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Speed testing your Internet connection is a great way to determine whether you have the right Internet speed for your needs: to play games, stream content, manage work tasks from home and more. Often, if you're struggling with connectivity or function, your connection speed is to blame. Start your speed test now to see your connection speed and functionality.

Computers transfer data in "packets," or units of data. Everything you do online, whether you're streaming video content, gaming or working relies on the transfer of those packets to your device. Your Internet connection speed measures the volume of data packets that can be transferred through your system or connection within a specific timeframe, usually measured as "Mbps," or megabits per second. The faster your Internet connection, the more packets of data you can transfer in a given period of time. If you're just checking static news sites on an older computer, you may not care as much about your Internet connection speed. Alternatively, if you are conducting virtual calls, playing games, streaming video or transferring high quantities of data, you may discover that a slow connection speed bogs down the process and makes it hard to view the data you need.

While a fast Internet connection is ideal, your device can only process so much data at once. Even under ideal conditions, older devices may not have the capacity to handle great speeds, especially over WiFi.

In general, you can expect:

• Modern computers, released after 2010, have an expected WiFi speed of 150-500 Mbps.
• Modern phones and tablets, released after 2010, have an expected WiFi speed of 75-300 Mbps.
• Older computers (those released between around 2007-2010) have an expected WiFi speed of 75-150 Mbps.
• Older phones and tablets (released between 2007-2010) have an expected WiFi speed of 25-75 Mbps. Older devices may have considerably slower connection speeds, which means that you may struggle to get the connectivity and data transfer you need even under ideal conditions. The newer your device, the better the connection speeds it can usually handle, which leads to faster downloads and uploads as well as smoother video connection.

Your router is the networking device that moves data packets between computer networks. It allows you to connect multiple devices quickly and easily to the Internet without having to hard wire all of them. Your router's connection speed will control the speed at which data can transmit through your devices. The router can only process a set amount of data at any given time, regardless of how many devices are connected through it. As a result, if you have multiple people in your home all using devices at the same time or use multiple devices simultaneously, you may want a router with a better connection speed. On the other hand, if you have multiple people working from home while connected to video chats or processing high volumes of data while gaming, faster connection speeds can help streamline that experience.

If you are getting low speed results, try some of these tricks to improve your Internet connection.

• Get closer to your router. The further your device is from the router, the slower your connection will typically be. If your router is in a poor location in your home, consider moving it.
• Get rid of unnecessary connections. Do you have devices connected to your router that aren't technically "doing" anything? Turn them off. Make sure you know what all the devices on your connection are, and update your security if needed to remove any potential piggy-backers that are using your WiFi without your permission.
• Reset your devices. If you haven't turned them off and back on, including your modem and router. Resetting them can help restore smoother overall function.
• Update the firmware on your router. By using the latest version, you can get a better signal and a more effective connection.
• Replace your equipment, if needed. Modern equipment often functions at a higher speed--and connects better with your devices. If you haven't updated your router or modem in the last few years, it could be the challenge that is slowing you down.
• Extend your network, if needed. Sometimes, you may have dead spots in your home where you don't have the connectivity you need. Use wired access points or WiFi boosters to extend your network and remove those dead spots.