Far from requiring complex software or external tools, doing the check will take just a few seconds with the right applications and knowing what each value shown in the results means. In this post we explain all the ways to do a speed test from the mobile so that you can report an incident to your operator if the case arises.
Android and iOS speed test apps
Regardless of whether you have an Android phone or an iPhone, you may find that the two most efficient apps in speed measurement are shared by both systems. Logically, there are more than those that we show here and having one will be enough for you, but we have compiled the ones that in our experience are more accurate.
speed test
A classic where they exist and that, despite having a web version, works very well in your application. It shows interesting speed data, as well as the network to which you are connected. It is completely freealthough it contains advertising that is in no way intrusive as it is a small banner.
Ookla speed test
nPerf
We have already talked about nPerf before as a perfect benchmark to analyze your connection. In addition to measuring speed, it also analyzes other parameters and even the coverage of the operators in Spain. The fact of offering a careful interface with graphics helps to make your data easy to understand and interpret even by those who do not have much technical knowledge.
nPerf : speed test speed
From the web browser
Through the browser, no need to install apps, you can also do a speed test. Without going any further, Xiaomi’s own browser hides a speed test in its interface. However, and in order to make it compatible with iOS as well, we will resort to a universal one: Google’s.
And it is that in the Google search engine itself there is a speed test. To access it, it will be as simple as opening the normal Google website and in the search box type “speed test” (or “speed test” and the like). After that, the first result that appears will be that of the tool, all you have to do is press the corresponding button to start the test.
What do the results of the speed test mean?
Once you have done the speed test, either with applications or from the browser, a series of data will appear as a result. If you are not familiar with those connection terms, don’t worry. These are their meanings:
- Upload speed: Expressed in Megabits per second (Mbps), it refers to the time it takes for the mobile to upload data to the network. For example, imagine you want to post a tweet or upload a video to YouTube; the faster your upload connection, the sooner the content will upload.
- Lowering speed: the opposite case to the previous one, since it is also expressed in Mbps and in this case it refers to the time it takes for your device to download data from the network. The clearest example in this case is when you download a file from the Internet or wait for the content of a social network or your WhatsApp chats to load, since the higher this speed, the sooner you will be able to have that content.
- Ping: It is a unit that measures the latency of the connection and is equivalent to the milliseconds it takes for your mobile to establish a connection with a remote computer. For example, “20 pings” would mean having a delay of only 2 milliseconds on your connection. This is seen a lot in online video games, considerably improving the experience the less ping you have, since it will feel much more fluid as there is less latency.
How to interpret the results of the speed test
Despite having already seen with the previous examples what each value means, it may not be enough for you to know how to detect when the connection is slow or fast. The most convenient thing is always that there is a high and symmetric speed of upload and download speed accompanied by a low Ping.
However, the reality is different and more in wireless connections such as those of the mobile, considerably lower than those connected by cable to the router. Finding the ideal speed It will always depend on the use you make of the Internetsince downloading or uploading many data packages is not the same as simply sending and receiving WhatsApp messages, the first case being much more demanding.
Be that as it may, having a low speed and/or a high ping is not always synonymous with problems, since your contracted Internet may be like this. You should look at what speed you contracted with your operator and if it offered you symmetrical speeds, although as a general rule the upload speed is always somewhat lower than the download speed.
If you detect that your connection is excessively slow or very far from what you hiredyou could check the following points first:
- Remove the mobile cover, as absurd as it may seem. There are some cases that, due to their construction, limit the signal input and are bad friends with a fast connection. Most likely this is not the problem, but you’d be surprised how many times this has been the source of the slowness.
- Being close to the router, since the further away you are, the worse the WiFi signal will reach you. Not to mention the possible obstacles that hinder the propagation of the signal.
- coverage issues in the event that it is with mobile data, since you do not always have the same signal and more so if you are on the move. The mobile is connecting to different antennas and this can cause coverage problems.
- Check if the router has errors, as it may be damaged or collapsed. To rule out failures in the router, all you have to do is restart it, this being a solution to many “faults” that later are not such.
- Reset mobile network settings, which will cause all your WiFi connections (also Bluetooth and others) to be lost and you will have to connect to them again. Reestablishing the connection manually might solve the problems.
If after checking you keep noticing you have a slow connection, you will have no choice but to notify your operator. If the problems are via WiFi, the one that supplies you with this service. If it is with mobile data, to your mobile operator. This way they will be able to verify if it is a specific failure in the area, if it is a matter of the router and even if it may be a hardware failure of your mobile.