Unlike some other testing sites testmy.net has been on the internet for a very long time (although the domain name has changed a few times over the years), with this experience and trial 'n error testmy.net has found the best and most accurate methods of internet connection benchmarking to which no other site can compare. Here are a few of the innovations testmy.net has brought to the internet, a few DOs and DON'Ts about testmy.net and a few questions reviled.

DOs

• We do have the most accurate speed test on the internet - And here is the proof
• We do have maximum browser compatibility - Because testmy.net's scripts run 95% server-side there is not an issue with compatibility.
• We do offer the biggest test size - testmy.net stresses accuracy, faster connections need bigger file sizes to be accurate and although bandwidth is expensive we do not skimp on the maximum download size.
• We do auto adjust - Even if you don't select the SmarTest™ feature (which decides what file size would bring you the most accurate results without serving you too much file) testmy.net will auto adjust either a) if you choose the wrong file size b) your line is extremely fast
• We do offer logging - testmy.net has a connection log database to which you are automatically assigned on a per IP basis a unique computer ID - every test you take is logged, you can then search the database and compare how your connection does over time. You may also join the site and gain access to many other logging features including username logging and host stats, members also gain access to a member only testing server, this further increases accuracy during heavy traffic times.
• We do have a fast server - testmy.net currently employees 2 servers both are Dual 2.8GHz Xeon, 2 GB DDR RAM, Redhat Enterprise Linux, MySQL server, Apache Webserver, PHP, 100 Mbps uplink to a 16 Gbps Direct Fiber network. testmy.net knows what kind of server is needed to get correct test scores to all users regardless of time of day and server load. (also see Network Architecture)
• We do it all for free - testmy.net is a 100% free service, and you are encouraged to use this service as often as you need to... how the internet should be.

DON'Ts

• We do not use Java Applets - Reason: Some employers and network admins do not allow java applets, some home users also may experience applet incompatibility. testmy.net is nearly java free on the testing end of the site, nearly all code is processed on the server-side.
• We do not use Text, JPEG or GIF files for testing - Reason: Files that are partially compressed or uncompressed may be compressed on the host side (your ISP) and show inaccurate results (very common in Satellite connections)
• We do not make you download ANY security certificates or programs - Reason: Our belief that you should not have to open yourself (security wise) up to ANYBODY to do a simple speed test
• We do not have pop-ups or spam - Reason: Simple! We value your visit to testmy.net and want you to have a pleasant peaceful visit free of annoying malicious ads, we also hope that you will pass the site along to friends and colleges... who would want to tell a friend about an annoying site? :) - testmy.net will never push away it's users with this plague. privacy policy
• We do not advertise - Reason: It makes me work for my traffic, word of mouth advertising does not work with unhappy visitors ;-)

How does the download speed test work? Unlike most other speed testing sites testmy.net does not use a gif or a jpeg image for it's testing, instead we use an overly compressed data pack which is sent directly to your browser. When you start the test the program first notes the time that you started the test, this time is taken in fractions of seconds for the highest possible accuracy. Then the data pack is sent and is sized to the specific test size you requested. After the download is done the time is again taken and then sent to a results script which then processes the data and outputs the results to you in an easy to read format.

How does the upload speed test work? Unlike most other speed test sites testmy.net does not require you to open a potential security hole to perform an upload speed test. We do not require you to download a program, applet or security certificates to perform this test... nor is any of your personal data sent to our server. We employ form submission into our upload test. The script first sends you a data pack and puts it into a form. The start time is then recorded then the same data pack is uploaded to testmy.net when the submission is done the time is again recorded and then sent to the results script which then processes the data and outputs the results to you in an easy to read format.

What is the difference between KB/s and Kbps, what is KB/s, what is Kbps etc. - BITS AND BYTES!! This is where some people get lost. KB/s or KB/sec is Kilobytes per second, Kbps is Kilobits. 1 KB/s is equal to 8.19 Kbps. You may also want to see my Conversion Table and Conversion Calculator. The correct abbreviation is for all data terms are CaSe sensitive - When you are talking about a file size Bit, Byte, Kilobyte (KB), Megabyte (MB), Gigabyte (GB) etc. etc. are correct terms - When you are talking about speed how fast a file transfers Bits per second (bps), Kilobits per second (Kbps), Megabits per second (Mbps), Gigabits per second (Gbps), Bytes per second (Bps), Kilobytes per second (KBps), Megabytes per second (MBps), Gigabytes per second (GBps) etc. etc. are correct terms... though it is also common for people to use KB/s instead of KBps when talking about Kilobytes per second because it can be easily mistaken for Kbps (Kilobits per second).

1. Rule of thumb NO.1 - If you are telling someone how fast your connection is use metric or Bits per second (bps), Kilobits per second (Kbps), Megabits per second (Mbps), Gigabits per second (Gbps).
2. Rule of thumb NO.2 - If you are telling someone how fast a file transferred use standard or Bytes per second (B/s), Kilobytes per second (KB/s), Megabytes per second (MB/s), Gigabytes per second (GB/s).

Have a question you need answered? Please feel free and post in the forum or search the forum -- you can also try contacting the testmy.net site owner and admin (contact Damon [sorry, but for spam reasons you must sign up and be a member before having the ability to send messages... it's not safe for anyone to post email addresses on any websites because of spam bots that scan all websites looking for email addresses to spam.  So you also should keep that in mind for yourself... posting email addresses online is not smart ;-)]).

testmy.net currently runs on a QUAD CORE XEON 2.13Ghz server with 100Mbps direct uplink on The Planets Houston, Texas data center. With access to over 100 gigabits per second of Tier1 bandwidth.

Bandwidth Providers:

• AT&T
• AboveNet
• Savvis
• Verio
• Global Crossing
• Level 3
• Time Warner Telecom
• Cogent