ADSL Speed Test

[admin]

Want to check your ADSL speed for download and upload?

Here is the link:

[jinxster78]

Im sorry but this test isnt exactly cut out to what it leads the average person to think it is.

It tests lactency and download / upload speed to a server owned / hosted by speedtest who just happen to not have their own DNS servers and their software uses name resolutions. So what does this mean...

Well, speedtest.net sits in Vancouver, and if you probe the machine you will find it is actually a virtual server.... and it uses .. nettica.com as their nameserver.... which sits in Lawrenceville. Once the connection is made.. it reroutes you to another CN which is a "host near you" (yet another virtual server) and you download a ASCII file and the time is measured to give you a "speed".

So you ask what is wrong with this?

1. You ignore the best effort design of ADSL. Eg, specify what time you can do it and make the application single apartment threaded... ie finish one test before you start the next. (this means if I test at the same time your testing, both our results are not correct)

2. The latency lag is a result of nettica's servers. Firstly, we sit in SA, so what happens is you must get to another country. SAT3 or Satelite are really you only ADSL options. SAT3 is faster in theory, but, that is like telling a kid you cant have the bicycle because it is bad for you... since he may get injured falling off, but you wont know until it happens.

3. The download is not based on your protocol used to download. Since the file is bitsteamed ASCII type, which doesnt allow much room for compression, the wonders of unshaped and your browser updates fall out the window. In fact you get great times using the get command on a shell system, but in practice most of us use Windows and modernised GUI's with some optimised code. Do you think Opera / Firefox / IE8 / Google Chrome have these browser wars to keep themselves busy?

4. Since ADSL is a shared service which needs to go through one of Telkoms 3000+ DSLAMs here in sunny SA, ADSL is really based on Telkoms DSLAM in your area at this given moment... this factor contributes so heavily that the difference between and ISP (like myself), Mweb, SAIX, Nashua, whoever is too close to determine who is faster ISP. The difference you get in testing at 10am vs 10.01am is bigger anyway, so how can you make any accurate assumptions.

5. If you on a local only (or soft cap) you will find you cant do the test since you cant go via the satelite / SAT3 connections anyway.

6. You whip out your 60c a meg Virgin GPRS service and gain a latency of less than that on SAT3 connection MDSL services... download does er... not perform so good though.

Now you ask yourself... why is all this....

Well, you are simplifying many technologies into one, so you cannot determine who is the slowest... its like saying, well with SAPO it takes 7 days and with Berco it takes 9... if the seller takes 1 day to ship the goods off with SAPO and 8 days with Berco, who is the faster courier?

[birdie62]

wow do you always talk so much??? ok well at 60c a meg er i guess its ok hey LOL

[voldermort]

Ok so is 0.33 a good speed?