Testing your Internet connection

If you cannot connect your equipment by cable, change the WiFi channel from your box. Indeed, a WiFi modem uses a channel to distribute its signal and your internet flow suffer if several users in your area use the same channel.

What is the amount rising for optical fiber ?

As with any internet connection, fiber optics has a downward speed of up to several gigabits, and an amount. Two essential values ​​for businesses, especially with the rise of telework.

In terms of access to the fixed Internet, optical fiber is today the connection technology offering the most important flows. It thus largely supplants the capacities of the copper network exploited for the ADSL (Asymetric Digital Subscriber Line), for which we speak of “high speed” only, while we speak of “very high speed” (THD) for fiber.

By way of comparison, fiber optic subscriptions allow companies to have flow rates that can reach several GBPS (gigabits per second), while with ADSL, these are on average between 1 and 15 Mbps (megabits per second).

Asymmetrical, symmetrical and guaranteed flows: what fiber optic flow corresponds to ?

Debit is a fundamental parameter in the choice of an internet connection. It translates the connection speed, that is to say the ease with which data will be transmitted, in emission and in reception.

For fiber, as for ADSL, flows vary from one offer to the other, and from one access provider to the other. Depending on the fiber subscription category subscribed, flow rates may be asymmetrical, symmetrical and/or guaranteed.

For a classic FTTH type fiber offer (Fiber to the Home), flow rates are generally asymmetrical . This means that the upright flow and the downward flow will be different in quantity of bits per second, with in general, a higher descending speed than the amount. We will later explain how these two notions are distinguished.

On the fiber, as on the ADSL, the flows can therefore be asymmetrical. But, they will also be, depending on the subscription, guaranteed or not. The flows indicated in an offer correspond to the maximum possible flow to which the user is eligible.

A subtlety of operators ? No way. Several factors justify it. Each subscriber will not be able to claim the same debits, and this regardless of the will of the ISP (Internet service providers): the distance from the connection node for the DSL, and the number of subscribers on the same point pooling for fiber, are the main parameters explaining these differences for the same internet subscription.

Professionals need certainty about the flow

With a DSL offer, a subscriber at the end of the line will thus benefit from lower flows than that located near the connection node. With fiber, the flow will depend on the number of subscribers attached to a given pooling point.

Before subscribing to an internet offer, it is therefore important to know what speed we will benefit. To do this, all operators offer to carry out an eligibility test above all subscription. Debit tests are also available online to measure the speed of its connection.

Companies indeed need certainties to ensure that the connection will meet their expectations in terms of bandwidth, in order to ensure the continuity of their activity. This is particularly one of the reasons why they can opt for FTTO type subscriptions (Fiber to the Office), or even FTTH, offering guaranteed flows. Here, no theoretical or maximum, but contractual flows, guaranteed to the subscriber.

The FTTO has another advantage for professionals: not only are the flows guaranteed, but they are also symmetrical. The operator’s commitment thus relates both to the amount and the downward flow.

VS roller flow. descending speed, to each their uses

If downward and upright flow are both important, they do not cover the same uses. But to ensure the activity of a daily business, it is necessary to have high -performance flows in both cases.

Downward flow, for fluidity and performance

The downward speed, also called “Download”, corresponds to the internet data flow received. It conditions, among other things, the speed of internet browsing, and the download speed of heavy files from cloud services like Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.

The amount amount, to send data online

The amount of speed, or “upload”, designates the data flow sent via the line on the Internet. It is essential to send emails, make videoconferences, or simply send or save any type of data in the cloud, for example a business video kept on a storage space.

Development of telework and very high speed

As part of the telework, and to be able to use collaborative online tools or videoconferencing, rising and descending speeds will be just as important. For what ? Because the data circulate simultaneously in both directions. The employee will indeed transmit voice and image, but must also be able to receive these same data from his interlocutors, without being inconvenienced by a bad connection and low speeds

The amount of speed, capital for remote labor: what speed do I need for my internet connection ?

On an application of videoconference as zoom, a video call between two people will thus require 0.5 Mbps to 1.8 Mbps, in speed up as descendant. For a group video call, the optimal fork is 1 to 3 Mbps. And the higher this figure, the better the video and sound quality. Latence is another parameter to take into account. On this point too, fiber largely surpasses copper and adsl/sdsl offers.

In this context of explosion of remote work and collaborative tools, a company must now be attentive to its capacity in terms of rate rising. This will allow it to offer its employees an optimal user experience, and to boost their productivity . It may opt for a fiber optic subscription with a guaranteed amount rate, and sufficient for its activity.

To size its offer as close as possible to its needs, a quick calculation provides a first estimate. The consumption of an employee in office uses is estimated at 8 Mbps. To obtain the recommended total bandwidth for your entire business, all that remains is to multiply this figure by the number of employees . And to increase it if the video, through the use of tools like Microsoft Teams or Zoom, occupies a substantial place in the daily life of employees.

But fiber optics has an interest not only for web browsing ! It can host your corporate telephony, allow the implementation of a VPN between different sites … for professionals, and to guarantee the performance of companies, go to fiber will gradually become the standard.

If you want to improve the internet connection of your premises, your operator can help you define your need, and offer you the offer most suited to your activity.

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Testing your Internet connection

Measure the speed of your bandwidth with our speed test

What is the real flow of your bandwidth ? Measure the speed of your internet connection by simply making the speedtest below.

Understand the Internet Debit test

Interpret the flow test results

• Response time: the reaction speed of your connection
• Download: the downward speed of your connection
• Upload: the amount of line of your line.

All of your devices connected to your Internet line (computers, telephone by Wi-Fi, tablets, etc.) communicate with servers of sites and web services. The flow rates are calculated in megabit / second (Mbit / s). Your downward speed indicates the volume of data you receive. Your upright debit corresponds to the ones you send when you use your emails, add photos and videos on social networks, etc.

Why the results of the debit tests are different ?

The flows naturally vary between the ADSL, the coaxial cable connection (or THD) and the optical fiber, the latter being the most advanced technology currently, offering optimal comfort of use and results to higher flow tests for your line.

Several factors influence the results of speed tests, in particular, the time of day, the number of users connected to your network and the consumption of services (especially HD video, which consumes a lot of data). These elements affect the bandwidth of your connection in real time, thus modifying the speed and figures obtained during internet flow tests.

Why is my flow slower during a wifi test ?

The speed of your internet connection is generally higher when you perform a speedtest with a connected device via a cable (wired connection) rather than WiFi. Due to physical obstacles, interference, distance or radio signal losses, the wireless network is, by default, slower.

This is the reason why we advise you to test your flow with a wired connection to assess the speed of your connection as accurately as possible.

How to improve my internet debit ?

Several options exist to improve your Internet speed. First, be sure to minimize the simultaneous use of connected devices, as it reduces the bandwidth and slows down the connection. In addition, favor the use of an Ethernet cable rather than WiFi, because it causes more losses during transmission.

If you cannot connect your equipment by cable, change the WiFi channel from your box. Indeed, a WiFi modem uses a channel to distribute its signal and your internet flow suffer if several users in your area use the same channel.

You can also reset your box occasionally to allow the necessary updates. An undeniable box can cause a drop in flow on your internet connection. To reset your modem, turn it off and turn it on a few seconds later.

Finally, you can consider changing your internet access provider to improve your debit. Make an eligibility test to find out the Internet box offers available in your accommodation. SFR can offer you higher speed or faster technology, such as optical fiber.

Debit problem ?

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