Preparation, Testing and Results

• 1). Turn your computer off and on again. The computer will be in a fresh state, with clear memory and only essential system programs running.
  
  
• 2). Close any programs that run automatically when your computer starts. Examples include instant-messaging applications (MSN, AOL, Twitter, etc.) or gaming platforms (Steam, etc. ) that may connect to the Internet. These consume Internet bandwidth and will lead to incorrect results.
  
  
• 3). Open a browser and go to the three speed-tests sites listed below in the Resources section. Take a note of the download speed, upload speed, and round trip time (if available).
  
  
• 4). Average the results of all the sites to get an accurate measurement of Internet speed. Do not forget to convert all numbers to the same base unit. Remember, 1 mbps is 1000 kbps.