Useful when you want to know your internet speed! How to use "Google Speed ​​Test" [Basics of using Google]

I think many people have completely changed their lifestyle due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. Internet connection is not available for watching streaming videos such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, YouTube, video conferencing such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, and online games such as "Final Fantasy", which has evolved surprisingly in recent years. If the speed is not fast enough, important scenes or meetings may be interrupted, or the operation of the game may be hindered, which may cause stress.

In a more extreme example, the timing of financial transactions, such as online trading, can be affected, changing the range of profits and losses.

If you check the speed of your line in advance with Google's speed test, you can check whether the line to which your smartphone or computer (PC) is connected is stable. If you have ever felt uneasy about the speed of games or videos, please try it once.

Contents What is "Google Speed ​​Test"? How to use "Google Speed ​​Test" How much is a comfortable Internet speed? Summary of points to note when using "Google Speed ​​Test"

What is "Google Speed ​​Test"?

The internet is so pervasive in our lives that it's hard to imagine living without it, but if you feel your internet speed is slow, use the internet speed test provided by Google to check your speed. You can easily test whether is fast or slow. Let's use the Internet more comfortably by grasping the optimum communication speed that suits your purpose.

Test has download speed and upload speed. Download speed has a big impact on watching streaming videos such as YouTube. Upload speed also affects the performance of online games and the quality of video and voice calls such as Zoom.

How to use "Google Speed ​​Test"

Looking at Google's help site, an example of measuring using an app called "Google Home" is presented, but you need to install the app. Or, if you are unfamiliar with the settings, the threshold may be high. Here, we will introduce a method that can be easily measured from a PC or a smartphone.

For both PC and smartphone, enter speed test on the Google search screen and search. If you get a result like the one below, press the "Run speed test" button. (The background of the browser is set to black so that the image is easy to see.)

During speed measurement, the measurement screen is displayed as shown below.

Measurement results are displayed as shown below. As of October 2021, this is the same screen on both PC and smartphone. Latency means "waiting time" or "reaction time". This test seems to be connecting to a server in Tokyo. Click Details to display Google's help site.

What is a comfortable internet speed?

Speed ​​is measured in Mbps (megabits per second). For example, if your download speed is 45 Mbps, you can transfer 45 megabits of data per second from the YouTube servers to your home.

The download speeds recommended by Google are listed in the table below.

For meetings on Zoom, as of November 2020, 1.8 Mbps (both download and upload) for one-on-one video calls with 1080p HD video quality, 2.5 Mbps for receiving and 3.0 Mbps for sending (same) for group video is recommended.

In the case of telework, the conditions are completely different depending on the work content, but in general there are still few meetings with 4K quality, so if the speed is about 13 to 25 Mbps in the above table, it should be fine.

Precautions when using "Google Speed ​​Test"

In most online speed tests, not only Google Speed ​​Test, personal devices such as PCs and smartphones and unspecified servers Check the speed between And the results of the test depend on factors such as:

For Google Speed ​​Test, it measures the speed between your PC's router or smartphone's Wi-Fi point and Google's servers. Google's stance is that testing speed against popular servers (such as YouTube's servers) rather than your closest server will give you a better metric for everyday internet usage. Therefore, you are more likely to get relatively stable (constant) results when measuring at home.

What you need to be careful about is that if you have a fast line contract with your ISP but you don't get the speed, you can use a router, hub (LAN distribution device), or LAN cable that doesn't support the line speed. is used unintentionally at home. If you have equipment or wiring that you have been using for years, you also need to be suspicious of it.

Conversely, if you have an expensive router but your ISP provides a slow internet connection, your performance will suffer. It is necessary to consider the line speed in the entire connection environment to the Internet.

For services other than Google Speed ​​Test, some tests automatically select the nearest server, while others allow the user to select from multiple servers. If it is a speed test provided by a video streaming service, it seems that the connection speed with the streaming service's server may be measured. In either case, results will vary depending on distance and contracted line. If you test against a server closer to your location, it will be faster, if it is farther away, it will be slower. These changing conditions can lead to discrepancies between the speeds you experience in daily use and the results of your tests.

In addition, when measuring using public Wi-Fi on a smartphone or PC outside, the results will naturally vary greatly depending on the environment on the spot.

The connection speed will also vary depending on your home and local environment. In a household with several children, when all the children come home from school and start playing online games or watching videos all at once, the connection speed in the household suddenly drops. If there are many people in the area who have started telework, the connection speed may be lower than before.

ISPs invest more in areas with a large number of users, but as a general rule they invest less in areas with fewer users. Connection speed depends on many factors.

If Google's speed test is not displayed, try the following solutions.

Summary

Again, the speed test is only a guide. It can change greatly depending on the time of day and day, and even banks sometimes cause communication failures at ATMs, so IPS can cause trouble.

If you don't judge your environment just by checking once, change the timing and test, and as a result, if you don't get the speed you think you need, contact your contracted IPS. Let's look at.

● Written by Ryo Tajiri

In 1983, I self-taught myself and created a cash register settlement program for a part-time job. He released a printed mask cover in 2006, when there was still only a white mask. Planned software for Nintendo DS, "Kai Navi DS" and influenza test. At the age of 50, he learned a new computer language and built it to create the requested personnel management system. Highly rated for his ability to teach anyone in an easy-to-understand manner, he teaches programming and information system theory at computer vocational schools and junior colleges. We are planning a no-tie accessory "Placetti". Kets Co., Ltd. (https://kets.co.jp)

● Composition / Kyoto Media Line ・ https://kyotomedialine.com