Gallery: Monitor broadband speed

Download and use of Speed Tester requires registration, but this is a painless process. Launch your web browser, type www.computeractive.co.uk/2195690 into the Address or Location bar and hit Enter, then click the link to download the tool. When the page appears, read the notes and then scroll down to find the Register and Download Now! links. Click Register, fill in the short form requesting personal information and take note of the checkboxes at the end: if you don’t wish to be contacted, click to remove the appropriate tick. Now click the Register button.

A page will briefly appear explaining that the registration was successful. A couple of seconds later, the web browser will be redirected to the Broadband Choices login page. However, the next thing we want to do is to download the Speed Tester program itself, so don’t log in just yet. Instead, return to the www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/speed-tester.html page and scroll down to find then click the Download Now! link. When the File Download dialogue box appears, click the Save button and opt to store the installation file on the Windows Desktop. The file, called ‘ST_Setup_v1[1].0.exe’ or similar, is quite small – just 788Kb – and should take more than a few seconds to download.

On the Windows Desktop, locate the ‘ST_Setup_v1[1].0.exe’ just downloaded – double-click it. This launches the Speed Tester installation wizard (not that if the Windows Security Warning dialogue box appears, just click Run to proceed). On the first screen of the installed wizard, click Setup. Now follow the displayed instructions to work through the installation, clicking Next when prompted. On the final dialogue box, click Close to finish the installation. Note that Speed Tester requires Microsoft’s .NET Framework software to be installed. Chances are, your PC already has this. But don’t worry: the installation **wizard will detect whether or not this is present. If it isn’t, then your web browser will be directed to the appropriate download page of the Microsoft website: follow Microsoft’s instructions to download and install .NET Framework.

To launch Speed Tester, just double-click its icon on the Windows Desktop, or click Speed Tester in the Broadband Choices program group within All Programs from the Start menu. The Speed Tester login screen will appear: tap in the email address and password chosen in step one. Note that if you do not wish Speed Tester to remember these details, click to remove the tick from the checkbox. Click OK to proceed.

Because Speed Tester will collate and monitor information about the reliability of your internet connection, it needs to know a few details about the line. So, use the dropdown menus to specify the name of your internet service provider (ISP) and the supposed speed of your connection (for example, if you’re paying for an 8Mbits/sec connection, pick 8Mb). If the package has a particular brand name, then type this in too but you can leave it blank. Now click OK. Speed Tester will now launch for the first time.

Note that by default Speed Tester must be launched manually. If you would prefer the program to launch automatically every time you fire up Windows, then simply copy the Speed Tester launch icon from the Windows Desktop to the Startup program group within All Programs from the Start menu. Also note that Speed Tester needs constant access to the internet. If your firewall attempts to prevent Speed Tester from running, then you will need to add it to the firewall’s Allow list. See the firewall manufacturer's website or manual for guidance on this.

This the main Speed Tester control screen. We’ll explore some of the options in just a moment but take a moment to ensure that the ISP details supplied in step five are correct: if there are any inaccuracies, then click the ‘Modify my details’ link, make the required amendments and then click Save.

Speed Tester works by downloading information from servers hosted by Broadband Choices and logging how long it takes to arrive at your computer, giving us a download speed. At the same time, your PC will upload some test data to Broadband Choices and the transit time of this is recorded as the upload speed. The radio buttons in the top half of the main Speed Tester screen (the My Account tab) control how and when this happens. For example, if you choose ‘When my computer starts’, then the tests will be run only when your PC is fired up – this won’t be much use if you leave your computer on all the while. Similarly, picking Hourly might seem like a good idea but bear in mind that when Speed Tester is running, it is important not to use the internet for anything else (otherwise the test results might be skewed). As well, you can opt to have the program show an alert to periodically display the results of the speed tests.

Now click the My Reports tab. It is here that you can see just what Speed Tester has been up to or, indeed, initiate a test manually (just click the Test now button – in the screengrab above, we have done just that so the button reads 'Testing…). The date and time of each test is listed, along with the speed result. If you wish, click the ‘Export to CSV’ link to have Speed Tester create a test results data file that can be opened in a spreadsheet application, such as Excel. This could be very handy as evidence if you find that speeds are consistently well beneath the stated maximum in your contract.

If you want to erase the test data, return to the main control screen (by clicking the My Account tab) and then use the dropdown menu alongside the ‘Do you want to delete Speed Tester history?’ label – select Yes. Be warned, though, that Speed Tester does not offer the opportunity to change your mind and the effect is immediate, so use this option with caution. Use the Sign Out button to exit Speed Tester completely, or click Close to minimise the application to the Notification Area. If you later decide you wish to uninstall Speed Tester, just use the Add or Remove Programs link in the Windows Control Panel (or Uninstall a program link in Vista) and follow the displayed instructions. Look out for the results of our survey in issue 250, on sale 20 September. Thank you for taking part.

If you want to erase the test data, return to the main control screen (by clicking the My Account tab) and then use the dropdown menu alongside the ‘Do you want to delete Speed Tester history?’ label – select Yes. Be warned, though, that Speed Tester does not offer the opportunity to change your mind and the effect is immediate, so use this option with caution. Use the Sign Out button to exit Speed Tester completely, or click Close to minimise the application to the Notification Area. If you later decide you wish to uninstall Speed Tester, just use the Add or Remove Programs link in the Windows Control Panel (or Uninstall a program link in Vista) and follow the displayed instructions. Look out for the results of our survey in issue 250, on sale 20 September. Thank you for taking part.