I posted this on another thread but I thought I would post it as a topic since there is so much attention on connection speeds.
other post
I just ran a speed test while we were talking and you can see I’m running about 4 megs.
Just type in “internet connection speed test” into your search engine and pick any one of the results. It takes about 30 second and then you can see exactly at what speed you are running.
I’m on cable modem and never have a problem. My friend has DSL and has problems all the time. He won’t switch because he was supervisor at the same phone company for 34 years and his retirement and 401 stock depend on the company staying in business (i know, a phone company.)
Now before everyone jumps to defend their provider, not all phone companies or cable locations are the same. It is very dependant on the local office budget of your telephone company or cable company. Most ISP get a connection through the local telco but that company may have old hardware sitting out near you or between you and the central office that connects to the internet “cloud.”
The following is a copy off my screen just as it came back:
Bandwidth calculation is measured against that of CNET’s Internet Services. Bandwidth may be higher or lower depending on Internet congestion. Calculated tests do not reflect server reliability and speed.
Connection Type Connection Speed Faster Providers
28.8 Kbps Dial-up 28.8k
33.6 Kbps Dial-up 33.6k
53.3 Kbps Dial-up 56k
384.0 Kbps DSL/Cable 384k
768.0 Kbps DSL/Cable 768k
1500.0 Kbps Cable/DSL 1.5Mbps
1544.0 Kbps Full T1 1.544Mbps
3000.0 Kbps N x T1 3.0Mbps 4349.7 Kbps - You 4349.7 kbps
6000.0 Kbps T3 6.0Mbps Bandwidth
15000.0 Kbps T3 15Mbps Bandwidth
30000.0 Kbps T3 30Mbps Bandwidth
Next steps:
Further qualify your broadband search Compare ISP Conne
4.4 megabits per second
Communications 4.4 megabits per second
Storage 537.8 kilobytes per second
1MB file download 1.9 seconds
Subjective rating Awesome
Course I’m using a Cable connection with a Mac dual 1.8Ghz, 64 bit computer. [:D]
For those forum members on dial up, please see the post “Dear Bergie” (# 49312) for one possible way to ‘tweak’ your settings. I added in the URL to one of the technical sites I read and this process may improve your response time. Be sure you take a restore point or a backup before you begin.
Actually a T1 is slower or about the same speed as cable, you need to go to a T3 to get faster than cable. A lot of people have that misconception. If you run a test you’ll see your actual speed.
If you look it up a single T1 runs at 1.54 mbps but you can buy faster if you want to pay for it. That where the (n x T1) comes in on the chart. Some of the gamers like the T3 speeds.
The difference is that cable can slow down if a lot of people on on at a time where DSL is a “tacked up” connection that should always be the same. But, as I said earlier, the different phone companies have different budgets and ideas about what equipment to use so they are not always the same earlier.
i did the several tests from different sites and got results ranging from 568 kbps to 2013 kbps . i’m guessing that my isp isn’t that inconsistant in connection speed over a 5 minute period so these tests are of little value . to me anyway , YMMV !
That’s the idea. Many people don’t realize that your connection can vary depending on a lot of different things. Most people don’t know what speed they are signed up for and whether they are in fact getting that speed.
I just thought some people would enjoy talking a look, if they never have. [:D]
I have a 3 MB cable modem connection. Those ‘speed tests’ show that I get anywhere from 1.6 - 2.4 MB speed. Now - Actual download from a ‘real’ site that I want to get data from: Usually about 350 KB. Those speed test sites are just returning a test packet and really have no reality. All they prove is that all of you used the same ‘baseline’ for a common test(ort of like Federal Mileage ratings for new cars). Next time you ‘download’ something, watch the little grey dialog box and see what the actual ‘transer’ rate is and how much it varies during the download!