embillma Posted March 31, 2006 CID Share Posted March 31, 2006 My provider (Bright House) has a download speed of 7MB (up recently from 5 MB). However, when I test here the DL speed consistently exceeds 7. A few minutes ago DL was recorded at 7.49. Can anyone explain this apparent anomaly to this non-tech type? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FallowEarth Posted March 31, 2006 CID Share Posted March 31, 2006 Hey embillma. A lot of ppl are able to exceed their caps. I can exceed my cap of 5 Mbps, occassionally getting download speeds of up to 6 Mbps. Basically, ISP's advertise speed packages, but it is usually a bit lower than the actual cap on your modem. There is room for play. If you have an optimized PC, a good hardware configuration, and a good route to the server, it is not uncommon to see 110-115% of your advertised download speed. Looks like you're doing well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
embillma Posted March 31, 2006 Author CID Share Posted March 31, 2006 Thanks. I certainly am not complaining. You have cleared up the matter for me as far as this test site is concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest helloimtim Posted April 1, 2006 CID Share Posted April 1, 2006 In my humble opinion I just think that some live and die by what there download speeds test at. I just always thought tests should be used as a general idea. Speeds can vary for so many countless reasons. If your downloads seem fast enough then cool. Seen countless people try to tweak to get higher speeds and make things worse. Yes there are exceptions. I just mean in general tweaking can make things worse then its a mess to straiten it back out again. The best speed test is common sense. Just my 2 cents. Hope I did not offend anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmer Posted April 1, 2006 CID Share Posted April 1, 2006 In my humble opinion I just think that some live and die by what there download speeds test at. I just always thought tests should be used as a general idea. Speeds can vary for so many countless reasons. If your downloads seem fast enough then cool. Seen countless people try to tweak to get higher speeds and make things worse. Yes there are exceptions. I just mean in general tweaking can make things worse then its a mess to straiten it back out again. The best speed test is common sense. Just my 2 cents. Hope I did not offend anyone. No you bring up a good point.. tweaking a connection doesnt always work for people.. Yes, some of us live and die by the speed of our connection.. For the most part you will never see a difference between 1.5 and a T3(45mbps) when websurfing normal sites.. There just isnt that much data being tranfered. However, start throwing in java, flash, graphics, and other doodads.. Then you will see a slight advantage.. The most important thing is the route to the server. If it is clean, no routers with really high ping times, then for the most part you internet experience should be a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FGOKURULES Posted April 1, 2006 CID Share Posted April 1, 2006 Well to answer your question in my opinion. The reason why you have a 7.9Mb download or so often,, on a 7Mb plan is because, your ISP bumps up the download speed to insure everyone at least will get the 7Mb speed. It's kinda hard to make the whole network all running at 7Mb. So they factor in a little extra speed just in case your current configuration,connection i.e. etc. Don't quite make it to their advertised speeds. Me for instance. I have a 8Mb plan and always get 8.4Mb download. It's just insurance. Now upload is TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!! They kinda B.S. you on that. But thats another topic..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkmullins Posted April 1, 2006 CID Share Posted April 1, 2006 I worked at a cable ISP, and the explaination is simple. You are never going to exceed the cap set on your modem, and the cap can be set down to the kbps, however, most ISP's, for their top tier plan, uncap the downstream and allow the modem to get anything it can. They keep enough bandwidth to make sure everyone is getting the service advertised, and when they start getting close to the limit, they'll buy more. When the buy the extra, everyone on the highest tier will see a speed boost that will fade over time as demand continues to rise. Then the ISP will buy more bandwidth, and the cycle will repeat indefinately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.