My Internet connection has been wimpy lately. So, to see if I am getting what I paid for I tried out a few broadband speed analysis tools that check my Internet connection. My favorite is Speedtest.net. Ok, I admit it, this proves I am mildly geeky: I thought the test was actually fun. It uses an entertaining interactive Flash interface. Speednet.com performs three measurements to determine the quality and performance of your internet connection:

1) Download Speed: Tests the speed at which your data is sent from the Internet to your computer.

2) Upload Speed: Tests the speed at which data is sent from your computer to the Internet.

3) Ping (Latency): The time it takes in milliseconds for a small piece of data to be sent from your computer to the Internet and back.

What are my test results? Am I getting what I pay for in an Internet connection? Well, that discussion is for another post. Stay tuned.

Depending on where you live, here are a few other testers you might want to check out:

• Broadband speed reports

• Speakeasy - Speed Test

• PC Pitstop Internet Connection Center

--You can find more posts by Chris at Momathon Blog.