CA3LE

Hi. I just want to say I have been using testmy.net for along time with my different comcast internet package and speed tests.

finally registered!

Oh, if I had a nickel for every time an ISP blamed my site for their shortcomings.

They can say whatever they want. But the truth is... TestMy.net is unbiased in its results. The results you get here are a real world scenario not a best case scenario. The tests that your ISP sends you to is tested under best case scenario conditions. The funny thing is, Time Warner Cable says that this test is inaccurate... yet before they had their own test they used to send their customers here. Actually, I'm pretty sure that back in the early 2000's a tech support operator told us that TestMy.net was actually in their handbook, a part of their troubleshooting procedure.

Think about this, they have the ultimate incentive to have you test your connection with as little variables as possible. A company like TWC can save millions in service calls by making you feel all warm and fuzzy when you use their 'approved' tests and score high. "Oh, the problem must be the websites you're visiting..." --- The truth is though, if you didn't feel like their results were BS you wouldn't have come looking for this site. Right? You can feel that your connection isn't right... correct?

Speedtest.net self admittedly alters your results. They DROP the bottom 30% and top 10% of the results... to make up for the fact that flash isn't a good protocol to use for testing Internet speed. They also open 4+ threads... meaning that you're doing multiple downloads at once. Sorry, but a good connection with a quality route can max out with only one thread. It makes connections look better than they are.

I can't see Time Warner's speed test (apparently it's only available to Time Warner customers... they must not want their test under third party scrutiny.).



...If their test is made by Ookla... the same is true because Ookla is the creators of speedtest.net.

The results here have been trusted by MANY people for MANY years before Time Warner even thought of hosting their own test. Far longer than speedtest.net has been around. Choose to believe what you want to believe but realize... this isn't my first rodeo. Testing connection speed is all I do and I have no vested interest in making your connection look better or worse than it is. TMN has multiple gigabit (1000 Mbps) uplinks into one of the most powerful networks on the planet (currently over 2000 Gbps of available bandwidth, peering with over 25 Tier 1 providers... Time Warner actually peers directly with my host with 8x 10Gbps connection), hundreds of thousands of websites are hosted on the same network. If your speed is effected to TestMy.net, it's effected elsewhere too.

... Like I've said before. Which do you think is a more accurate portrayal of your speed? Testing from next door or testing where the websites you visit are actually hosted? Testing with a test that alters the results or one that doesn't?

Having said that, your speeds aren't all that bad. Now, when you paid for 20 Mbps and got 10, different story. It would be better to see 80%+ of what they quote, which would be 40 Mbps

First, welcome back! Been a while since you've logged in. One of the first 1000 members, I'm glad to see you're still visiting.

Under certain circumstances the progress bar can lag... which doesn't effect the outcome of the test. I've seen this on VNC and on Android 2.x phones. When I've seen this it never pauses, then turns into a fluid progress bar (meaning that it moves smoothly). It will pause then JUMP... as if the browser couldn't keep up with the java used to update the progress. Regardless of how the progress bar updates the flow of data is uninterrupted. On the other hand you might have an issue that's causing this. If it pauses, moves, pauses... then the bar fluidly moves for the remainder of the test... I'd bet that there is something wrong.

First thing I would check would be MTU. You're on Bell South, which is DSL (right?)... PPPoE. Which means that the optimal MTU for your computer and router is 1492. Optimal MTU for cable Internet and most other providers is 1500. When I was on DSL for a while I was having a similar issue... my equipment was configured for my previous cable connection (I'm back on cable and don't miss fiber DSL at all, okay... the upload was pretty awesome. My connection on cable is much more stable and is especially much better for gaming. Plus, my nick is CA3LE... lol.) and changing the MTU resulted in a drastic difference. Like night and day. Check this out... CA3LE March to April 2010 -- you can see where I fixed it and stabilized my connection. (note that some of the results in that query are unrelated... TMN didn't have the filtering and identifying options back then so I can't narrow the search down to exactly the related tests. Only pay attention to the Qwest.net results). It's a very important setting and can have a profound impact on your performance. An easy way to tune your TCP stack in windows is with Speedguide.net's TCP Optimizer. But your router may also need to be configured correctly for PPPoE, it may have an MTU setting or may just ask you what type of connection you have. If you're coming from a different provider it's pretty common for this to be incorrectly set.

