Nebula Speed Test - Quick Start Guide

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Quick Start Guide

Nebula Speedtest measures the following essential aspects of your Internet service:

Download speed: measured in megabits per second (Mbps), how fast your computer can receive data from a server on the Internet.
Upload speed: how fast your computer can send data to a server on the Internet.
Ping: also known as “latency”, ping measures the reaction time of your Internet connection by calculating the time it takes between sending out a request to getting a response. Measured in milliseconds (ms), ping indicates how responsive your Internet connection is.

What's a good Internet speed

Generally speaking, a good internet speed should feature a download speed of at least 25 Mbps. At this speed you can enjoy most online activities, like watching Netflix, Skype, web browsing and online gaming without noticeable stalling. More specifically, you need the download speeds at fast as the following:

2 Mbps: for email, social media, and streaming audio
10 Mbps: for video chat, upload or download photos, video conferencing
25 Mbps: for watching Netflix, online gaming, or video streaming

How to choose a speed test server

The Nebula Speedtest app works with a global network of over 5,000 testing servers. The app automatically selects a server nearby your current location with a fast ping, which usually indicates a reliable Internet connection with good throughput.

In theory, testing multiple servers in different locations gives you a better measure of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). But in reality, your Internet connection is first controlled by your ISP’s networking gateway. Therefore, testing a server nearby makes it certain to gauge the performance of your Internet to its full extent.

With this type of information at hand, you can speak with your ISP with the evidence of them underdelivering the Internet speed that was overpromised.

Why is my Internet so slow

There are factors both inside and outside your home that affect your Internet speed:

Factors inside your home:

Your ISP: the first and foremost factor is your current Internet service package you’ve selected from your ISP. It has an upper cap to the maximum speed limit. In most circumstances, your Internet speed will always be slower than this speed limit.
Your computer: ensure your computer is optimized and fast enough for handling the type of tasks that you wish to accomplish, be it watching Netflix, online gaming or video conferencing. A slower and older computer will have a hard time of delivering smooth Internet experience.
Your modem and wireless router: the modem is a device that delivers the Internet service to your home network. Check with your ISP to ensure your modem matches with or exceeds their standard recommendation. The wireless router provides networking services to all networking devices that can be connected wirelessly. Make sure the distance between your networking device and the wireless modem is optimal.
The number of devices: if you have a few people using multiple devices on the Internet then all of these devices will be competing for the Internet bandwidth, which is fixed, and therefore performance for each individual device will become slow.

Factors outside your home:

A popular Internet service: whether it is a website or streaming service, if tens of thousands of other people are simultaneously trying to access the same website, chances are it will be slow for everyone.
Your ISP is conducting maintenance in your area: you may get sporadical or no Internet service while your local area network is under construction or maintenance. Check with your ISP’s outage status update
Your ISP: is your ISP fulfilling its commitment of providing you with the Internet speed as said on the contract? If all other factors have been ruled out, then your ISP is ultimately responsible for both the Internet service and the equipment they provide. You should consider contacting its customer service to have someone look into the issue for you.