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Broadband speed tests
Posted: 10 Dec 2007, 22:00
by Nicola&Tony
Can anyone recommend a reliable website I could use to get an indication of what sort of speeds we're getting? Over the last few days it seems to have slowed down dramatically at this end, maybe it's the cold weather?!
Thanks
Tony
Posted: 10 Dec 2007, 22:15
by Dan Wood
www.speedtest.net
Bear in mind there can be many reasons for a slow connection.
These days a lot of ISP use 'traffic shaping' so they will prioritise time-sensitive traffic (e.g. gaming, voice-over-IP) over their network. This usually means less critical stuff like youtube and downloading get slow at busy periods.
I've noticed this most since moving from the UK to the Isle of Man.
In the UK I sync'd to the exhange at about 4.5Meg. On the Isle of Man all connections are only up to 2 Meg, but my broadband experience here is much much better because I can get a solid 2 Meg, on all types of traffic, all the time!
If you're connecting through a router, you can usually get it to tell you the speed it has negotiated with the exchange. That'll give you an idea of how fast things should be if your ISP isn't throttling things.
Posted: 10 Dec 2007, 22:23
by HarryMann
http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/
FYI I got about 3,500 Kbs download and about 1/10th of that upload (on ntl cable)
Pretty asymmetric you might say, wonder what ntl would say about that ratio... anyway, that download speed always feels pretty good, thinkw e pay for a 2 Mb line or maybe 2.5
Get back with your figures please Tony
Posted: 10 Dec 2007, 22:28
by HarryMann
Tried again and go this message after testing:
Your download speed is 3904 Kbps. That is 900Kbps above the average for Virgin.
Got 360 kbs upload that time
NB. Virgin cable was ntlworld
Posted: 10 Dec 2007, 22:49
by ermie571
ooo thats fun!
I got a download of 2056 adn upload 243
I pay for the 2meg link...so I is getting it, yes?
Emma
Posted: 10 Dec 2007, 23:18
by Mocki
[IMG:300:100]http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/bimages/328503.jpg[/img]
Your download speed is 624 Kbps. That is 1694Kbps below the average for BT.
not good!
( yeah, it is good, for "freeband")
must talk to the neighbour, get them to complain.......
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 00:20
by Other-Power
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 00:34
by Nicola&Tony
Thanks for the info everyone. Just done two tests on each of the sites suggested above, within a few minutes of each other.
Speedtest.net came up with 2094Kbps download and 363 for upload. When I repeated it, it was 3157 and 368.
On broadbandspeedchecker it was 1448 and 356 initially. When I repeated it, it was 1008 and 320.
I'll keep checking on a regular basis (when I'm waiting for pages to download!) now I know where to get the tests done and then give my ISP a ring if things don't soon get back to the speeds we're used to getting.
Tony
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 00:42
by Nicola&Tony
Mocki wrote:
Your download speed is 624 Kbps. That is 1694Kbps below the average for BT.
not good!
Steve, excuse me for being slow (I must be catching it off the b'band!)
but does this mean that you were able to check out our broadband speed and those are the results that you got?!!! If so . . . flippin crikey o'riley!!! No wonder we're waiting so long for Ebay pages to download!
Tony
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 00:53
by Nicola&Tony
Thanks Steve, that's very interesting and a big help. Have the speeds increased because it's later at night so there's fewer people online now, or is something else influencing the speeds that we're getting?
Tony
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 02:07
by BigTam
Tony,
Not all is as it seems, for example I have just done speed test using 3 different sites and got 3 different results, all within minutes of each other and this is on wireless,
[IMG:300:135]http://www.speedtest.net/result/210875124.png[/img]
[IMG:300:100]http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/bimages/329094.jpg[/img]
Speed Test Results
Date 11/12/07 02:02:38
Speed Down 2652.71 Kbps ( 2.6 Mbps )
Speed Up 300.43 Kbps ( 0.3 Mbps )
Port 8095
Server 0.0.0.0
they cant all be right, I have also tested using our own system at work and it is better than any of these, loads of different reasons why it will slow down, but the results you are getting are not great, will give you a call and I can have a look at your set up at home,
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 10:21
by Mocki
Nicola&Tony wrote:
Steve, excuse me for being slow (I must be catching it off the b'band!)
but does this mean that you were able to check out our broadband speed and those are the results that you got?!!! If so . . . flippin crikey o'riley!!! No wonder we're waiting so long for Ebay pages to download!
Tony
no, no, that is the speed it said i was getting......... ( well, the speed my neighbour was getting.........i just steal it!)
just tested agaoin
[IMG:300:135]http://www.speedtest.net/result/210955847.png[/img]
[IMG:300:100]http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/bimages/330089.jpg[/img]
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 10:41
by BigTam
The only true indicator is a line loss insertion test, that would mean an engineer coming to your home, disconnecting line, then disconnecting at exchange with a remote unit and doing the test, if there is any significant loss the line would be broken down at various intervention points and tested back to last one.
This test is accurate because there is nothing else on the line, thats the problem with these speed testers all various piecies of exchange equipment, distance from server and test head all effect the speed as does time of day when the contention ratios will be different due to usage, there is no guaranteed speed on ADSL over the cooper pair, it is rate adaptive.
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 11:33
by airhead
[IMG:300:135]http://www.speedtest.net/result/210968737.png[/img]
Not so bad. Thats in work though. It will be interesting to see what I get at home.
broadband speed
Posted: 11 Dec 2007, 20:11
by meggles
Well I got this but I don't know what it all means. But at the moment I can pour a can of beer and sup half of it before I get from one page to another!
[IMG:300:100]http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/bimages/333918.jpg[/img]