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Test your internet connection speed using Netflix’s free tool
The end of the year is the time when we count our blessings: family, friends, and nearly unlimited movies and television for $10.99 per month. Netflix is a powerful tool for surviving the chaos of December. You can watch movies while traveling.
You can set up Christmas specials for the kiddies. You can tame bickering relatives with a favorite family flick.
Instead of getting mad at Netflix, you can now check your internet connection speeds when streaming issues occur.
Chances are, the slow connection is the culprit of the buffering, so the problem may actually lie with your internet provider.
Netflix began ranking providers based on internal measurements back in 2011, with the goal of bringing transparency to speeds ISPs supply so customers truly understand what Internet speed they are getting.
What differs from this index and Fast.com is that instead of measuring monthly speeds during prime time, users can test Internet speed at any point throughout the day.
Here’s our speed here at The Kim Komando Show studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
Like most things, your mileage may vary. Check your connection speed using Fast.com at various times throughout the day, and especially during evening 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. peak hours, to see if the results are consistently low. Slow Internet connection speeds will cause buffering.
Tip in a Tip: A reboot may be all you need to regain speed. But you just can’t start pulling plugs out of the wall. Power down your router first and then, your modem. Wait a full 30-seconds. Then power up the modem first and then, the router. The lights will start blinking on each and in another 60 seconds you should be ready to try another speed test.
Failed again? Time to look at your Internet bill and find the connection speed you are paying for. Compare it to the Fast.com test results. If the numbers vary more than 10 percent, call your ISP and complain.
Netflix recommends a minimum of three megabits per second for standard-definition video quality, five Mbps for HD, and 25 Mbps for Ultra HD content.
Fast.com works on any and all devices with access to a web browser, including smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, laptops and more.
Think you have slow Internet?
Click here to use Fast.com today and test your speed!
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Tags: internet, internet provider, router, web browser
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