Can someone explain my network speed?

[Gingerbread Demon]

Did a speedtest on my internet this is the result.

But whenever I do an actual download in either firefox or something like steam they always say no faster then 1.1mbps..

So where's the speed that the test is reporting?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Maybe the rate is being limited on the server side in some cases. Perhaps test the speed using different tools. You don't state which country you are in, who your provider is or what speed you are paying for. If UK and using BT, try using http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ to test. Just over 6/1 Mbps is slow nowadays. I get 18/1 Mbps with BT and I'm not even paying for fibre. Also are you using wifi or cable to connect to your hub?

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Maybe the rate is being limited on the server side in some cases. Perhaps test the speed using different tools. You don't state which country you are in, who your provider is or what speed you are paying for. If UK and using BT, try using http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ to test. Just over 6/1 Mbps is slow nowadays. I get 18/1 Mbps with BT and I'm not even paying for fibre. Also are you using wifi or cable to connect to your hub?

Oh god yes I forgot to explain, am in Australia which is a bit of a backwater in terms of internet structure..

My connection is ADSL..

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

It's possible your provider uses some form of throttling except when you are testing the speed using the tool that they provide. Some links on this subject (none Australian):

http://www.speedtest.net/articles/why-your-internet-is-slow/

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/broadband-speed.html

http://www.howtogeek.com/165321/why...rnet-speeds-youre-paying-for-and-how-to-tell/

An Australian article:

http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/gov...peed-promises-really-mean-20130802-hv180.html

A test site:

http://www.speedtest.net/

List of allegedly bad ISPs in Australia:

https://wiki.vuze.com/w/Bad_ISPs#Australia

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

It's possible your provider uses some form of throttling except when you are testing the speed using the tool that they provide. Some links on this subject (none Australian):

http://www.speedtest.net/articles/why-your-internet-is-slow/

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/broadband-speed.html

http://www.howtogeek.com/165321/why...rnet-speeds-youre-paying-for-and-how-to-tell/

An Australian article:

http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/gov...peed-promises-really-mean-20130802-hv180.html

A test site:

http://www.speedtest.net/

List of allegedly bad ISPs in Australia:

https://wiki.vuze.com/w/Bad_ISPs#Australia

That is good stuff. I use speedtest.net

The results I posted however came from the built in speedtest in Windows 10..

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Not built into my Windows 10. There are lots available in the MS store. MS Network Speed Test gives me the same result as BT's speed tester.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Not built into my Windows 10. There are lots available in the MS store. MS Network Speed Test gives me the same result as BT's speed tester.

Network speed test was the app. It was already there on my start page. It's the MS one. That's where I got the screencap.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I don't know if DSL does this, but Comcast has an initial "burst speed" for downloads, then falls to a lower speed. I believe the speed they advertise in boldface is the higher burst speed, then the true speed is in small print.

So I get a high speed value on a test like that because it finishes the test before it hits the limit.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I don't know if DSL does this, but Comcast has an initial "burst speed" for downloads, then falls to a lower speed. I believe the speed they advertise in boldface is the higher burst speed, then the true speed is in small print.

So I get a high speed value on a test like that because it finishes the test before it hits the limit.

Ah. So unless you have optical fiber it's all a bit of fact bending.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Here in the U.S. DSL is usually the speed they tell you it is all the time, ADSL or SDSL, but for all I know they have started fudging their numbers.

The problem with any network is that your fastest speed will be equal to the slowest point in the network.

If you're way off the "main" branch or whatever, you could be limited by an old router or switch. This is usually more accurate of internal networks, but the idea is valid anywhere.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Here in the U.S. DSL is usually the speed they tell you it is all the time, ADSL or SDSL, but for all I know they have started fudging their numbers.

The problem with any network is that your fastest speed will be equal to the slowest point in the network.

If you're way off the "main" branch or whatever, you could be limited by an old router or switch. This is usually more accurate of internal networks, but the idea is valid anywhere.

Yeah I'm just under 2 or 3 km from the exchange and being a PSTN network am reliant on copper wires... So distance plays a part there.

 

[Amaris]

I don't know if DSL does this, but Comcast has an initial "burst speed" for downloads, then falls to a lower speed. I believe the speed they advertise in boldface is the higher burst speed, then the true speed is in small print.

So I get a high speed value on a test like that because it finishes the test before it hits the limit.

You can adjust for that by adjusting the download file size. There's a speed test site that allows for that here: http://testmy.net/download

Also, I think many ISPs know when you're running a speed test, and adjust accordingly. Internal server speed tests (like if you run it through Comcast's servers or AT&T's servers as an example) will show you the best speed, where if you pick a server farther away, you'll get lower speeds.

Remember, it's all about server availability and location. It doesn't matter how fast your connection is if you live in Texas, and you're connecting to a server in rural Australia.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Remember, it's all about server availability and location. It doesn't matter how fast your connection is if you live in Texas, and you're connecting to a server in rural Australia.

I know that... I was just stumped at first with the figures I showed in my OP.


BTW speaking of your above example I kid you not I had a friend here in Australia say to me that, and I quote "won't the electrons take longer to get here from the USA?"

And that's the kind of thing you think, headdesk....

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

People are sometimes surprised to learn that the drift velocity of conduction electrons for DC in copper is typically a fraction of a millimetre per second. For AC, the average drift velocity is zero as the electrons oscillate backwards and forwards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drift_velocity

 

[KlavsPrieditis]

Maybe the rate is being limited on the server side in some cases. Perhaps test the speed using different tools. You don't state which country you are in, who your provider is or what speed you are paying for. If UK and using BT, try using http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ to test. Just over 6/1 Mbps is slow nowadays. I get 18/1 Mbps with BT and I'm not even paying for fibre. Also are you using wifi or cable to connect to your hub?

100% you are right. Providers are spread it among one line, so get ready to share it with you neighbors