http://speedtest.mybc.com/
Here are some Frequently Asked Question regarding internet speed:
What are Bits vs. Bytes vs Baud?
Bits and bytes are the root of some confusion with Internet speeds. Communications speeds are usually measured in BITS per second while most computer equipment specs and operations are measured in BYTES per second. Your "56K" modem or "2Mbps" DSL is 56 kilobits and 2megabits per second respectively. A "bit" is the primary data unit that all electronic devices use and is either "on" or "off" (also called "1" or "0"). Eight bits make a "byte". The "k" is short for "kilo", which traditionally means thousand although in the computer world it means 1024. A "kilobit" is 1024 bits and a "kilobyte" is 1024 bytes. To complicate this further is "baud" which is "level transitions per second" or one could say "ticks per second". In earlier days one bit could be sent per "tick" so baud and bps (bits per second) were the same. Today it is possible to encode multiple bits per "tick" so they are no longer equal. A modern 56k modem will actually use a baud rate of 2400 to 3200.
Why are my downstream and upstream speeds so different?
Your Internet connection is asymmetric; it is faster one way than the other. Many Internet connections, almost all residential ones, receive faster then they send. Also a lot of Internet infrastructure becomes more asymmetric as you get closer to a "user" system and rightly so because most web traffic is from servers sending data to users.
Why the result seems too slow?
No Internet connection runs at 100%, there are many factors that limit the speed you can send data over any communication medium. Your connection to your ISP is just one link in the vast network of computers and links that connect you to our website. Even if the last link to your computer is the slowest, all those other connections add a little bit (sometimes a lot) of delay. Our goal isn't to determine the maximum speed of your connection, but rather give you a practical, "real world", "over the internet" communications speed result.
Why the result seems too high?
If the results seem wildly high select "advanced options" on speed test start page and force the test to use the 500KB data. Factors that are out of our control that could contribute to higher results are compression, caching servers that don't listen to our instructions, and the JavaScript on your system.
Why is the result different each time I run the test?
The Internet is a network of computers around the world. When the data from our site is traveling to your computer it crosses various other servers and networks, and depending on how busy those computers are when our data reaches them their speed will vary. Time of day plays a part and there are definite Internet "rush hours". Try running the test at different times of the day and compare the results.
This site will measure your approximate Internet connection speed. Although we think that it an accurate measure of your internet access speed, results can be influenced by uncontrollable conditions, such as Internet slowdowns or network traffic. For best results, run the test late at night with your browser as the only open program.
