Performing a speed test is very simple: just visit one of the many sites that have this feature and start the test, so as to obtain the maximum download and upload value of our home line. But if we wanted to measure the specific Internet speed for each PC in the house without opening any site "> Check the internet connection speed
1) How to obtain a reliable result
In order to obtain a good result with all the tools recommended in this guide, we will have to download and upload a sufficiently large file .
The best file to download to test any network is the Ubuntu installation ISO, downloadable for free from any browser using the link here -> Ubuntu .
The servers that provide Ubuntu are very fast, they can cover very high speeds (even 1 Gigabit per second).
We begin the download of this file and check the program or tool used: we should display the maximum download speed for the Internet on that PC .
For the upload we will have to upload the Ubuntu file (which we recommend to download completely to continue the test) on a file hosting service such as Mega, which offers 50 GB for free; the Mega site can be reached from here -> Mega .
We create a free account and upload the Ubuntu ISO file to their server: the tools we will use for the test will display the maximum upload speed for the Internet on that PC .
2) Integrated system in Windows 10
The Windows 10 operating system is able to provide a good speed test directly from the Task Manager ; the only caveat is that there is no other program in download or upload on the network (so better to throw an eye on Windows updates and block them momentarily).
If the system is sufficiently "stopped", we start the download of the Ubuntu ISO and immediately open the Task Manager, by right clicking on the program bar located at the bottom and opening the item of the same name.
If we have not already done so, click on More details below and check the Network column, present in the Processes screen.
By clicking on the Network column we will reorder the processes by speed, so as to immediately show at the top the process that is downloading (in our case the Firefox browser, but any other browser is fine).
In this way, we will find the maximum download speed managed for that specific PC.
At the end of the download we upload the ISO image to our Mega account and repeat all the steps in the Task Manager, so as to view the maximum upload speed of the computer directly in the Network column.
3) NetTraffic
If we don't have Windows 10 or we want a program to monitor in real time the maximum upload and download speed we can download a program like NetTraffic, available for free download here -> NetTraffic .
This small tool does nothing but show the speed of KBps and in Bps during an internet connection or within a local network, in a small window present in a corner of the PC (we can hide it as a system icon and recall it if necessary ).
The program is run as a single file (we can also place it on a USB stick and start it from there) and we can also leave it in the background, so as to make measurements over a longer period of time.
From the options menu we can change the measurement scale and some parameters can be changed such as, for example, requesting that the maximum speed obtained (upload and download) be indicated while the program is open.
Another useful option is to change the update time and to be able to send a notification or message on the desktop when the download or upload is too slow or if they reach a new peak of maximum speed.
Thanks to this program we will be able to perform much more precise tests than the one offered by Windows 10 in the Task Manager, just repeat the steps already seen in the other section: download Ubuntu and reload it on Mega, this time with the NetTraffic program open.
Finally, we remind you that this program requires the .NET Framework 2.0 to work, already integrated in the latest versions of Windows (8.1 and 10), but which we can still download separately using the link present here -> .NET Framework 2.0 .
4) Other programs to monitor network traffic
Those that we have indicated are, without a shadow of a doubt, the best tools to be able to perform a speed test directly from the PC without opening any site.
If we have not been comfortable with NetTraffic and with the Windows 10 Task Manager, in the following list we have collected other similar programs and tools with which to perform a speed test from a computer.
These are programs already described in the article on How to control internet traffic and monitor network bandwidth :
- Net Meter
- GlassWire
- NetWorx
- PRTG Network Monitor
By installing one of these programs we will be able to monitor Internet traffic and on the local network of our PC, so as to obtain good speed test results even when we move a file from one computer to another using the local network (with very different values between WiFi and Ethernet connections).
To deepen the discussion on programs to monitor network traffic, we recommend reading the guide below.
READ ALSO -> Measure the speed of your home or corporate LAN
