You’ve just received a brand-new broadband connection put in place and you’re fully prepared for anything that the internet throws at you.
The network service provider’s sales representatives promised you an incredible speed, but your service isn’t as fast as it ought to be. Many of us have experienced this at one point or another.
Instead of relying on the marketing statistics of your carrier It is better to gauge your network’s performance yourself. This is how we’ll show you.
BANDWIDTH AGAINST THROUGHPUT
When we discuss performance What do we mean by performance? It’s crucial to comprehend the distinction between the bandwidth as well as throughput.
Bandwidth refers to the capacity of the connection to carry information. Consider a high-bandwidth network as a six-lane highway in comparison to a two-lane highway. The former will be more crowded over the other.
Throughput is the measure of the speed that traffic moves through the network. It typically reported in units of data per second, which is typically, megabytes every second (Mbps).
High bandwidth typically refers to the ability to run at a high rate. But, just as a six-lane highway experiences congestion that brings the traffic at a standstill certain factor can slow down the performance of an internet with high bandwidth. There is a lot of contention among users using the connection, which could reduce the speed of individual users.
Another possible issue is the high latency. This refers to the amount of amount of time it takes for the packet to be delivered to its destination, and is essential to some applications such as VoIP or voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A lot of devices along the same connection or having other bottlenecks on the way could increase latency and affect the speed of your network.
If the rate of latency changes in a large amount across a session there is a chance that you will encounter jitter. This can be an issue for delicate applications like VoIP or video conference. The cause of jitter is network interference or weak connectivity to networks. It is possible to see this in Wi-Fi and cellular connections, however the electrical activity caused by storms and even motors with high power could affect copper cabling.
MEASUREMENT OF BROADBAND THROUGHPUT
When people discuss the measurement of bandwidth, they’re typically discussing throughput. The majority of tests for throughput employ similar methods, such as sending a sequence of packets towards a specific destination and then observing the response time over a specified time period to calculate an average.
Broadband throughput measurement tools typically provide different metrics. Broadband connections with wide coverage usually provide asymmetric bandwidth, which means you have more capacity for downloading data as opposed to uploads. The most effective testing tools will help you to determine these parameters.
Another common metric is speed of ping. It measures the total distance for the packet delivery. It is generally recommended that you should aim for ping speeds that are 20ms or less when making VoIP calls, but you can achieve acceptable results up to 150ms.
There are a lot tests for broadband available online Some of them come directly from providers. You are able to also find independent versions.
Speed testing tools for broadband won’t offer the same results, and that’s the reason it’s better to choose the testing tool provided by your ISP or an independent speed-testing tool.
The configuration you’ve set on the end of your router also is important when it comes to evaluating throughput. Although your broadband connection may be constant and consistent from your router outward but the devices you have on your network and the way they’re set up will impact the distance between your router and device you’re testing.
Test your broadband throughput with the normal network configuration will provide you with a visual of your performance under actual network conditions. You can then test the speed under optimal conditions by eliminating all variables from the test process.
Another method is by connecting directly to your gateway or internet modem using the Ethernet cable, bypassing hubs, switches or Wi-Fi. Choose a computer with a gigabit Ethernet network interface card (NIC) to ensure that the device can handle higher-bandwidth connections, such as fiber.
TESTS ON LAN
It is also the right time to measure the connectivity between various locations within the LAN, particularly if you notice significant differences in the speed of broadband in real network conditions alongside numerous other clients on the network.
Looking at the NICs that are on your devices for receiving and sending and the speed that is supported by any network equipment that is in the middle will provide you with an approximate bandwidth.
In actuality the mileage you get may differ according to factors such as the number of devices connected to the network, the amount of bandwidth the other devices consume and which equipment for networking, like hubs or Wi-Fi connections support them. All you need is an uplink port of your switch that is overloaded to decrease your actual bandwidth throughput.
MEASURE WI-FI THROUGHPUT
Wi-Fi networks are among the most fluctuating when it comes to speed and bandwidth.
The Wi-Fi access point’s location and antennae orientation, walls within the building and distance from the access point can all affect the performance of Wi-Fi.
The endpoints can affect the results of tests. The test using a mobile application could produce different results based on the phone’s internal Wi-Fi transceiver’s capabilities and can differ among models. Many administrators appreciate the app’s functionality regardless of the device, and in this case, there are a variety of Wi-Fi network analyser applications accessible for Android as well as iOS.
One way to test WiFi connectivity under ideal conditions of network can be to link two ends to the Wi-Fi access point, with the least number of other connections that use it as little as you can. Ideally the device could connect directly over Ethernet to a wired port on the access point, if it is equipped with one. This will give at the very least one of the ends of the conversation a constant connection. You can then run the LAN-based measurement tool between both devices.
You can then run the same exercise using the wireless access point at different locations from your access point in order to test the change in throughput.
HOW MANY GB OF BANDWIDTH DO YOU REQUIRE?
You can employ these methods to measure the latency, throughput and jitter among different locations in your network, which includes between your router and your internet gateway providing you with an accurate view of any bottlenecks at your address.
Armed with this knowledge it is possible to identify chokepoints in your network infrastructure and make sure you’re making use of the bandwidth you have as effectively as is possible. Next, look over your IT plan to determine if you have enough capacity to handle any future changes.
Evaluate each application based on the projected requirements for throughput per user. Then, multiply that number by the expected number of concurrent users.
What do you do in the event that you’re not getting enough bandwidth to support your needs? The purchase of more bandwidth for wide-area is a sensible option. There are other options, like the WAN optimization technique, which employs compression, deduplication and caching to make the most of the pipe available.
Other options include quality-of-service (QoS) technology that prioritizes latency-sensitive traffic, as well as more crucial applications, such as VoIP and video conference.
If you require more WAN bandwidth you should look at your usage patterns for your network prior to making a decision on your contract. If the traffic only exceeds acceptable thresholds at specific periods, you should consider contracts with bandwidth-on-demand which allow customers to increase their bandwidth during peak hours.
In the end, it is important to test the performance of your network repeatedly. You can try sampling the test several times throughout the course of 24 hours in order to create an average. This will also identify any significant variation that could be a sign of an issue in your relationship with the service provider.
Conducting these tests each several months will allow you to monitor your network’s throughput in time, thereby alerting you to any upcoming network issues before they become problematic.
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