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Active: 1399 users

I have 20MBPS but only 8MB on speedtest?

Forum Index > Tech Support
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D3ath3nat0r
Profile Joined October 2010
United States163 Posts
December 07 2010 03:38 GMT
#1
I bought the 20MBPS package thing on qwest, but when i go to speedtest.net it shows my download speed at 7-8MB, ping 216ms and upload .74mb/s, what is ping and why is it so slower
Nothing
haduken
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Australia8267 Posts
December 07 2010 03:47 GMT
#2
You will find that ISP generally do not guarrantee a speed even if they sell it as a package as your actual line speed is depended on many factors namely your line quality, your distance from exchange, the firmware on your modem, the distance of the download server and the route that it takes.
Rillanon.au
Genome852
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States979 Posts
December 07 2010 03:49 GMT
#3
Mbps = megabit per second which is not megabyte per second. Unless you meant otherwise.
lu_cid
Profile Joined April 2008
United States428 Posts
December 07 2010 03:55 GMT
#4
In short, the 20Mbps package actually means up to 20Mbps. It is the theoretical max.
WarChimp
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
Australia943 Posts
December 07 2010 04:14 GMT
#5
On December 07 2010 12:49 Genome852 wrote:
Mbps = megabit per second which is not megabyte per second. Unless you meant otherwise.


Generally ISP will give you your speed in bits, when websites like speedtest measure, I believe they measure in bytes. There is 8 bits in every byte.
Yoshi Kirishima
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States10366 Posts
December 07 2010 04:19 GMT
#6
Make sure you're not confusing MBps with Mbps

8 Mb = 1 MB

Also try this: http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/

I've used both and think this CNET is better/more accurate. When selecting the testing location you can just press "Home," I don't think it matters. Note: this tests in Bits (b) not Bytes (B)
Mid-master streaming MECH ONLY + commentary www.twitch.tv/yoshikirishima +++ "If all-in fails, all-in again."
Kolvacs
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Canada1203 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-07 13:55:05
December 07 2010 04:20 GMT
#7
I have a 25Mbps with Shaw (which is the fastest ISP in Winnipeg) but I only get around 15Mbps on Speedtest and only get around 2.5MB on actual downloads.
Sasquatch
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada126 Posts
December 07 2010 04:24 GMT
#8
Speedtest actually does output in megabits per second. The better explanation has already been presented above in that the 20 Mbps is the theoretical maximum Qwest will provide. Because Qwest runs ADSL lines, the speeds will vary greatly depending on how far you are from a telephone exchange.

It even says on Qwest's site that it offers "Connection speeds up to 20 Mpbs downstream/up to 896 Kbps upstream." Not that your speed is guaranteed to be 20 Mbps.

If you want a connection that will be close to the max all the time, I would suggest switching to cable/DOCSIS internet or getting home fiber.
JESUS CHRIST ITS A LION GET IN THE CAR
Defeat
Profile Joined March 2010
United States476 Posts
December 07 2010 04:49 GMT
#9
On December 07 2010 13:20 Kolvacs wrote:
I have a 25Mbps with Shaw (which is the fastest ISP in Winnipeg) but I only get around 15Mbps on Speedtest and only get around 2.5Mbps on actual downloads.

I hope you meant 2.5MB down because that would be a pretty crazy downgrade for your down speed D:
"the metagame has really evolved to the point where the best chance to win the metagame is to game the metagame" -Bags
semantics
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
10040 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-07 04:51:32
December 07 2010 04:50 GMT
#10
Check what your modem is getting, you should get around ~80% from that to your computer, assuming everything is working in spec.

The number should be in your modems settings how you get to it depends on the modem.

For dsl there is also a matter of what your lines can carry my home is limited to around 10mbits/s on the download, this too can be found on your modems settings and diagnostics pages.

On December 07 2010 13:20 Kolvacs wrote:
I have a 25Mbps with Shaw (which is the fastest ISP in Winnipeg) but I only get around 15Mbps on Speedtest and only get around 2.5Mbps on actual downloads.

