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- A
list of speed test sites appear below; each
link opens in a new browser
window.
- Run
three or more tests from different sites.
Record download speeds.
- Be
sure to note test results in Kilobits (Kbps)
and convert Megabits (Mbps).
- Record
date and time of each test.
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- Find
the average of test results: Add all speeds,
then divide by number of tests.
- For
comparison and accuracy, you can run tests
again on different day and time.
- Call
your service provider and share your test
results with them. They should be happy to
hear from you. Or not.
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- Test
results can vary considerably depending on a number of
factors.
- Factors
include server traffic, distance (closer = better), date
and time of test, computer specs, browser and operating
system, routers, switches, condition of cable/wiring, and
more. Reset modem/router, clear browser cache and
history, and disable any unnecessary network software
before running tests. Please make sure your machine and
network are in order before blaming your broadband
provider for poor results.
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- Sites
appearing below are grouped by accuracy.
- Some
combinations of ISP, hardware and test can produce
_wildly_ inaccurate results, usually quite
optimistic. Sites listed below are in order of accuracy
(near as we can tell), with top six sites listed first.
Recent test results from here at the shop (updated
periodically) are also provided for the sake of
comparison. Your results _will_
vary.
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- *Results
here at nCity's MacShack were obtained over Comcast cable
(6 Mbps max) with a Motorola Surfboard, Netgear router,
and current Macintosh computers using either Safari or
Firefox. No other utilities or software running (aside
from firewall). Most of the impossibly wild test results
were generated by Ookla metrics, possibly a result of
Comcast's so-called "speed boost." Dunno what ATT's
excuse is.
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- WARNING:
New version Safari 3.1 on G5 or Intel
Mac is likely to produce "insanely fast"
results. Bandwidth Place test (top of list)
was accurate, some others were up to 8x
too fast.
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- Kilobits
versus Kilobytes.
- 8 bits = 1
byte. Therefore, test results in kilobits (1000 bits) = 8
times results in kilobytes (1000 bytes x 8 = 8000 bits).
Most ISPs use the higher, more impressive number of
bits-per-second/kilobits-per-second when discussing data
rates. To add further confusion, a kilobyte is actually
1024 bytes - not 1000 bytes - but, using an even 1000 for
1K also sounds better. (This is why hard drives now have
both a "size" and a "capacity" rating, where the "size"
is inflated while actual capacity is considerably less.)
When comparing bandwidth results, make certain all
results are using the same formula for 1K in bits. Proper
notation of kilobits uses lower case (1 Kb) while
kilobytes is upper case (1 KB).
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- Why is the
U.S. lagging behind?
- Unless you
happen to be among the lucky few who have
fiber
optic available,
you're stuck with networking over copper wire. Fiber
optic is far more prevalent in other technology-minded
countries - like Japan, f'instance - and transmission of
data at the speed of light is as good as it gets. Here in
the foothills of Northern California, tho, you're lucky
if you can get anything beyond dialup over aging phone
lines. We're not exactly "cutting edge" when it comes to
maintaining, installing or upgrading infrastructure here
in the States, especially in California.
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- Broadband
defined:
- Technically,
according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),
"broadband"
is defined as data transmission exceeding 200 kilobits
per second (200 Kbps) in at least one direction.
This is clearly an antiquated and inadequate definition.
Broadband should start no lower than 1.5Mbps in
both directions, which might mean something. The
direction most of us are concerned with is download
(incoming). When you view a web page, you're actually
downloading that page (and its associated files) to your
computer; the faster it downloads, the faster the page
can be viewed.
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- Data
transmission in the other direction - upload (outgoing) -
is a concern for those of us sending data to a server or
web site. For most folks, uploading data is seldom, if
ever, an issue. For our purposes here, we're primarily
concerned with download transmission "speeds." (Speed is
actually a misnomer, albeit an easily understood
one.)
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56,000
bits per second (56Kbps). The
absolute maximum speed of analog data
transmission (dialup). By law, maximum analog
data transmission cannot exceed 54 Kbps (and
if anyone knows a good reason for such a law,
we'd love to hear it). 56 K, by definition,
is not broadband.
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- 1,000,000
bits per second (1Mbps).
- Certainly
_way_ better than dialup (2x analog's
best real-world speed), but in terms of
broadband, 1 Mbps isn't much. Some providers
offer tiered rates for less than maximum
speeds, and a lower price is certainly
advisable if that's the best that they can do
anyway.
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- 1,500,000
bits per second (1.5Mbps).
- 1.5
Mbps should be where broadband starts
(instead of the FCC's measly 200K). It would
certainly go a long ways toward keeping
service providers honest. 1.5 Mbps is a good
speed here in Nevada County, and it's often
the highest data rate we're likely to see in
this area.
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- 3,000,000
bits per second (3Mbps).
- 3
Mbps is the top speed offered by Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) over telephone
equipment under perfect conditions - but
you'll never see it around here. ATT collects
for 3 Mbps anyway, despite the fact they
can't deliver. Incidentally, DSL is the only
service that can be tested (using a meter) to
identify maximum bandwidth at a specific
location. (Maximum speed here at the MacShack
is 1.5 Mbps over DSL.)
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- 6,000,000
bits per second (6Mbps).
- 6
Mbps is the absolute best cable companies can
provide under perfect circumstances. Just
like Ma Bell, cable providers happily
advertise speeds they can't deliver and
collect a premium anyway. Satellite broadband
has additional factors impacting data
transmission (latency and dish), so speeds
are affected accordingly.
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- Too many
variables, no accountability.
- Perhaps the
most remarkable thing to be learned from all this is the
wide range of test results. Factors influencing bandwidth
include everything from platforms and processors, to
network equipment, browsers, distance, time and traffic.
Nevertheless, if broadband providers are allowed to sell
XMbps service (especially those with tiered rates),
shouldn't they prove that such speeds are at least
possible?
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- In some
cases, a meter connected to the line can reveal absolute
maximum transmission rates at a given location (without
use of computer hardware or software). For example, a
meter test here at the shop indicated an absolute maximum
download of 1.5 Mbps over existing phone line, so we
signed up for 1.5 Mbps DSL. We soon began fielding phone
calls from Ma Bell offering an "upgrade" to 3 Mbps for an
additional $8 per month - bandwidth that wasn't
guaranteed and bandwidth we'll never see. (Over the
years, speed deteriorated to 700 Kbps then went as low as
56K, so we switched to cable. To be honest, broadband has
never since been as snappy as it was during those early
days, regardless of service.)
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- Service
providers should be required to demonstrate maximum
available bandwidth onsite when connecting a customer,
instead of being allowed to play off consumer ignorance
and charge maximum prices for less than maximum service.
Short of demanding an onsite bandwidth test before
committing to an annual contract, I suppose the old adage
"buyer beware" applies.
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- 50Mbps -
100Mbps over cable?
- Data-Over-Cable
Service Interface Specification 3.0 (DOCSIS 3.0) using
not-yet-approved Cisco equipment is currently being
tested in select markets and is expected to be made
available over the next few years. Perhaps this
development will spur telecoms to expand fiber optic
networks, since data transmission at the speed of light
represents the absolute upper limit of possible bandwidth
(far beyond what is possible over copper wire). Technical
developments will continue to drive competition, but it
remains to be seen whether prices will increase or
decrease with continually changing infrastructure and an
ever increasing bandwidth load.
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