So what does this Broadband Line Quality Test actually do?
The line test above works by sending packets from our server, straight to your computer and report as it is doing so. This allows our test to see if there is any packet loss, what the average network latency of your line is and provides a jitter measure. This accurate line quality test can then see if you have any potential problems on your ADSL line.
A reasonable line test result would show 0% packet loss, latency below 100 milliseconds and jitter below 20 milliseconds. If your results are significantly higher than this, it could suggest a problem with your line, and it will be well worth getting in contact with your Internet Service Provider about your broadband reliability. If you are a Freeola Broadband customer, you can give a call to our friendly UK-based Customer Support department, who are on hand every single day of the week by calling 0871 210 9977. Alternatively, Freeola Broadband customers can get free support by e-mail.
Jargon explained
- Packet(s)
- A packet is a piece of information sent down your ADSL line. For instance when you visit a website it will be sent to you in packets, which your computer then puts together again and reconstructs it into a web page.
- Ping
- A ping sends special packets of information to a computer and then waits for a response back. Imagine how sonar works, ping was actually based on sonar but tries to find computers over networks rather than actual objects.
- Network
- A network is a group of computers linked together so that they may communicate with one another. The internet is the largest network in the world!
- Network latency
- This is the amount of time, generally measured in milliseconds that it takes for the ping to reach you and be sent back
- Packet loss
- This is a packet that does not reach it's destination. It is generally considered a bad thing since if a packet is lost, it will take more time to resend that packet and increase the overall time it takes to download a web page for example.
- Jitter
- This is the difference between the minimum and maximum latency results of a ping test. It is useful to see how varied the latency results are so that network stability and broadband stability can be determined.