Most servers aren't going to give you 15MB/s of their upload bandwidth.
Disregard
Profile Blog Joined March 2007
China10252 Posts
December 07 2010 05:02 GMT
#11
If you read terms and conditions, you are never guaranteed that your d/u will be at 100%. Its normal to get below 75% of the advertised speeds of the tier/package you are using.

For instance I am a tier 1 user of Optimum Online, advertised max speeds are in the range of 15/2. But their policy is anything above 5/1 is generally acceptable at that tier, the only time I would get anything near the max is during the early hours in the morning.

Im sure your using a congested node, thats why your connection is being throttled. You can get a more expensive fiber plan if your area has it or get a DOCSIS 3.0 modem. My provider is fussy swapping the new modems for low tier users, but Ive heard it usually solves all the problems.

You might want to call a tech to check your cables and wiring, a loose header or something can cause latency and other issues.
"If I had to take a drug in order to be free, I'm screwed. Freedom exists in the mind, otherwise it doesn't exist."
crojar
Profile Joined August 2010
United States59 Posts
December 07 2010 05:04 GMT
#12
It depends what kind of internet it is as well.

I have 25 mbps and it's fiber optic. I am always >= 25 mbps on speakeasy. Usually just under 26.

Cable is usually lower than advertised in my experience.
Uriel_SVK
Profile Joined April 2010
Slovakia427 Posts
December 07 2010 05:22 GMT
#13
216ms ping? That is way too much...
Are you on Fiber or metalic?
Check if your provider has FUP, and also check agregation. It should be non-existant on fiber, or it is at least with my provider...
Are you using wireless router?
For a test try to connect directly to cable. If there are many wireless networks around you it might be needed to play with channel setting of your router.
RebirthOfLeGenD
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
USA5860 Posts
December 07 2010 05:44 GMT
#14
Another variable is peak/offpeak. When the ISP's bandwith is stressed at peak hours like when people get home from school/work its slow. Ideally when they give you that number they are saying the max out speed which is at offpeak, its not a 100% guarantee. My plan is like 30Mbps but I average 20ish usually. When DLing on utorrent it measures in bites, not bits so 24Mbps = 3MBps
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gslavik
Profile Joined August 2010
United States72 Posts
December 07 2010 06:09 GMT
#15
Also, please keep in mind that most ISPs will oversell the bandwidth they can provide (which is why the peak/offpeak can matter a lot).
"I am infallible, you should know that by now." --Dogbert
Grobyc
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Canada18410 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-07 06:47:28
December 07 2010 06:46 GMT
#16
I'm just going to list some of this stuff in point form:
- You aren't guaranteed 20Mbps (Mb = Megabits, MB = Megabytes. 8 bits in a byte) down from your ISP. It is not the minimum nor the max; it's more of an average. I have a 15Mbps down connection speed but often get 22 Mbps or so when testing, and occasionally 12ish.

- Believe it or not, your neighbourhoods usage of internet can affect your connection speed. Different ISP have different ways of delivering their service, so this isn't always the case, but it's a possibility. Shaw cable here in Kelowna pretty well places a switch in each neighbourhood for its clients to connect to. Say the switch can process up to 100Mbps in a single switch port, if you have 8 people simultaneously maxing their connection speed the 100Mbps will be divided between the 8 people. Other ISPs, Telus here in Kelowna for example, offers dedicated connections so that doesn't happen.

- Ping delay is the time it takes for your packets to reach a destination and back. Even if you have a high connection speed, you may still experience lag due to a high ping. I'll give an analogy:
You are moving from Housten to Boston. You are looking to take your belongings so you rent a moving truck to transfer your stuff. It will take a total of 6 hours to move all your stuff. On the other hand, you can rent a Porsche to move your belongings, getting you there and back faster, making faster trips, however since you can't hold nearly as much as the moving truck so it takes a total of 2 days to complete the move. The moving truck here is analogous to a high data rate with high latency, and the Porsche is analogous to a low data rate but with a high latency. Your location and ISP typically determine the ping unfortunately, so if you made it all the way through reading this the tl;dr is you're probably fucked in this regard.

