What is the purpose of running a Stability and Speed test?

Due to the nature of networking and internet connectivity, this test is not guaranteed to identify specific problems on any given network or internet connection. Intermittent issues can exist and cause issues, but not be identifiable using this testing utility.

It should be noted that while support can potentially determine the existence of network/internet related issues, they are unable to pinpoint the origin point and/or cause of these issues in some cases.

How to execute the test

To get accurate results for the test, we suggest utilizing the internet the way you normally would while engaged in training. While the NPERF site indicates closing all applications and browsers other than the test, we recommend the opposite of this. If you listen to music, or stream video content while training, continue to do so. This gives the most realistic view of the connection statistics while being used for training. 

It should be noted that using streaming services or consuming other content while taking training does impact the overall available bandwidth and can lead to loading or connectivity errors. Only do so when available bandwidth allows.

1. Once the site loads, you will be presented with a page showing the Internet speed test
   
1. If a prompt is displayed asking to access your location, you can click allow or do not allow; allowing access to location provides the ability to locate the closest server to connect to for the test but is not required
   
2. Scroll down just enough to see the Start Test and Select bit-rate unit options
   
3. Ensure that the option for Mb/s is selected (Should be a black button, while the others are green)
   
4. Click on the Start Test button in the center of the speed gauge
   
5. The test will now begin and proceed through several stages: Download, Upload, Latency
   
6. The test should complete and you will be provided a summary of the tests overall results
   

If at anytime during the test, the status inside the speed gauge reads either 'Establishing connection...' or 'Waiting to close...' for longer than 60 seconds the test is likely hung due to a connection failure. If this happens, it is worth noting the lock up, but refresh the page and retry the test. 

If the issue persists after a refresh, this is evidence of a connection issue. You will need to contact your ISP at this time to have them help determine if the issue is on your internet connection, or something on the local network.

 

Upon completion of the test you will need to take note of several items for support. Below is a screenshot with each area labeled to correspond with the list of data needed and a brief explanation of each item.

1. Download Speed - needed by support
   
1. This number should be above 2Mbps. This number represents how quickly data can be downloaded to your browser measured in Megabits (not Megabytes) per second. Anything lower than 2Mbps is evidence of slower than required download speed for CTS Training.
   
2. Upload Speed - needed by support
   
1. This number should be above 2Mbps. This number represents how quickly data can be uploaded from your browser measured in Megabits (not Megabytes) per second. Anything lower than 2Mbps is evidence of slower than required upload speed for CTS Training.
   
3. Latency (with Jitter) - needed by support
   
1. Latency is potentially the most important number, and should be below 150 to 200ms; typically connections should be at 50ms or lower. Latency is the measure of time data takes to go from your browser to the server and back. The larger this number, the longer the delay is between when your browser sends data and when the target server receives it and vice versa. If the latency is high enough, data may be resent from one device to another in an attempt to complete the transfer of data. Large delays can cause what appear to be duplicate connections resulting in session errors. If the delay is too long, data may be lost all together due to connection time out and/or connection termination. Excessive delays can result in training site lockups in logins, tutorials, lessons, exams, and any other attempt at loading site related data. 
   
2. Jitter is the second part of this section and represents the amount of variance in latency tests. This number should be as close to 0 as possible. Any instance where it rises above 30ms could be evidence of a connection instability that would cause potential data loss.
4. NPERF Server Location
   
1. This is the location of the server the speed test was executed against. Generally speaking, the further away from your physical location this is, the slower the connections speeds and higher the latency may be. This server is automatically selected based on your location. Support may request a specific server is selected, and they will advise you on how to do this.
   
5. Connection Information - partial data needed by support
   
1. Connection related information is listed here. This should indicate your ISP, Connection Type, IPv4/6, ASN, Browser (with version), and O/S being used. The data that CTS Support needs from here is the ISP, Connection Type, Browser, and O/S. 
   

NPERF.com Speed Test Results page

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend running this test multiple times to get an average based on results. In addition to providing an average, running this test several times also allows support to see variations in the connection stability. While some variance is expected, large variations in results could be an indication of connection issues.

Things that cause variances in connection test data are the route the data travels, the traffic encountered during that route, and the condition of the lines the data must traverse. Other things that can cause variances are the local network infrastructure (Both wired and wireless/WiFi Networks), local network traffic, O/S updates/drivers, hardware related failures or configurations, as well as Firewalls and any other security of hardware or software nature.