Information transfer speed. What are the maximum internet speeds?
The technical specifications of devices and contracts for the provision of communication services with an Internet provider include units of Kilobits per second and, in most cases, Megabits per second (Kbps; Kb/s; Kb/s; Kbps, Mbit/s; Mb/s ; Mb/s; Mbps - the letter “b” is small). These units of measurement are generally accepted in telecommunications and measure the bandwidth of devices, ports, interfaces and communication channels. Regular users and Internet providers prefer not to use such a specialized term, calling it “Internet speed” or “connection speed”.
Many user programs (torrent clients, downloaders, Internet browsers) display data transfer speeds in other units, which are very similar to Kilobits per second and Megabits per second, but these are completely different units of measurement - Kilobytes and Megabytes per second. These quantities are often confused with each other because they have similar spellings.
Kilobytes per second (in which user programs display the data transfer rate) are usually denoted as KB/s, KB/s, KB/s or KBps.
Megabytes per second - MB/s, MB/s, MB/s or MBps.
Kilobytes and Megabytes per second are always written with a capital letter “B” in both English and Russian spellings: MB/s, MB/s, MB/s, MBps.
One Byte contains 8 bits, therefore, a Megabyte differs from a Megabit (as does a Kilobyte from a Kilobit) by 8 times.
To convert "Megabytes per second" to "Megabits per second", you must multiply the value expressed in MB/s (Megabytes per second) by eight.
For example, if a browser or torrent client displays a data transfer rate of 3 MB/s (Megabytes per second), then in Megabits it will be eight times higher - 24 Mbps (Megabits per second).
To convert from Megabits per second to Megabytes per second, you must divide the value expressed in Megabits per second by eight.
For example, if the provider's tariff plan provides for a bandwidth of 8 Mbit/s (Megabits per second), then when downloading a torrent to a computer, the client program will display a maximum value of 1 MB/s (if there are no restrictions on the server side and no overload).
How to test the speed of your Internet connection online?
In order to test your bandwidth, you can use one of the free Internet speed measurement resources: Speedtest.net or 2ip.ru.
Both sites measure the bandwidth from the server you choose to the computer on which the speed is measured. Since the length of the communication channel can be from several hundred meters to several thousand kilometers, it is recommended to choose the geographically closest server (although it may also be heavily loaded). It is better to conduct testing at a time when the activity of the provider's network clients is the least (for example, in the morning or late at night). The accuracy of Internet connection speed measurements is not ideal due to the large number of different factors that greatly affect the throughput, but it is quite capable of giving an idea of the real Internet connection speed.
The Internet provider allocates bandwidth to each subscriber for Internet access in accordance with the subscriber's tariff plan (the provider "cuts" the speed according to the tariff plan). However, many Internet browsers, as well as file download wizards and torrent clients, display the bandwidth of the communication channel not in megabits per second, but in megabytes per second, and this often causes confusion.
Let's test the speed of your Internet connection using the resource speedtest.net as an example. You need to click the “BEGIN TEST recommended server” button.
The resource will automatically select the server closest to you and begin testing Internet speed. The test result will be the channel throughput from the provider to the subscriber (“DOWNLOAD SPEED”) and the channel throughput from the subscriber to the provider (“UPLOAD SPEED”), which will be expressed in Megabits per second.
The speed through the router is “not the same”, the router “cuts” the speed
Often, after purchasing a router, connecting it and setting it up, users are faced with the problem that the Internet connection speed has become lower than before purchasing the router. This problem occurs especially often on high-speed Internet plans.
For example, if you have a tariff plan that provides “Internet connection speed” of 100 Mbit/s, and when you connect the provider’s cable “directly” to the computer’s network card, the Internet speed fully corresponds to the tariff plan:
When you connect the provider's cable to the WAN port of the router, and the computer to the LAN port, you can often observe a decrease in throughput (or, as they say, “the router cuts the speed of the tariff plan”):
It is most logical to assume that in this scheme the problem is in the router itself and the speed of the router does not correspond to the speed of the tariff plan. However, if you connect to a “slower” tariff plan (for example, 50 Mbit/s), you will notice that the router no longer cuts the speed and the “Internet speed” corresponds to that specified in the tariff plan:
Among engineers, the terminology “router cuts speed” or “router speed” is not accepted - they usually use the terms “WAN-LAN routing speed”, “WAN-LAN switching speed”, or “WAN-LAN throughput”.