Here's a topic very similar to this one... Hanging while testing - I think his issue was resolved with a new NIC. So that could be the issue too.

A little side information, TestMy.net is different than the rest.
If you test on the majority of other Internet speed tests out there you may not see this effecting your results... because they've designed their tests to ignore the worst part of your results. I personally don't understand the mindset behind that, it shows where their interests lie... hint, they don't work for your best interest. TestMy.net on the other hand just calls it how it sees it. If there is a pause in the flow of information, it's reflected in the results.

Say that you download a 10MB file and it takes 10 seconds. Let's say that there is an extra 2 second pause at the beginning of that download. You might not notice it because once the download starts to flow it's going fine...... but does that mean that the 2 second pause never happened? Hell no! Even though it might have happened without you noticing, it still happened. In turn effectively dropping your speed for that download by about 17%. Now, let's say that you were downloading only 1 MB at the same speed, then the issue is compounded and effectively drops your speed by about 67%. I've had users, especially satellite users, that tell me that I should design the test to start the time after the speed has picked up... but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the test? If your connection has pauses and blips, that's important information to know. It's the reason that you came here... right? You might stabilize at 8 Mbps (in our theoretical scenario) but that doesn't mean that's your real speed. Issues that cause that kind of problem make a HUGE impact on browsing speed, VoIP, gaming... etc. Ignoring that crucial information is exactly what most speed tests do, something TestMy.net will never do.

Actually the majority doesn't use ad blockers you will find a good percentage of people who don't even know what adblockplus is and for the server its not one giant server but clusters of servers I'd imagine Google runs thousands of servers a crossed the globe to serve all of its content

Right on, I knew about the test thing
I think it is kinda bullshit that they would go boost over stability
Anyway its fine I just wondered



@Thread
Thanks guys

As Ninja states, they all over sell. As I've stated elsewhere in TestMy, all of them do it so they've collectively used overstated specs on their speeds. They're not afraid of getting sued, because it has become the norm, and on their instruments, that's what you get, regardless of the reality of it. I typically get only about 80% (8Mbps as measured here) of what they tell me I'm supposed to be getting for download speed (10 Mbps min), and only about 1/3 what their speed measuring tools show (>20Mbps).

If 30Mbps is the boost your supposed to be getting then no you wouldn't see that on the test because the tests are setup to run a bit longer then that lasts to get a stable real world reading of your connection if you want to test and see it you can specifically choose a very small download size say 6-12MB and you might see it then

While I am NO expert on this matter, Let me offer you my 2 cents. Cable Internet has been over selling for a long time. You share your connection with other users, How many I am not sure.

There is only so much bandwidth you and your fellow users can have. They keep upping the speeds without the ability or the actual bandwidth to allow everyone on that same connection to have that much speed.

Kinda like the auto bon in Germany. Sure everyone can go as fast as they want. Problem is, So many people are on that road, its impossible to go as fast as you want.

I may be wrong, but from what I can see...

There's no doubt that testmy.net does real-world bandwidth testing; and, that their ISP, theplanet.com, has several high quality interconnects to other popular networks. However, I've noticed that there still can be lower quality intermediary networks along certain routes that can be congested (depending on when you do the bandwidth test). So, while the general bandwidth for both the user's ISP network and testmy.net's ISP network can be very fast, there can still be a slower, congested intermediate network (specific to the route between testmy.net and the user's network) that can be the bottleneck. This can give you a lower speed rating than what the speed the user would generally see under any other circumstance.

The only way I can see testmy.net to give an accurate real-world speed test wouldbe to average out at least a few different speed tests with servers in different geographical locations.

very well put RTB

That would not solve the issue, and would essentially give you a single average number that is better left as a set of numbers for more information regarding routing.
There are two speed graphs that I think are most important for an internet connection: a graph of speed tests to an internal server (within the ISPs network) to determine the average and variance during the day/week/year/millennium of your connection to your ISP; and a graph of speed tests to a server outside the ISPs network, to find out how good your ISP is at handling that. Latency tests can also be very useful.
You are right in that a single server can be hampered by a single bad network, but it does point to a problem that is not supposed to exist, and will affect many more servers which you want to interact with.

Advertising baby!

Bandwidth is cheap compared to what people pay for a slice of attention.