- Virtually all speed testing websites measure in Mbps, not MBps.

- There could be many reasons for having a connection speed that varies greatly from the advertised speed. Try plugging your computer directly in to the internet source (I.E. where your router connects to the wall/modem) and taking the test again. If your results are higher you have something on your network choking your speed probably.

- If you are on a laptop the connection speed will obviously be worse, but it shouldn't be that bad tbh. Assuming you are probably on a 802.11g access point, that gives you 54Mbps. If you have a 50% signal strength (disregarding attenuation/noise) you are at 27Mbps. You ISP is going you 20Mbps, so you are still provided with the 20Mbps advertised by your ISP.

Sorry if I got too technical here; I go to school for this stuff so it happens naturally =/
If you watch Godzilla backwards it's about a benevolent lizard who helps rebuild a city and then moonwalks into the ocean.
Grobyc
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Canada18410 Posts
December 07 2010 06:49 GMT
#17
Also, don't take the Porsche. Do you have any idea how much gas those motherfuckers burn through? Regular isn't even gonna cut it, you gotta get fucking premium gas man.
If you watch Godzilla backwards it's about a benevolent lizard who helps rebuild a city and then moonwalks into the ocean.
aztrorisk
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States896 Posts
December 07 2010 06:54 GMT
#18
Sometimes, your computer can't handle the speed.

I have 2 computers and I have a 3 mb internet.

My old computer can only handle 1.5 mb so when I test it on speedtest, it only came up 1.5 mb but when I tested it with my new computer, it came up 3 mb.

another possibility is that several people are using the internet at the same time
A lock that opens to many keys is a bad lock. A key that opens many locks is a master key.
Liveon
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Netherlands1083 Posts
December 07 2010 08:19 GMT
#19
about the 216 ping, it's not trustworthy. You should try to run commandline and ping google or so, this generallu gives you a better idea. (my speedtest gives me 520ms ping, cmd gives 8ms ><)
Hearthstone manager ECVisualize, Head Admin DSCL
r4sc
Profile Joined April 2010
Germany22 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-07 09:02:42
December 07 2010 09:01 GMT
#20
Bear in mind these public speedtesters can be wildly inaccurate. I just took the test on speedtest.net on a 1Gbit/s line, it came out with just 70Mbit/s (i.e. an error margin of >1000%). speedtest.net (which used a server sponsered by Vodaphone supposed to be only a few kms away from here) measured a ping of 9ms which is pretty accurate (servers <200km away clock in at about 5-10ms). cnet's test is even worse with measly 12Mbit/s.
The only way you can be sure of your actual connection speed is testing it with a server you can ensure is not suffering congestion and has a sufficiently fast connection.
Grobyc
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Canada18410 Posts
December 07 2010 10:18 GMT
#21
On December 07 2010 18:01 r4sc wrote:
Bear in mind these public speedtesters can be wildly inaccurate. I just took the test on speedtest.net on a 1Gbit/s line, it came out with just 70Mbit/s (i.e. an error margin of >1000%). speedtest.net (which used a server sponsered by Vodaphone supposed to be only a few kms away from here) measured a ping of 9ms which is pretty accurate (servers <200km away clock in at about 5-10ms). cnet's test is even worse with measly 12Mbit/s.
The only way you can be sure of your actual connection speed is testing it with a server you can ensure is not suffering congestion and has a sufficiently fast connection.

You running off a fiber optic connection or something? I mean I know Europe connection speeds are generally high, but wtf @ 1Gbps o.O

Sure you don't just have a gigabit router/switch?
If you watch Godzilla backwards it's about a benevolent lizard who helps rebuild a city and then moonwalks into the ocean.
CoFran
Profile Joined August 2010
Canada342 Posts
December 07 2010 13:47 GMT
#22
speedtest.net doest not support packet windowing, so results for a router like a watchguard will not work at all. Best bet is to ftp from a bigger pipe then yours.

