How can one reliably check your internet connection speed?

[stockhausen]

In the past, I have used SpeedTest.net to check my internet connection speed as it appears from signatures to be a popular and frequently used method.

However, I have come to the conclusion that it is inaccurate; it seems consistently to give similar results, even when there are clear variations in the speed of accessing websites which I would expect to have pretty good bandwidth (e.g. BBC online, CNN, Hotmail & Gmail).

Why might this be and can anyone recommend a more reliable, practical way of checking speed?

Is it practical and would it help to include the specific IP addresses rather than domain names for sites I access frequently in a HOSTS file rather than have my ISP do a DNS lookup or do sites such as the BBC & CNN use multiple IP addresses and servers to smooth traffic?

 

[varkanoid]

BT Speedtest

http://www.speedtester.bt.com/

 

[Skidilliplop]

Download a test file from thinkbroadband.com and time it.

All consumer connections are on around about 50:1 contention so any speed test result is going to be pretty arbitrary anyway.
It only tells you what you're getting right now, with the exact network conditions of the present. 10 mins or an hour later could be completely different.


Hence why if you want serious internet you pay for 1:1 contention. You don't need to speed test cos you know what you've got.