WAN-LAN throughput is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) and is responsible for the performance of the router. The speed of WAN-LAN switching and the performance of the router as a whole is determined by the hardware of the router (H/W - from the English “Hardware”, indicated on a sticker that is pasted on the bottom of the device) - this is the model and clock frequency of the router processor, the amount of RAM memory, switch model (switch built into the router), standard and model of the Wi-Fi radio module (Wi-Fi access point) built into the router. In addition to the hardware version of the device (H/W), the version of the installed firmware (“firmware”) installed on the router plays a significant role in the speed of WAN-LAN routing. That is why it is recommended to update the device firmware version immediately after purchase.
After “reflashing” or, professionally speaking, after updating the firmware to the recommended firmware version, the stability of the router, the level of optimization of the device for working in the networks of Russian providers, as well as WAN-LAN throughput should increase.
It is worth noting that the WAN-LAN switching speed depends not only on the device’s hardware version (H/W) and firmware version, but also on the connection protocol to the provider.
The highest WAN-LAN routing speed is achieved using the DHCP and Static IP connection protocols, the lowest when the provider uses VPN technology, and the lowest if the PPTP protocol is used.
WiFi speed
Many users connected to any Wi-Fi network are not always satisfied with the connection speed. The issue is quite complex and requires detailed consideration.
a. Real speeds of Wi-FI technology
This is what frequently asked questions on this topic look like:
“My tariff plan provides a speed of 50 Mbit/s - why is it only 20?”
“Why does the box say 54 Mbit/s, but the client program displays a maximum of 2.5 MB/s (which is equal to 20 Mbit/s) when downloading a torrent?”
“Why does the box say 150 Mbit/s, but the client program displays 2.5 - 6 MB/s (which is equal to 20 - 48 Mbit/s) when downloading a torrent?”
“Why does the box say 300 Mbit/s, but the client program displays 2.5 - 12 MB/s (which is equal to 20 - 96 Mbit/s) when downloading a torrent?”
The boxes and specifications for the devices indicate the theoretically calculated maximum throughput for ideal conditions of a particular Wi-Fi standard (essentially for a vacuum).
In real-world conditions, network throughput and coverage area depend on interference from other devices, WiFi network load, the presence of obstacles (and the materials from which they are made), and other factors.
Many client utilities supplied by manufacturers along with WiFi adapters, as well as utilities of the Windows operating system, when connecting via Wi-Fi, display exactly the “theoretical” bandwidth, and not the actual data transfer speed, misleading users.
As the test results show, the maximum real throughput is approximately 3 times lower than that specified in the specifications for the device or for one or another IEEE 802.11 group standard (Wi-Fi technology standards):
b. WLAN-WLAN. Wi-Fi speed (depending on distance)
All modern and current Wi-Fi standards today work in a similar way.
At each moment of time, active Wi-Fi equipment (access point or router) works with only one client (WiFi adapter) from the entire WiFi network, and all network devices receive special service information about how long the radio channel will be reserved for transmission data. Transmission occurs in half-duplex mode, i.e. one by one - from the active Wi-Fi equipment to the client adapter, then vice versa, and so on. A simultaneous “parallel” data transfer process (duplex) is not possible in Wi-Fi technology.
Thus, the data exchange speed between two clients (WLAN-WLAN switching speed) of one Wi-Fi network created by one device (access point or router) will (ideally) be two or more times lower (depending on the distance), than the maximum actual data transfer rate of the entire network.
Two computers with Wi-Fi adapters of the IEEE 802.11g standard are connected to one Wi-Fi router of the IEEE 802.11g standard. Both computers are located a short distance from the router. The entire network has a maximum achievable theoretical throughput of 54 Mbit/s (as written in the device specifications), but the actual data exchange speed will not exceed 24 Mbit/s.
But, since Wi-Fi technology is a half-duplex data transmission, the Wi-Fi radio module has to switch between two network clients (Wi-Fi adapters) twice as often as if there was only one client. Accordingly, the actual data transfer speed between two adapters will be two times lower than the maximum real one for one client. In this example, the maximum actual data transfer speed for each computer will be 12 Mbit/s. Let us remember that we are talking about transferring data from one computer to another via a router via a wifi connection (WLAN-WLAN).
Depending on the distance of the network client from the access point or router, the “theoretical” and, as a result, the “real” data transmission speed over WiFi will change. Let us remember that it is approximately 3 times less than the “theoretical” one.
This occurs due to the fact that active WiFi equipment, operating in half-duplex mode, together with adapters changes the signal parameters (modulation type, convolutional coding rate, etc.) depending on the conditions in the radio channel (distance, presence of obstacles and interference) .
