Cnet Broadband Speed Test

The Cnet broadband speed test checks the bandwidth of your Internet connection against top DSL, cable modem, and other broadband services.

The service works by downloading a file (an image file (of size 50K, 150K, 500K, or 1.5MB depending on the connection speed you indicate)) from their servers to yours, and that will speed will be used to calculate your bandwidth speed from the CNET Internet Services site.

Your bandwidth speed may be influenced by factors such as:

being located outside of the United States,
performing other downloads and the test simultaneously,
executing programs that use your bandwidth to monitor other resources.

If you are an international user, your area code shouldn't be typed into the box for it, as the area code is provided to help U.S. users get accurate readings.

Using the Cnet Broadband Speed Test

The service is pretty easy to use, uses three digit area codes, and you also choose your current connection type, as well as current ISP (if known).

When you click to start the service, the image file is transmitted as described earlier.

The results of this transfer are presented as graph, where your results are provided against other services. If there are providers with faster access, those are listed (up to 30Mbps T3 service) with links.

From Cnet Broadband Speed Test page to Broadband Guide index