Joined: 22 Jun 2007 Posts: 277 Location: Physically: Somewhere in time and space / Mentally: As lost as the next person
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 19:21 Post subject: Alternative speed test site to Speedtest.net
I didn't know where to post this so here it is...in Announcements. I personally think that Speedtest.net is flawed in the speeds it returns, for cable users anyhow. I have read that the speed that is returned from speedtest.net is from the local node to the ping location you choose. This makes sense to me when speedtest.net returns a 20+mb down connection and I by no means get that kind of speed from anything I do while surfing/snagging/etc....
This is due to how cable manage their bandwidth.
This is not a bug, but a "feature".
If works with a token system.
Comcast for example, will boost your first few hundreds kB, giving you full bandwidth (or the 20Mb/s you talk about). Then, as you use your tokens, your speed will come down to your rated 6Mb/s (or what your contract says).
If you stop using your connection, you get new token every few seconds.
This is to optimize the very frequent "click-> load webpage -> read -> click next link" usage. This gives full speed for short burst, but regulate the average.
As most bandwidth test are quite small, they fall within that token limit and will measure the full bandwidth of your line.
Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Posts: 7492 Location: Dresden, Germany
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 23:52 Post subject:
this speed test is crap. i have a 50 mbit VDSL line and it shows 3.2 mbit/s. i get full speed if i just download a file from dd-wrt.com _________________ "So you tried to use the computer and it started smoking? Sounds like a Mac to me.." - Louis Rossmann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL_5YDRWqGE&t=60s
