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Internet Speed Test for Australian Broadband and Internet Users

Our Internet speed test is designed specifically for Australian Internet users whether using dial-up, broadband (ADSL, ADSL2+, Cable/Fibre Optic or mobile broadband). By hosting our speed test servers in Australia we can produce more accurate results than speed tests using servers abroad; this is because a broadband speed test needs to connect to a sever to measure Internet speed, if that server is located in another country results will be less accurate as the data has further to travel producing a slower Internet check test result.

How to run the broadband speed checker

  1. Exit any programs or applications you currently have running (these program may have an effect on your Internet speed)
  2. Enter current package details
  3. Run the speed test
  4. A comparison is made between your actual Internet speed and the speed quoted by your provider and the results are given

What does the broadband speed test measure?

Our broadband speed checker will measure you upload speed and download speed. Broadband plans are designed to give a higher download speed as this is used more than upload speed. Download speed is the speed which your Internet connection can download information from the Internet; for example downloading a web page when you visit a website, watching a video clip, downloading music or emails. Upload speed is the speed which you transmit data back across the Internet, for example if you are online gaming or using a VoIP service such as Skype then you will be downloading and uploading data.

What causes slow internet speeds?

Distance from telephone exchange: If you are on a DSL, ADSL or ADSL2+ connection then this is supplied using the old copper telephone networks. The further you are from the phone exchange the further data needs to travel along these old copper lines. Speeds deteriorate the further they have to travel from the phone exchange to your home. This is the biggest cause of slow broadband speeds. This doesn’t occur with cable or fibre optic networks which suffer from minimal deterioration in speeds and was one of the reasons behind the need for the NBN.

Contention Ratios: This describes the maximum potential number of people sharing the bandwidth supplying your Internet connection (please note this is different than people using your wireless connection). Typically most consumer ISPs have a contention ration of 50:1 which means that up to 50 people are subscribed to the ‘pipe’ serving your area however given that at any one time between 0 and 50 people could potentially be using their connections the number of users sharing bandwidth will change through the day.

Time of day: More people tend to be online at certain times such as early evening; this can result in slower connections at certain times of day.

Traffic Management: Also called traffic shaping and throttling this is the process where some Internet service providers (ISPs) reduce the speeds of very heavy data users. Internet providers attempt to justify this by claiming that they don’t want to slow down the speed of the majority if users due to the top percentage of very heavy users so limit the speed of these customers. Some ISPs may also throttle speeds of those using websites to download music illegally.

Your router: Having an adequate router with the right settings is important in getting the best out of your Internet connection. If your router came as part of the broadband plan you signed-up it should of course be suitable. In particular issues with incorrectly configured wireless routers can cause issues with Internet connections.

Your laptop: An out dated laptop of PC may be making your connection feel much slower and a machine suffering from a virus infection can also cause speed issues. Ensuring you are not running an out-dated version of your web browser will also help

System resources: Running Skype, messenger, anti-virus and other applications all take extra bandwidth. For increased speeds sign out of what you don’t need and make sure you are not running more than one ant-virus program (in addition to slowing speeds running multiple anti-virus applications can conflict with one another and actually make your machine more vulnerable).
Sharing your wireless connection: If you share your wireless connection between multiple devices (phones, laptops, tablets) in a household this will reduce split the bandwidth available. If you don’t secure your wireless Internet connection other people could gain access to it which will reduce your speeds, present a security threat and potentially increase your bills if they download lots of data exceeding your download limit.
Mobile broadband speeds: The main cause for slow mobile broadband speeds is the connection type available and congestion. 4G is the fastest type of connection though availability is very limited at the moment. Most mobile internet connections in city centres or well-populated areas will use 3G which is the next fastest. Rural areas and less densely populated or small urban areas may not have access to 3G and will often suffer from slower connections. If no 3G connection is available there are two forms of 2G connection your smartphone or mobile broadband device will use, these are EDGE and GPRS with the former being the faster of the two. In addition to connection type the load placed on the network will influence speed, as networks near capacity as more and more of use mobile data connections speeds can suffer.