25 replies to this topic

[CA3LE]

The most common question that people ask us is why their results here differ from speedtest.net.  I want to explain something that may help you understand why this is.

According to the Ookla Wiki the following is true about your tests taken at speedtest.net...

• The fastest 10% and slowest 30% of your results are DISCARDED
  
• The remaining data is averaged together to determine the final result

This is no doubt compensation that speedtest.net's programmers have worked into the equation to try and make up for the fact that flash is a bad protocol for speed testing.  Looks nice, but because of protocol overhead, buffering and unnecessary CPU usage during the test it doesn't make for an accurate testing platform.  

Throwing away the fastest 10% and slowest 30% of the results in my opinion does not make for an accurate test.  Isn't THAT the data that you're here to see?

Also note this isn't only true for speedtest.net. Ookla is huge, most of the speed tests online run their software.  TestMy.net on the other hand is proprietary.

Source: http://wiki.ookla.com/

:: EDIT ::
Another thing to consider is if you're running windows, particularly if it's older than Windows 7 you may need to tune your TCP stack to see your full speeds. Windows doesn't always come out of the box optimized for fast connections. Flash based speed tests fail to detect this problem.

To make this change for free I recommend TCP Optimizer. This makes changing those settings very easy and nearly fool proof. Just open it, slide the bar over to your speed that you're supposed to have, check "modify all adapters" ...apply the settings and reboot. You should have faster speeds after your re-test if that was the problem.

Here's an outside source talking about exactly this issue, I'll hunt down more examples. >> Download Speed Test - Something fishy?

Related topics :: TestMy v Ookla - Difference Between Speed Test Sites? - Satellite Service Testing - Locking at around 14Mbps - Questioning speedtest.net & resolved with TestMy.net

Edited by CA3LE, 18 February 2012 - 09:37 AM.
Added Information

[mudmanc4]

Great explanation .

At times I'll use there service for a server as close to me as possible , so i can isolate the issue a bit more , true enough , thier closest server generally gives me very close results  to yours here at tmn , imagine that.

edit: And that is a 1200 mile difference, let alone a non flash based test.

[TriRan]

i usually see very different results than here, when my internet is having issues speedtest.net doesn't usually detect them at all it will show my full 50/5 where as here i can see my service is really suffering and only receiving half that

i actually get better results from here then i see on speedtest.net maybe that's just me...

[CA3LE]

TriRan, on 07 May 2011 - 02:10 PM, said:

i usually see very different results than here, when my internet is having issues speedtest.net doesn't usually detect them at all it will show my full 50/5 where as here i can see my service is really suffering and only receiving half that

i actually get better results from here then i see on speedtest.net maybe that's just me...

Thanks for the testimonial

[dann0]

I also have the 50/5 service. But I regularly see 50-120mbps down from other flash driven sites, but I know that is false. Wish I could pull 100mbps+, but that is just a dream.
Thanks for all your hard work CA3LE!

[CA3LE]

dn0, on 07 May 2011 - 05:28 PM, said:

I also have the 50/5 service. But I regularly see 50-120mbps down from other flash driven sites, but I know that is false. Wish I could pull 100mbps+, but that is just a dream.
Thanks for all your hard work CA3LE!

Thanks for the testimonial... keep visiting!

[tdawnaz]

my results there are always out of this world...great numbers...like vanity sizing...but if i really wanna know if these jeans make my butt big tmn is the looking glass i believe...not always the numbers i wanna see...but hey sometimes the truth hurts...

like right now i'm having an issue that began in early april...most likely my modem...testing here toldl me something is wrong...i called cox and they wanted me to do a test using speedtest inside their network...i said i wouldn't go by that (first off i don't go to any websites or dl anything off their network that i know of)..i told her .that i could already tell her that what it was gonna say...25+...here lately i'm getting 8 or so...so just for the hell of it i took a test there...yep...34...if i went by them i'd never know i have a problem at all...so yes these jeans right now do make my butt look big...but they lied to me


i love tmn

[CA3LE]

tdawnaz, on 07 May 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:

my results there are always out of this world...great numbers...like vanity sizing...but if i really wanna know if these jeans make my butt big tmn is the looking glass i believe...not always the numbers i wanna see...but hey sometimes the truth hurts...

like right now i'm having an issue that began in early april...most likely my modem...testing here toldl me something is wrong...i called cox and they wanted me to do a test using speedtest inside their network...i said i wouldn't go by that (first off i don't go to any websites or dl anything off their network that i know of)..i told her .that i could already tell her that what it was gonna say...25+...here lately i'm getting 8 or so...so just for the hell of it i took a test there...yep...34...if i went by them i'd never know i have a problem at all...so yes these jeans right now do make my butt look big...but they lied to me


i love tmn

Very nice testimonial... your charts clearly display where the problem happened.  Looks to me like... about April 13th... Funny thing is, your upload sped up at the same time your download decreased.

http://testmy.net/st...l=250&q=tdawnaz

[xs1]

I use many speed test sites. Testmy.net is by far the most " real time " results you are going to find. Other flash based speedtest sites , aka speedtest,net show your absolute best connection speed with a huge overhead buffer. That is considering NOONE around you is using the internet and you are the ONLY one online that day on your node lol.. If you want accurate, right now  speed test results, i use testmy.net. I want to know my connection speeds in real life, not what they possibly can be in absolutely optimal conditions ( again due to the overhead) .

