⚡ Test VPS Bandwidth

This guide will teach you how to test your VPS bandwidth with Speedtest to verify network performance, measure download/upload speed, and identify potential connectivity issues.

📋 Prerequisites

A VPS server with root or sudo access
An active SSH connection
Ubuntu/Debian (commands are adapted for these distributions)

🔧 Speedtest Installation

Uninstall Old Versions

Before installing Speedtest, it's important to uninstall all old versions to avoid conflicts:


# Uninstall speedtest-cli (Python version via pip)
sudo pip3 uninstall speedtest-cli -y 2>/dev/null || true

# Uninstall speedtest-cli (system version)
sudo apt remove speedtest-cli -y 2>/dev/null || true
sudo apt purge speedtest-cli -y 2>/dev/null || true

# Uninstall speedtest (official version via apt if present)
sudo apt remove speedtest -y 2>/dev/null || true
sudo apt purge speedtest -y 2>/dev/null || true

# Clean residual files
sudo apt autoremove -y
sudo apt autoclean -y

Important: Uninstalling old versions is necessary because only installation via curl works correctly with Ookla's official version.

Installation via curl (Recommended Method)

Speedtest is Ookla's official tool, the same service as speedtest.net. Installation is done only via curl:


# Install Speedtest via Ookla's official script
curl -s https://packagecloud.io/install/repositories/ookla/speedtest-cli/script.deb.sh | sudo bash

# Install speedtest
sudo apt install speedtest -y

Verify Installation


# Verify that speedtest is installed
speedtest --version

# Test that speedtest works
speedtest --help

🚀 Using Speedtest

Basic Test


# Simple test (automatically selects the best server)
speedtest

Test with Options


# Simple test (concise results)
speedtest --simple

# Test with units in bits per second
speedtest --bits

# Display only JSON results
speedtest --json

# Save JSON results to a file
speedtest --json > speedtest-result.json

Choose a Specific Server


# List available Speedtest servers
speedtest --list

# Filter servers by region (e.g., France, Paris)
speedtest --list | grep -i "france\|paris"

# Test to a specific server (use server ID)
speedtest --server SERVER_ID

# Example with a French server
speedtest --server 45170

Example Output

   Speedtest by Ookla

     Server: Server Name - City (ID: 12345)
        ISP: Your ISP
    Latency:    12.45 ms   (0.05 ms jitter)
   Download:   945.23 Mbps (data used: 1.2 GB)
     Upload:   842.15 Mbps (data used: 1.0 GB)
Packet Loss:     0.0%
 Result URL: https://www.speedtest.net/result/c/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

📊 Advanced Options

Test with Custom Format


# Simple format (one line)
speedtest --format=simple

# CSV format
speedtest --format=csv

# JSON format (for scripts)
speedtest --format=json

# JSON format with progress
speedtest --format=jsonl

Test with Server and Custom Format


# Test to specific server with JSON format
speedtest --server 45170 --format=json

# Save to a file
speedtest --server 45170 --format=json > speedtest-paris.json

Useful Options


# Don't display intermediate results (progress)
speedtest --progress=no

# Display progress
speedtest --progress=yes

# Automatically accept license
speedtest --accept-license

# Accept GDPR cookies
speedtest --accept-gdpr

🎯 Specific Tests

Test to Different Regions


# List servers by region
speedtest --list | grep -i "france\|paris\|frankfurt\|london\|amsterdam"

# Test to a French server (example with ID)
speedtest --server 45170

# Test to multiple servers for comparison
for server in 45170 45171 12345; do
  echo "=== Testing server $server ==="
  speedtest --server $server --simple
  echo ""
done

Complete Test Script

Create a script to perform multiple tests:


#!/bin/bash

echo "=== VPS Bandwidth Test ==="
echo ""

echo "1. Speedtest (best server):"
echo "-------------------------------------"
speedtest --simple

echo ""
echo "2. Test to French server (Paris):"
echo "-------------------------------------"
speedtest --server 45170 --simple

echo ""
echo "3. Detailed test:"
echo "-------------------------------------"
speedtest --format=simple

echo ""
echo "Test completed!"

