If you’re a Verizon Fios customer, testing your bandwidth with the Verizon Speed Test is probably the best way to go if you’re looking to confirm those Mbps or Gbps numbers on your monthly bill. If Verizon isn’t your ISP, using this speed test probably won’t be particularly valuable. More on that towards the bottom of the page, as well as some general comments on the accuracy of this test.
How to Use the Verizon Speed Test
Verizon uses a hosted OOKLA platform, something you may have seen on a number of other speed tests out there, so this process may look familiar: To perform this test, Verizon sends and receives random data to and from your device, after which some basic math determines your internet speed in Mbps. Once the tests are complete, you’ll be taken to a summary page. There you can see the final download and upload results along with your public IP address, the server location used for the test, and the latency. Record these if you’re planning on regularly testing your internet speed, a good idea if you plan on asking Verizon for support or a refund based on slow speeds.
When to (and Not to) Use the Verizon Speed Test
The Verizon Fios speed test is really only helpful if you’re a Verizon customer, and you’re not looking for a “real world” test. As mentioned at the start of this article, that means the Verizon Speed Test is great for making sure that you’re getting the bandwidth that you’re paying for. What you may not realize, however, is that speed you pay Verizon for very likely isn’t what you’ll ever get when streaming from Netflix, or downloading software, etc. You can also test with a non-ISP-hosted, HTML5-based internet speed test like TestMy.net, SpeedOf.Me, or Bandwidth Place. Some speed test sites also include more features than what Verizon offers, such as defining how much data to send, choosing the test server, viewing past results, and sharing your speed test numbers. If you’re still not sure if the Verizon Fios Speed Test is the way to go, there are other options to test your internet speed, which has options of tests to use based on what you’re looking for.
