There’s a number of reasons why someone might want to measure their Internet speed, and contrary to popular belief, this is not just a matter of bragging or rubbing Internet egos. You see, there are a lot of ISP (internet service providers) out there that will charge people for a lot more than what they actually give. For example, a friend of mine was being charged for a 32 MB/s service and he was actually getting 2 MB/s (!!!) And if he hadn’t figured it out, there’s a good chance he would just keep getting ripped off, too! This is obviously an extreme scenario, but since most people really don’t have a sense of how fast an Internet connection is, many companies get away with such tricks, and oftentimes they will limit your broadband until you get around to noticing the discrepancy and filing a complaint.

That said… if you suspect this kind of thing might be happening with you, here’s a simple way to find out: just run this internet speed test and you’ll know for sure. Also keep in mind that it’s normal if your actual speed is a *little* lower than your service promises. For instance, if you’re subscribed to a 8 MB/s service, it’s acceptable if you’re getting just 5 or 6 MB/s actual speed. It would obviously not be acceptable if you were only getting 1 or 2 Mb/s, or course. So if you want to know just how fast you’re being served, take the test and make sure to demand your rights!