Internet Speeds Guide

Understanding Internet  and Speeds

Three Main Variables that Affect Internet Speed

We can split the connection to the internet into three main components, which is your network, the MCSnet network, and the network that makes up the internet as a whole.

How to Complete a Proper Internet Speed Test

The purpose of performing a speed test is to test the speed of the internet connection. As this guide will show, the internet speeds are influenced at several points along the chain, so we need to take a couple of steps to make sure we are testing the MCSnet connection instead of your home network or another far off internet route.

Proper Speed Test Checklist:

All internet activity is suspended, no YouTube, texting, gaming, or anything running on any connected device.
Preferably perform your test with a cabled connection to your router, but a known strong Wi-Fi signal will work as a first step as well. For bonus points, you can connect your computer to the internet directly to see how it compares. See Part One: Your Network for details on how routers and Wi-Fi affect performance.
Test directly on the MCSnet website here: mcsnet.ca/speedtest. See Part Three: Internet Network for details on why this matters.
Get a poor result? If it’s in the late evening, the internet can be slower, so you can try at a different time of day (see Part Two: MCSnet Network for why), or try connecting your computer to the internet directly with a cabled connection to be sure you are getting the most from your network.

Factors Affecting Internet Performance

Explore the different factors that affect internet performance. These factors are carefully broken down into a five part series – each part deeply exploring each factor.

PART ONE

Your Network

Part one is about your network, which has a large focus on Wi-Fi and different ways to improve it. Your network is a good place to start since it’s where you have most direct control.

PART TWO

MCSnet Network

Part two is about the MCSnet network and explains the challenges of a wireless provider, and peak usage and speed variance.

After the radio on your roof, the main parts of the MCSnet network are the access points (APs) on the towers that the subscribers connect to, tower to tower feeds, and the connection to the fiber for the region.

PART THREE

The Internet Network

Part three is a short account about the internet network and how it can affect performance.

We’ve made it from your connection to Edmonton, now the data is outside of the MCSnet network and has to get to the different servers around the world connecting to the internet.