[TJS]

CA3LE, on 06 May 2011 - 04:49 PM, said:

... condensed

and yet you have a 70 mbs results from testmy.net when im pretty sure i saw that your on a 50 mb connection?

[CA3LE]

TJS, on 08 May 2011 - 05:33 AM, said:

and yet you have a 70 mbs results from testmy.net when im pretty sure i saw that your on a 50 mb connection?

Good point... but you failed to factor in that I run this site and I'm purposely trying to break things as I develop.  That score is no doubt inaccurate... but it was scored that way durring trials... most likely that score wasn't even logged by the public site that you all see

Here's what I scored on a combined test a few seconds ago... on the public end



... I also have scores that are only a few kB/s in the database --- never trust my scores out of the database, unless I post a single score...  It's part of my development process.

And for comparison here's what I just got on a test moments later at speedtest.net, closest server. (15 minutes later)



And my server is like 1400 miles away from me.

[xs1]

CA3LE, on 08 May 2011 - 11:28 AM, said:

Good point... but you failed to factor in that I run this site and I'm purposely trying to break things as I develop.  That score is no doubt inaccurate... but it was scored that way durring trials... most likely that score wasn't even logged by the public site that you all see

Here's what I scored on a combined test a few seconds ago... on the public end



... I also have scores that are only a few kB/s in the database --- never trust my scores out of the database, unless I post a single score...  It's part of my development process.

And for comparison here's what I just got on a test moments later at speedtest.net, closest server. (15 minutes later)



And my server is like 1400 miles away from me.

Alot of times you cannot choose the closest server on speedtest.net. If i choose Tampa, which is 50 miles away, or Miami, or ANY of the close servers ; i get a 1/4th of my speed. But if i choose Atlanta GA , 900 miles away, or Huston TX , or any of Texas for that matter,  i get top speeds Go figure.

[tdawnaz]

and besides...our img is prettier

Edited by tdawnaz, 09 May 2011 - 01:34 PM.
because apparently i couldn't spell when i posted this :-D

[CA3LE]

xs1, on 08 May 2011 - 05:29 AM, said:

I use many speed test sites. Testmy.net is by far the most " real time " results you are going to find. Other flash based speedtest sites , aka speedtest,net show your absolute best connection speed with a huge overhead buffer. That is considering NOONE around you is using the internet and you are the ONLY one online that day on your node lol.. If you want accurate, right now  speed test results, i use testmy.net. I want to know my connection speeds in real life, not what they possibly can be in absolutely optimal conditions ( again due to the overhead) .

Thanks,

Yeah, who cares about what your line is capable of.  Don't people already know that when they order their service.  

I didn't originally build this site to be used by anyone except myself... it was part of my 'toolbox'.  A way for me to ensure that when I left a customers house they were getting what they paid for.  ... I wouldn't build or use a tool didn't serve it's purpose. (that goes for any tool)  I'm not a cable installer anymore but I'm my own biggest user of the service.  Many of the features the site now has came from my own need for that service.  My point is... this site is a tool, not a novelty.

I'm happy and humbled that so many people have chosen my site over the years.  Thanks to all the TMN supporters.

- Damon

[TriRan]

speedtest doesn't usually pull accurate numbers for me.. take now for instance i'm having pretty big local issues here modem keeps dropping out, signals are bad.

so when i test at speedtest its as though nothing at all is wrong.. look




if i go by that then i'd never know anything is wrong with my connection. but the ISPs can't fool me... i'm going to keep having them come out and look into my issue forcing them to spend thousands until they fix it and give me what i'm paying $89.99 a month for, a good company wants a happy customer and i will be one when they fix my problems which they are trying to do

if i test to testmy.net or any other speedtest site that does not use flash i see results like




as you can see speedtest isn't even close. even if i test to a server over 1400 miles away on speedtest its still showing incorrect results

[CA3LE]

TriRan, on 25 May 2011 - 06:13 PM, said:

so when i test at speedtest its as though nothing at all is wrong.. look

Thanks for the info, helps prove my point.

[SlowFreddy]

Not much difference. I never get 1 meg up..

[TriRan]

i to do not see much difference when my connection is working correctly the problem occurs when my connection is sucking, speedtest.net will say everything is fine and this site will validate that my connection is indeed sucking

[mudmanc4]

Yes , it's terrible when you connections is " sucking " , in light of ????

[SlowFreddy]

Internet Explorer 8.

Also listeing to StreamTheWorld Radio..KKATAM..Salt Lake City.. at the time of test..

Pale Moon (fire fox)..