Save the script and make it executable:


# Create the script
nano test-bandwidth.sh
# Copy the content above

# Make executable
chmod +x test-bandwidth.sh

# Run
./test-bandwidth.sh

Repeated Test (Monitoring)


# Speedtest repeated every hour
while true; do
  echo "=== $(date) ==="
  speedtest --simple
  echo ""
  sleep 3600
done

Save Results


# Save results to a file
speedtest --format=simple > speedtest-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).txt

# Save in JSON for later processing
speedtest --format=json > speedtest-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).json

# Save with append (add to end of file)
speedtest --format=simple >> speedtest-history.txt

📊 Interpreting Results

Normal Speeds

Speeds depend on your VPS plan:

Entry VPS : 100-250 Mbps
Standard VPS : 250-500 Mbps
Performance VPS : 500 Mbps - 1 Gbps
Premium VPS : 1 Gbps and more

Normal Latency

< 10 ms : Excellent (same datacenter)
10-50 ms : Very good (regional)
50-100 ms : Good (national)
100-200 ms : Acceptable (intercontinental)
> 200 ms : High (possible problem)

Jitter (Latency Variation)

< 1 ms : Excellent
1-5 ms : Good
5-10 ms : Acceptable
> 10 ms : Possible problem

Packet Loss

0% : Perfect
< 0.1% : Normal
0.1-1% : Acceptable
> 1% : Network problem

Signs of Problems

Speed < 50% of promised speed : Network problem
Very variable latency (high jitter) : Network congestion
Packet loss > 1% : Connectivity problem
Speed drops over time : Limitation or throttling

✅ Best Practices

Test multiple times : Performance can vary depending on network load
Test at different times : Avoid peak hours for benchmark tests
Test to different servers : Compare results to different locations
Note results : Keep a record for future comparison
Use JSON format : To automate and analyze results with scripts

🆘 Troubleshooting

Very Slow Speed


# Check CPU load
top
htop

# Check network usage
iftop
nethogs

# Check network errors
ip -s link show

# Check processes using bandwidth
sudo nethogs

Problem with speedtest

If speedtest doesn't work correctly:


# Verify that speedtest is installed
which speedtest
speedtest --version

# Reinstall speedtest
# First, uninstall
sudo apt remove speedtest -y
sudo apt purge speedtest -y

# Then reinstall
curl -s https://packagecloud.io/install/repositories/ookla/speedtest-cli/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt install speedtest -y

# Verify it works
speedtest --version

Error "speedtest: command not found"


# Check if speedtest is installed
which speedtest

# If not found, reinstall
curl -s https://packagecloud.io/install/repositories/ookla/speedtest-cli/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt install speedtest -y

# Add to PATH if necessary
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Permission Error


# If you get a permission error, use sudo
sudo speedtest

# Or add your user to the appropriate group
# (generally not necessary for speedtest)

Tests Can't Find Server


# List available servers
speedtest --list

# Test to a specific server by its ID
speedtest --server SERVER_ID

# Check Internet connectivity
ping -c 3 8.8.8.8
curl -I https://www.speedtest.net

📝 Useful Commands

Quick Test with Simple Results


# Simple one-line test
speedtest --simple

# Test with specific server
speedtest --server 45170 --simple

# Save results
speedtest --simple > speedtest-result.txt

Test with JSON Results for Scripts


# Test with JSON format
speedtest --format=json

# Save in JSON
speedtest --format=json > result.json

# Extract specific values with jq (if installed)
speedtest --format=json | jq '.download.bandwidth, .upload.bandwidth, .ping.latency'

Continuous Monitoring


# Test every hour with logs
while true; do
  echo "$(date): $(speedtest --simple 2>&1)" >> /var/log/speedtest.log
  sleep 3600
done

📚 Additional Resources

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do I need to uninstall speedtest-cli before installing speedtest?
A: The old speedtest-cli version (installed via pip) is obsolete and can conflict with Ookla's official speedtest version. It's important to uninstall it to avoid problems.

Q: Why do my results vary between tests?
A: This is normal. Bandwidth can vary depending on network load, time, test servers used, and network congestion. Run multiple tests to get an average.

Q: Should I worry if speed is slightly lower than promised?
A: A 10-20% difference is normal. If speed is consistently more than 50% lower, contact support.

Q: How do I test upload bandwidth?
A: Speedtest automatically tests upload and download in the same test. Results include both values.

Q: Can I use speedtest to test between my VPS and my computer?
A: Speedtest only tests to public Speedtest.net servers. To test between your VPS and your computer, you'll need to use other tools like iperf3, but this is not covered in this guide.

Q: How do I interpret jitter?
A: Jitter is latency variation. Low jitter (< 5 ms) indicates a stable connection. High jitter (> 10 ms) can cause problems for latency-sensitive applications (voice, video).

Q: What is the difference between Mbps and MB/s?
A: Mbps (Megabits per second) is used for network bandwidth. MB/s (Megabytes per second) is used for storage. 1 MB/s = 8 Mbps. Speedtest displays in Mbps by default, use --bits to confirm.