Lab Project 12.1: Bandwidth and Latency
Internet service providers charge different amounts depending on how much bandwidth customers need. If you are paying for a certain speed for your downloading and uploading on the Internet, have you ever checked to find out whether you are actually getting the speed of transmission you are paying for? In this lab, you use online tools to figure out what bandwidth you are actually getting.
1. To measure your bandwidth, there is a Speed of Me tool at https://speedof.me that will measure your download speed, upload speed, and latency. Use this tool to measure your bandwidth and make note of the numbers it reports for your upload speed, download speed, and latency.
2. Internet service providers also have bandwidth measuring tools, such as Verizons www.verizon.com/speedtest, AT&Ts speedtest.att.com, and Xfinitys speedtest.xfinity.com. Use one or more of these tools to measure your bandwidth and take note of what they report for your upload speed, download speed, and latency. How does the speed reported by these ISPs compare to what you measured via Speed of Me?
3. Understanding that speeds can vary at different hours of the day, and realizing that other devices running on your local network compete for available bandwidth, think about whether your ISP is providing you the bandwidth you are paying for.
If your instructor asked you to hand in this assignment, use your word processor to write a brief essay in which you report the results of your speed tests, say what bandwidth you are paying for, and judge whether you think your provider is giving you the bandwidth you deserve. Make sure you put your name at the top, then save your essay on disk or follow the other instructions you may have been given for submitting this assignment.