How do you think TestMy.net has survived for so long without ever charging anyone? As long as people keep supporting my advertisers, I don't care how much bandwidth they draw. YouTube has massive bandwidth needs... but is also massively supported by advertising.

Another thing to consider. YouTube, is owned by Google... Google created AdSense. People that post YouTube videos can link their AdSense account and earn a portion of the revenue from Google. So not only is bandwidth not a factor to them... they're making enough that they're willing to share profit... and give you the Lion's share. It pushes people to create higher quality content... Google is truly smart.



... Oh and how they store it. A lot of servers... across the globe. And a lot of memory.

The file that you're getting from Microsoft and Adobe is no doubt being served via CDN (content delivery network) so the file is served from an optimal location. TestMy.net is also served from an optimal location, where a lot of the websites you visit are actually hosted. Unless you specify a location you're tested from Dallas, TX. But if you're anywhere in the US this is a great, centralized testing location. The amount of bandwidth going through Texas is the reason TMN has been hosted there since the early days. Where are you located? I see that you haven't tried any of the other testing locations.

Go to the TestMy.net homepage and try changing the server at the top of the page.



Due to distances your speed will be different to the various servers. A significantly slower speed to any of the servers usually points to a problem with the route to that server. If you have certain configuration issues you'll see the same slow speeds to all servers.

Here's my last tests

https://testmy.net/st...q=6436733977554


This is a pretty typical result from my Cox Communications 50/5 connection. Sometimes I'm faster, sometimes I'm slower. These results were pretty expected and didn't send off any alarms that I had any problems. Will I be able to download faster or slower than these speeds... yes and yes. Depends on the server I'm taking the file from... also depends on if that download is multithreaded. (meaning it's split and opens more than one connection to download the file, TMN is single thread.... a good connection on a properly configured computer will be able to max on a single thread and shouldn't need multiple threads to max the speed... if you only achieve your advertised speed by opening multiple connections, you may have a configuration issue. [most likely MTU] This could also point to limitations of the provider or the provider limiting the consumer. Multithreaded speed testing is another way I think that many of the provider hosted speed tests make customers connections look better than they are. They often open 4 to 8 connections, then add the results together. Yeah, you may be maxing out your line... but why do you have to open so many connections to do that?)

First tests were taken with SmarTest sizing. Then I did 50MB download and 6MB upload to each of the servers. As you can see, my speeds to Europe are slower. Which is to be expected given the distance. Below you can see a result taken around the same time from Seattle WA, which is a greater distance than I am from Amsterdam.



So it doesn't always have to do with distance. It's the quality of the connections that you're routed through along those distances. Testing your connection to a further location is actually more of a test than close by. It's tells a lot about who your provider peers through and who those peers in turn peer with.

It's my belief that the further out you can test and maintain quality connection... the better the connection and ISP. The Internet is everywhere, not just near by... you want a connection that performs at distance.

... Depending on where you are, you also may be effected by the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy. A lot of lines were cut and a lot of traffic was rerouted and in turn congested some routes on the east coast USA. Test to the other servers and you can get a better idea if you just have a bad route to the main server.

Several months ago I was scratching my head wondering about the reason why my computer was so slow, I started looking through different web site looking for an answer or even just a point in the right direction for some help getting my home built comp, system faster. I stumbled across T.M.N. on Oct. 08, 2012. The people are here to help you and hopefully resolve your problems along the way. I am not saying every one will be happy with their results and some will end up doing back flips. Sys.Admin. Moderators, techs, and co members, thanks for your help Now lets see what kind of progress you have made.

I blame Windows 7. For many years Microsoft was about the only game in town. We fought with Xp, Cried with Vista, and needed a smoke after Playing with Windows 7. Sure Windows 7 May be the Fat Chick of the Computing World now, But darn it, She does a Fine Job of taking care of our needs without lots of hassle.

We waited so Long for Windows 7, We are afraid to try something new, I mean really, Look at what we had to go through just to get TO windows 7. Now we are ready for a Smoke, and A Nice Nap, We will think about switching later. Oh we did hear Of windows 8, but when No one is even stealing it, We just find it better to stay with Windows 7.

so worked up...take a deep breath...and realize...it's just all virtual

HAHAHAHA mudmanc4. There are no real zombies. But there is MS. It eats a little bit of your brain every time you use it.