If a network client is in a coverage area with a “theoretical” throughput of 54 Mbit/s, its maximum actual speed will be 24 Mbit/s. When the client moves a distance of 50 meters in conditions of direct optical visibility (without obstacles or interference), it will be 2 Mbit/s. A similar effect can also be caused by an obstacle in the form of a thick load-bearing wall or massive metal structure - you can be at a distance of 10-15 meters, but behind this obstacle.
c. IEEE 802.11n router, IEEE 802.11g adapter
Let's consider an example when a Wi-Fi network is created by a Wi-Fi router standard IEEE 802.11 n (150 Mbit/s). A laptop with a Wi-Fi adapter of the IEEE 802.11n standard (300 Mbit/s) and a desktop computer with a Wi-Fi adapter of the IEEE 802.11g standard (54 Mbit/s) are connected to the router:
In this example, the entire network has a maximum “theoretical” speed of 150 Mbit/s, since it is built on a Wi-Fi router of the IEEE 802.11n standard, 150 Mbit/s. The maximum real WiFi speed will not exceed 50 Mbit/s. Since all WiFi standards operating on the same frequency range are backward compatible with each other, you can connect to such a network using a WiFi adapter standard IEEE 802.11g, 54 Mbit/s. At the same time, the maximum real speed will not exceed 24 Mbit/s. When connecting a laptop with a WiFi adapter of the IEEE 802.11n standard (300 Mbit/s) to this router, client utilities can display the value of the maximum “theoretical” speed of 150 Mbit/s (the network was created by a device of the IEEE 802.11n standard, 150 Mbit/s) , but the maximum real speed will not be higher than 50 Mbit/s. In this scheme, the WiFi router will work with an IEEE 802.11g client adapter at a real speed not exceeding 24 Mbit/s, and with an IEEE 802.11n adapter at a real speed not exceeding 50 Mbit/s. Here we must remember that WiFi technology is a half-duplex connection and an access point (or router) can work with only one network client, and all other network clients are “notified” of the time for which the radio channel is reserved for data transmission.
d. WiFi speed via router. WAN-WLAN
If we are talking about connecting via a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi router, then the torrent download speed may be even lower than the values given above.
These values cannot exceed the WAN-LAN switching speed, since this is the main characteristic of the router’s performance.
Thus, if the specifications (and on the box) of the device indicate a Wi-Fi data transfer speed of up to 300 Mbit/s, and the WAN-LAN parameter for this model, its hardware version, firmware version, as well as connection type and protocol is equal to 24 Mbit/s, then the data transfer speed over Wi-Fi (for example, when downloading a torrent) under no circumstances can exceed 3 MB/s (24 Mbit/s). This parameter is called WAN-WLAN, which directly depends on the WAN-LAN routing speed, on the firmware version installed on the Wi-Fi router, the Wi-Fi radio module (WiFi access point built into the WiFi router), as well as on the characteristics of the Wi-Fi adapter, its drivers, distance from the router, radio noise and other factors.
Source
This instruction was prepared and published by Ivan Aleksandrovich Morozov, head of the Training Center of the TRENDnet representative office in Russia and the CIS. If you want to increase your level of knowledge in the field of modern network technologies and network equipment, we invite you to visit us for free seminars!
Serious interest in the issue internet connection speed usually occurs after or a blog in the process of them. This is due to the need to find out and, as a rule, increase the loading speed of the site, which depends, among other factors, to a large extent on Internet speed. In this article we will briefly consider what incoming speed, outgoing speed, and most importantly, let's deal with units of data transfer rate, the concept of which is very vague for many novice users. In addition, we present simple methods for measuring Internet connection speed through the most common online services.
What is it? Internet connection speed? Internet connection speed refers to the amount of information transmitted per unit of time. Distinguish incoming speed (receipt speed)– speed of data transfer from the Internet to our computer; outgoing speed (transmission speed)– the speed of data transfer from our computer to the Internet.
Basic units of Internet speed measurement
The basic unit of measurement for the amount of information transmitted is bit(bit ). The unit of time is taken second. This means that the transmission speed will be measured bit/sec. Usually they operate in units “kilobits per second” (Kbps), “megabits per second” (Mbps), “gigabits per second” (Gbps).
1 Gbps = 1000 Mbps = 1,000,000 Kbps = 1,000,000,000 bps.
In English, the basic unit for measuring the speed of information transmission used in computing - bits per second or bps will be bits per second or bps.
Kilobits per second and, in most cases, Megabits per second (Kbit/s; Kb/s; Kb/s; Kbps, Mbit/s; Mb/s; Mb/s; Mbps - letter "b" small) are used in technical specifications and contracts for the provision of services by Internet providers. It is in these units that the speed of the Internet connection in our tariff plan. Typically, this speed promised by the provider is called advertised speed.
