Sonic Fiber Internet Speed Test

An IP address is a unique address that identifies a device on the internet or a local network. IP stands for “Internet Protocol,” which is the set of rules governing the format of data sent via the internet or local network. IP addresses are in essence, the identifier that allows information to be sent between devices on a network: they contain location information and make devices accessible for communication. The internet needs a way to differentiate between different computers, routers, and websites. IP addresses provide a way of doing so and form an essential part of how the internet works.

It is a string of numbers separated by periods. IP addresses are expressed as a set of four numbers — an example address might be 192.158.1.38. Each number in the set can range from 0 to 255. So, the full IP addressing range goes from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.

IP addresses are not random. They are mathematically produced and allocated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a division of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Ping (Packet Internet or Inter-Network Groper) measures the time it takes (round-trip time) for messages sent from the originating host to a destination computer that are echoed back to the source. A low ping score is better, especially in applications where timing matters — like online gaming or live streaming. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms). See our Broadband Consumer labels for typical latency of our internet products.

Download speed measures how fast the transfer rate of information is transferred to your device from the internet. It's calculated by dividing the total throughput of data in a given time frame by its duration. It affects things like how long it takes to download large files, update games, or stream music or video. Download speed is denoted in Megabits per second (Mbps). One gigabit is 1 Gbps, two gigabits is 2Gbps.

Jitter measures the fluctuations in the speeds at which a stream of data is sent. Jitter is when there is a time delay in the sending of these data packets over your network connection. They are usually sent at regular intervals and take a set amount of time. This is often caused by network congestion, and sometimes route changes. A high jitter score can affect streaming and video calls, making them look and sound choppy or glitchy. Jitter is measured in milliseconds (ms).

Upload speed measures how fast information can transfer from your device to another location on the internet. Although we don’t think about it as much as we think about downloading information, we upload information all the time. We use our upload speed when we want to post a video to YouTube, or send a picture from our phone to a friend. We also use it every time we click on a link or type a search term into Google. That information has to travel from our browser to the appropriate server in order to tell it which information it needs to send us. Upload speed is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps).