The Charter speed Test, also referred to as the Charter Communications Nationwide Speed Test is a speed test provided on the internet and recommended by Charter, a United States ISP. Using the Charter Speed test for your internet is free and available to anyone but is better reserved for Charter customers.
A Full Review and Accuracy Check for Charter Speed Test
How Bandwidth is Tested Using Charter Speed Test
Just like every other speed test available o the internet, this speed test required just a tap or a click. Below are the steps to be followed:
> Click on charter.com and give it time to load. The test uses Flash, therefore you will need a browser and device that can support it.
> At the middle of your screen, a ‘Begin Test’ option will appear. Click on it
> All three parts of the test have to come to a completions, the process takes less than a minute.
When all the above process is complete, a summary will appear on your screen, showing the bandwidth upload and download and a graphical representation of the speed of your internet plus the time taken by the test. Right below that, a plain text result will appear. If you need to test your Charter connection regularly, each test should be logged somewhere, especially in case you need to make comments on Charter about the fastness or how slow your connection is.
How Charter Speed Test Works
Jut like it is the case with every other speed test available, Charter Speed test works by uploading and downloading specifically sized segments of data and determining how long that takes. Simple math will get you the numbers of MBPS reported by the test. The software used by this speed test is OOKLA, which is also the same software used by most ISPs, plus many other test providers. The aspect that makes OOKLA powered speed test different from Charter speed test is that the later auto connects to the nearest test server linked to Charter’s Network. In a way, this is to suggest that the accuracy of the speed test is somehow unreliable, however the accuracy of any speed test available is subjective all the same.
Accuracy of The Speed Test
If you use Charter Speed Test to determine the accuracy of the connections between Charter’s servers used to provide internet service and your computer, then the accuracy of the test can be relied on. A more realistic assessment of the connection and its performance in the internet would be a non Flash HTML5 or a test that is not hosted by any ISP. The internet comprises of routers, servers as well as other devices. Each service and website used on the internet uses a very different median from the user to the service and the back again. The speed of each median depends on a lot of factors.
Usage of Charter Speed Test service for Non Charter Customers
You will notice that some ISPs reserve their speed tests only for their network customers, this is not the case with Charter. The company offers the speed test to the public at their own cost. Therefore, as much as you are free to use Charter speed test in bench-marking an internet connection, this will most likely be less of help as compared to using your own ISP speed test or one of the non Flash testing sites.
Importance of Testing The speed of the Internet
A speed test is important tool for understanding and tracking the speed of your connections. Having Charter internet speed test will give you the fastest internet service you can get. You are able to stream videos, download music, play online games, upload photos and do a lot more across multiple devices without compromising the speed of your connection.
Understanding Charter Speed Test results
MBPS: One million bits (one megabit) per second. To move one megabyte file, you will require a total of eight megabits per second. For example, the size of one digital image might be one or two megabytes. Bits are used to move Bytes.
> Downloading Speed: This is the speed at which the user’s internet connection delivers data to their computer. This is the total amount of information that the computer can receive from the internet in a period of one second. The speed of download is measured by MBPS (megabits per second)
> Uploading Speed: This is a reverse of the downloading speed. It is a measure of the total amount of information that a user’s computer can deliver to the internet. It is also measured in MBPS.
Troubleshooting Steps
If you notice that the Charter speed test results falls below the range of your plan, check on the following:
1. Instead of using wireless connection, a wired Ethernet is preferable to avoid a lot of interference.
2. Make sure to close all programs and downloads that are in progress that may be using your connection
3. Reset the internet modem and router, then rerun the speed test.
Pros of Charter Speed Test
> A vast number of bandwidth test locations all over the globe, and improves the accuracy of results
> The results come in a speedometer like display and shows the levels of bandwidth during the test
> Automatic calculation of the nearest test location based on the IP address
> It is one of the most appealing interfaces among all the other speed tests.
> The test statistics are saved for future test comparisons
> There are App versions available for many mobile platforms
Cons of Charter Speed Test
> Utilizes Flash, which might not be available in all browsers and which may tamper with the results
> Heavy graphics which is a nuisance
> Test location mainly concentrated in the United States.
Conclusion
Among the huge number of bandwidth testing sites available, I would recommend Charter Speed Test . The site is operated by OOKLA, a bandwidth testing technology provider to a vast number of internet speed test sites. The site is well functional and nicely designed with a speedometer like display and other read outs that show important information about the internet connection. Each time a user visits Charter’s speed test, they get to see results from their previous bandwidth tests. This is a great way of tracking the speed of their connection, and hence the user will have the ability to prove to their ISP that their connection has either slowed down or to show that an advertised upgrade for their bandwidth has occurred.
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