How to Check Your Internet Speed Right in MacOS Monterey
If you want to test how fast (or slow) your internet is, a common method is to go to speedtest.net, fast.com, or any of the many other internet speed testing sites. But if you have a Mac running macOS Monterey, you don’t need to visit any website to check your internet speed. MacOS now has a built-in tool that lets you check your connection speed right from the Terminal itself.
Why use Terminal on an internet speed test website
There are several big advantages to using a terminal based speed test on your Mac. The biggest one is that you are not loading a site with ads that negatively impact your privacy and battery life. Depending on how your computer is performing, Terminal is arguably much faster than using a browser, so the total time it takes to run a speed test is slightly lower.
Apart from that, the terminal method is also easy to execute. It doesn’t require absolutely any programming knowledge or any special technical skills, which is a big plus for many people; it allows those who are not technically inclined to try Terminal, which can go a long way in trying out other useful commands, such as one that allows you to check all installed applications on your Mac, or another to set a sleep timer .
How to use Terminal to check your internet speed
To use this feature, open Terminal on your Mac. If you’re having trouble finding an app, you can press Command + Space to open Spotlight search and type in Terminal . With Terminal open, type networkQuality (no capitalization required ) and press Enter .
Now, as long as your Mac is connected to the Internet and running macOS Monterey, the speed test will begin. You will see real-time information about the download and upload speed while the test is running. Once this is done, the Terminal will show the results under the heading ==== SUMMARY ==== .
This command runs the upload and download speed tests at the same time, but if you want to run them one by one, you can use the networkQuality -s terminal command . This command will run the upload speed test first and then check the upload speed. The test does not affect the results.