So, quantity transmitted information is measured in bits The size of a file transferred or located on a computer’s hard drive is measured in bytes(Kilobytes, Megabytes, Gigabytes). Byte is also a unit of information quantity. One byte is equal to eight bits (1 Byte = 8 bits).
To make it easier to understand difference between bit and byte, can be said in other words. Information on the network is transmitted bit by bit, Therefore, the transmission speed is measured in bits per second. Volume the same stored data is measured in bytes. That's why pumping speed of a certain volume measured in bytes per second.
File transfer speed used by many user programs(downloader programs, Internet browsers, file hosting services) is measured in Kilobytes, Megabytes, Gigabytes per second.
In other words, when connecting to the Internet, the tariff plans indicate the data transfer speed in Megabits per second. And when downloading files from the Internet, the speed is shown in Megabytes per second.
1 GB = 1024 MB = 1,048,576 KB = 1,073,741,824 Bytes;
1 MB = 1024 KB;
1 KB = 1024 Bytes.
In English, the basic unit for measuring the speed of information transfer is Byte per second or Byte/s will be byte per second or Byte/s.
Kilobytes per second are referred to as KB/s, KB/s, KB/s or KBps.
Megabytes per second - MB/s, MB/s, MB/s or MBps.
Kilobytes and Megabytes per second are always written with capital letter "B" both in Latin transcription and in Russian spelling: MByte/s, MB/s, MB/s, MBps.
How to determine how many megabits are in a megabyte and vice versa?!
1 MByte/s = 8Mbit/s.
For example, if the data transfer rate displayed by the browser is 2 MB/s (2 Megabytes per second), then in Megabits it will be eight times higher - 16 Mbit/s (16 Megabits per second).
16 Megabits per second = 16 / 8 = 2.0 Megabytes per second.
That is, to get the speed value in “Megabytes per second”, you need to divide the value in “Megabits per second” by eight and vice versa.
In addition to the data transfer rate, an important measured parameter is reaction time of our computer, denoted Ping. In other words, ping is the time it takes for our computer to respond to a sent request. The lower the ping, the shorter, for example, the waiting time required to open an Internet page. It is clear that The lower the ping, the better. When measuring ping, the time it takes for a packet to travel from the online measuring service server to our computer and back is determined.
Internet connection speed determination
For speed determination There are several methods for connecting to the Internet. Some are more accurate, others less accurate. In our case, for practical needs, I think it is enough to use some of the most common and well-proven online services. Almost all of them, in addition to checking Internet speed, contain many other functions, including our location, provider, reaction time of our computer (ping), etc.
If you wish, you can experiment a lot, comparing the measurement results of various services and choosing the ones you like. For example, I am satisfied with such services as the famous Yandex Internetometer, and also two more - SPEED.IO andSPEEDTEST.NET.
The page for measuring Internet speed in Yandex Internetometer opens at ipinf.ru/speedtest.php(picture 1). To increase the accuracy of the measurement, select your location with a mark on the map and click with the left mouse button. The measurement process begins. Measured results incoming (download) And outgoing (upload) speeds are reflected in the pop-up table and in the left panel.
Figure 1. Internet speed measurement page in Yandex internet meter
The SPEED.IO and SPEEDTEST.NET services, in which the measurement process is animated in a dashboard similar to a car (Figures 2, 3), are simply pleasant to use.
Figure 2. Measuring Internet connection speed in the SPEED.IO service
Figure 3. Measuring Internet connection speed in the SPEEDTEST.NET service
Using the above services is intuitive and usually does not cause any difficulties. Again, the incoming (download), outgoing (upload) speeds are determined, ping . Speed.io measures the current Internet speed to the company's server closest to us.
In addition, in the SPEEDTEST.NET service you can test the quality of the network, compare your previous measurement results with the present ones, find out the results of other users, and compare your results with the speed promised by the provider.
Along with the above, the following services are widely used:C.Y.- PR. com, SPEED. YOIP
What is Internet speed and in what units is the Internet connection speed measured: bits or maybe bytes?
Internet speed is the maximum amount of data received by a personal computer (PC) or transmitted to the Network in a certain unit of time. If you look at the change in data transfer speed, you can most often find it in kilobits/second (Kb/sec; Kbit/sec), or in megabits (Mb/sec; Mbit/sec). The size of any files is always indicated in bytes, KB, MB and GB.
We all know that 1 byte is 8 bits. If the speed of your Internet connection is 100 Mbit/s, then following the calculations (100/8=12.5), we can conclude that the computer can transmit or receive no more than 12.5 in one second MB of information. If the size of the file you want to download is 1.5 GB, then the download process will take you no more than two minutes.
