How to Run a Speed Test Correctly

Most Internet consumers, if the run an online speed test, run it incorrectly. How to run it correctly depends on your goal. If you are trying to determine what speeds your ISP (Internet Service Provider; LCWA is your ISP) is providing to your home, then very specific steps must be taken to isolate in-house issues away from the test.

How to Test ISP Speed Delivery

To test your ISP speed delivery, then during the test you must eliminate other factors in your home that typically slow speeds down. To do that:

–The most important point is this: Only run the test on a computer connected directly to your router via an Ethernet cable. Do not run the test on a device connected by Wi-Fi. So that obviously means don’t run it over your cellphone. Read more about that here.

–Power cycle your router just before running the speed test. Routers can slow down over time due to fluctuations in the electrical grid causing freeze-ups in the router. Power-cycling your router can help. Pull the power on the router, wait 3 minutes, then plug the power back in.

–Use a new router. Very old routers can slow down internet significantly over the years. Contact LCWA for us to provide you with our recommended airCube router, configured for your account, at our low cost of $33.

–Use the correct speed test site. Many speed test sites interact poorly with the LCWA radio-based network. Use the one at this link: http://lcwireless.speedtestcustom.com/ 

–Connect to correct remote server. At that speed test site, be sure to connect to this remote server: Plateau Telecommunications, Albuquerque. You make that choice using the dropdown menu just below the big GO button.

Other Points

— Be sure you use a computer that has an up-to-date OS and good recent hardware. Old or out of date computers can have slow network cards and/or run slowly.

–Repeat the test using multiple computers or ethernet connected devices. Some devices, even if new, are slower than others.

–Reboot your computer just before the test. The network cards in computers can slow down or get stuck. Rebooting helps clear that up.

–Don’t run the test if others in the house are using the internet at exactly the same time. So tell your family to turn off the streaming TV or stop playing any online games during the test. Their usage will slow down the test results.

–Run the speed test 3 to 5 times in a row and throw out the lowest results, which may be erroneous.

–Also, wait about an hour and run the tests again—some slowdowns are very temporary.

–Do not run the test between 6 PM and 12 midnight. Otherwise, the reading will be subject to the Netflix Hours effect: too many movies being streamed across the entire national internet network and slowing your internet down.

So those are the main points for running an accurate speed test, please be sure to follow those points prior to sending any test results to LCWA tech support.