Plus for all Vodafone cable users. You can call the Vodafone speed test via the speed test. Vodafone website on. You do not have to install this; it starts directly from the browser.

EnlargeThe Vodafone speed test also gives tips for optimization.

After the successful measurement, the tool also gives optimization tips in case there are performance problems in the internal network and in the WLAN. The IDG speed meter also helps with bandwidth measurement. You start the bandwidth meter in the browser. He immediately starts measuring. It is not necessary to fill out various data here. 

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