What does the speed of the Internet connection depend on?
First of all, the speed of your Internet connection depends on your tariff plan that your Internet provider has set for you. The speed is also affected by the technology of the information transmission channel and the congestion of the Network by other users. If you limit the total bandwidth of the channel, then the more users are on the Network and the more files and information they download, the more the connection speed drops, since there is less “free space” on the Network.
Secondly, there is a dependence on the loading speed of the sites you are on. For example, if at the time of loading the server can provide the user with data at a speed of at least 10 Mbit/sec, then even if you are connected to the maximum tariff plan, you may not expect more.
Factors that influence Internet speed:
1. When checking, the speed of the server you are accessing.
2. Speed and settings of your Wi-Fi router.
3. All programs and applications running on the computer at the time of verification.
4. Also firewalls and antiviruses running in the background.
5. Settings for your operating system (OS) and the computer itself.
How can you increase the speed of your Internet connection?
1. Malicious or unwanted software, it can primarily affect the reduction of Internet connection speed.
2. Viruses, worms and Trojans that accidentally enter your computer can take up part of the channel's bandwidth. To solve this problem, you need to use antivirus programs that will fight against infection of your PC.
3. When you use Wi-Fi that is not password protected, you also put yourself at risk, since other users usually connect to it. Therefore, you need to set a password for Wi-Fi.
4. Parallel running programs also reduce the speed of the Internet connection, because they lead to an increase in processor load, so the speed decreases sharply.
Some actions can increase internet speed connections, for example:
1. Increasing port throughput speed. This is the case if you have a high Internet connection, and the speed has dropped sharply. Go to the "Start" menu, then "Control Panel" then to "System" and to the "Hardware" section, then click on "Device Manager". Find “Ports (COM or LPT)”, then expand their contents and look for “Serial port (COM 1)”. After this, you need to right-click and open “Properties”. After this, a window will open in which you need to go to the “Port parameters” column. After the window has opened, click the “Speed” parameter (bits per second) and click on the number 115200 - then OK! After all these actions, the port throughput speed is increased. Because the silent speed is set to 9600 bps.
2. You can also try disabling the QoS packet scheduler to increase speed. To do this, you need to run the gpedit.msc utility. In Start, search for gpedit.msc. Next, you need to click “Computer Configuration” after “Administrative Templates”. Then go to “Network”, then “QoS Packet Scheduler”. Next you need to “Limit reserved bandwidth” then “Enable” and set it to 0%. Click "Apply" and restart the computer.
3.Reboot your router. Restarting your modem or router can resolve many connection problems. Unplug, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on.
These actions, in some cases, will help you increase your speed.
Internet speed is the amount of information received and transmitted by a computer over a period of time. Nowadays this parameter is most often measured in Megabits per second, but this is not the only value; kilobits per second can also be used. Gigabits are not yet used in everyday life.
At the same time, the size of transferred files is usually measured in bytes, but time is not taken into account. For example: Bytes, MB or GB.
It is very easy to calculate the time it will take to download a file from the network using a simple formula. It is known that the smallest amount of information is a bit. Then comes the byte, which contains 8 bits of information. Thus, a speed of 10 Megabits per second (10/8 = 1.25) allows you to transfer 1.25 MB per second. Well, 100 Mbit/s is 12.5 Megabytes (100/8), respectively.
You can also calculate how long it will take to download a file of a certain size from the Internet. For example, a 2 GB movie downloaded at a speed of 100 Megabits per second can be downloaded in 3 minutes. 2 GB is 2048 Megabytes, which should be divided by 12.5. We get 163 seconds, which is equal to approximately 3 minutes.
Unfortunately, not everyone is familiar with the units in which it is customary to measure information, so we will mention the basic units:
1 byte is 8 bits
1 Kilobyte (KB) corresponds to 1024 bytes
1 Megabyte (MB) will be equal to 1024 KB
1 Gigabyte (GB) correspondingly equals 1024 MB
1 Terabyte – 1024 GB
What affects speed
The speed at which the Internet will work on the device depends primarily on:
From the tariff plan provided by the provider
From the channel capacity. Often the provider provides shared speed to subscribers. That is, the channel is divided among everyone, and if all users actively use the network, then the speed may decrease.
From the location and settings of the site the user is accessing. Some resources have restrictions and do not allow you to exceed a certain threshold when downloading. Also, the site may be located on another continent, which will also affect loading. 
In some cases, the data transfer speed is influenced by both external and internal factors, including:
Location of the server being accessed
Setting up and channel width of a Wi-Fi router if the connection is over the air
Applications running on the device
Antiviruses and firewalls
OS and PC setup