Damn... MS pisses you off pretty bad.

I swear to mother earth, If there be some sort of zombie attack, where people in offices around the world start chewing the skin from one anothers skulls, it will be due to windows non-operating if you can call it a 'system'!!!!

How in the hell do you windows people make it through the day without hiding in the corner white haired and pure red eye balls , chewing your arm flossing with your tendons? Huh ? Tell me please, because I'd like to know how it is you can mass even the most remote existence with this POS hunk of old technology warmed over and regurgitated into your mouth.

After years of playing with people lives, I swear , the 'programmers' that sit high and mighty, yea I mean stoned off their asses on alien crack -- ass crack that is, at micro talent , oops, I meant microsoft dick !!!

How the raging fuk can a system not acknowledge THERE IS A GD PROGRAM RUNNING --DON'T DECIDE TO 'AUTO RESTART' !!!!!!!! simply to install the Wednesday 'fix' , which fixes nothing at all, geezus H pissant cok knock sonova goat herding bastages !!!!!!

And don't try and tell me 'it's a setting' , IT SHOULD NOT BE A SETTING - EVERY OTHER OS KNOWS BETTER THAN TO SIMPLY SHUT ITSELF OFF !!!!!!!!!!!!

An hour and a half into a huge install and mere minutes away from completion , windows simply fkng restarts demanding I 'do not shut off my machine' -- hey , sludge of ditch cat afterbirth --LEAVE ME DO AS I CHOOSE WHILE LOGGED IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the love of sphagnum postmortem petemoss get your squishy head out of your shaved carcass and THINK for a change !!! Stop caressing your testicles in the mirror while boasting your the most widely used system on the planet, when you cannot even bring one system together functionally !!!! Sure , people use it because it's cheap, kinda like that dude that smokes 10/1/4 shit, because hey, it's cheap right ?

I despise everything about you micro-rot !!!!!! Yes, this is the beloved '7' , you disgrace the number 7 I'm telling you.

Last known functioning operating system microshit sent out was 2k-server, after this it's been chasing it's ass around looking for a dollar to make another stoopid translucent placeholder to feed the people more bull tripe through a tube!

What your getting is the typical run around that isps give when you have any issues its simply easier to point the finger at anyone or anything else. Don't let up. Your the customer just keep insisting something isn't right with your service because after all your the one paying

My real download and upload speeds (measured here) are always about 1/3 of what the Time Warner Roadrunner speed test shows. Their results at times have told me my service was fine when in fact there were signal problems at their amps outside. They and most ISPs advertise falsely. The only thing you can say is that they typically deliver their promised rates as measured on their instruments. When you read the TestMy explanation, all this you will have a better understanding. The reality among many ISPs is that they (as a business) know they are advertising falsely, but each one is advertising not any differently than most other ISPs, so they feel there's a built in immunity to legal action because everyone is doing it. Some are undoubtedly worse than others. In your case, if they "guaranteed " you 20MBPS down, and you're getting 10, you're better off than I am. The only way to fight all of this would be a class action lawsuit. The only solution would be to create a set of specifications for speed measuring (similar to what they did with audio power amplifier power measurements). Then an ISP could either be compliant to the spec or standard or not, and the buyer could decide if he wanted to go with one that didn't claim compliance, or one that did. Right now it's a mess. I don't know if the typical support person you talk to knows anything other than the tools he was given to measure speed at that company. If he/she does know, they're between a rock and a hard place, because they can't tell a customer that their tools are wrong.

root programs??...what's that? substandard.

i figure...it's not broken so i have no need to fix it. and when it is broken i can't be trying to fix
it with any backdoor smartypants way...i have to do it the easy way.

i do appreciate you guys teaching me new stuff that i can figure out how to do tho...i wouldn't
what i know if it wasn't for my brilliant son and all of you...my cyber buddies.

thx...but...nah...i love my libre office...it's almost exactly like ms office

i wouldn't really call myself a newbie...**humph**

I'm not calling you a newbie
I am just saying it is what it caters to :/

Like example:

say you were to play counter strike 1.6

It is much harder then cs: source

BUT overall players can be much better and have more SKILL then the ones who play source due to the higher skill cap
Same with ubuntu vs others
It is a little too newbie friendly to be able to do nearly as much as others

Just an opinion I don't think of you as a newbie though