Now from what i gather here your connection is ADSL? Be advised that with those type of connection, capping your upload will significantly (rougly 60%) downgrade your download speed.
R1CH
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Netherlands10341 Posts
December 07 2010 13:51 GMT
#23
On December 07 2010 18:01 r4sc wrote:
Bear in mind these public speedtesters can be wildly inaccurate. I just took the test on speedtest.net on a 1Gbit/s line, it came out with just 70Mbit/s (i.e. an error margin of >1000%). speedtest.net (which used a server sponsered by Vodaphone supposed to be only a few kms away from here) measured a ping of 9ms which is pretty accurate (servers <200km away clock in at about 5-10ms). cnet's test is even worse with measly 12Mbit/s.
The only way you can be sure of your actual connection speed is testing it with a server you can ensure is not suffering congestion and has a sufficiently fast connection.

It's pretty obvious these aren't designed for testing high bandwidth links since they are flash based and don't allow enough time for rwin tuning to apply. As long as you pick a nearby test server, you should be testing your line speed pretty accurately up to about 100mbps. If you have over 10-20ms ping to a nearby server (<200 miles) something is messed up with your connection or ISP.

www.pingtest.net is arguably more important than a speed test since high ping and packet loss will greatly decrease speed.
AdministratorTwitter: @R1CH_TL
TL+ Member
Kolvacs
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Canada1203 Posts
December 07 2010 13:55 GMT
#24
On December 07 2010 13:49 Defeat wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 07 2010 13:20 Kolvacs wrote:
I have a 25Mbps with Shaw (which is the fastest ISP in Winnipeg) but I only get around 15Mbps on Speedtest and only get around 2.5Mbps on actual downloads.

I hope you meant 2.5MB down because that would be a pretty crazy downgrade for your down speed D:


Oh woops, yes sorry XD.
I re-read it just now.
manGomaGic
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada94 Posts
December 07 2010 14:51 GMT
#25
have you tried calling your isp?

there could either be a problem on their end or a problem with your physical setup at home.
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
lolbolt
Profile Joined November 2010
206 Posts
December 07 2010 15:49 GMT
#26
looks like a modem or hardware bottleneck, also like a lot of people said u aren't guarantee the speed they offer, also like a few others say. Is it MBps or Mbps ur looking at.
r4sc
Profile Joined April 2010
Germany22 Posts
December 07 2010 17:24 GMT
#27
On December 07 2010 19:18 Grobyc wrote:
You running off a fiber optic connection or something? I mean I know Europe connection speeds are generally high, but wtf @ 1Gbps o.O
Sure you don't just have a gigabit router/switch?


Gigabit Ethernet at university (As a student, I don't get more, I think the whole facility is connected with 5-10GBit/s). At home, I'm connected with just 16MBit/s.

Anyway, back to topic: One thing you can measure without fuss is the RTT/delay/lag/ping. Just use traceroutetraceroute (tracert on Windows) on any random URL. Note that some intermediary hosts may drop or throttle ICMP messages, so repeat your measurements if it seems unrealistic. Most US ISPs should have pretty good names for their routers, so you should be able to determine where the packets leave your ISP's network. Otherwise, just traceroute 2/3/4 different targets and look where the routes diverge. For online gaming, bandwidth is pretty negligible, it's the delay that counts.
TURKISHRAMBO
Profile Joined November 2010
Canada148 Posts
December 07 2010 18:09 GMT
#28
just so OP knows.

MB != Mb
semantics
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
10040 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-07 18:22:27
December 07 2010 18:19 GMT
#29
From qwest we assume ADSL
So in other words we are looking for this data that can be found on your modem. The 200 ping is that the closest you are to a sever? that seems quite far vista and windows 7 don't require any tweaking but xp does.
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