RE: Speed Test Results

[Brandon Kim <brandon.kim () brandontek com>]

I love using speedtest. My FIOS at home is 25/25. And speedtest consistently hits that mark
so I know FIOS is giving me what I paid for.

When Verizon was having internet issues last week my numbers were bad. 

Like someone else said, I would not use it much more for quick gauge. To get more granular info
you should be using other tools....



> Subject: Re: Speed Test Results
> From: james.cutler () consultant com
> Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:02:01 -0500
> To: nanog () nanog org
>
>
> On Dec 23, 2011, at 8:07 AM, Paul Stewart wrote:
>
> > In my opinion they are only "somewhat reliable" if they are on your network
> > or very close to your network -we operate one of the speedtest.net sites and
> > for our own eyeball traffic find it to be a "reasonable indicator" of what
> > kind of speeds the customer is getting.
> >
> > To put it a different way, if a customer is getting 20X1 Internet service
> > and the speedtest shows 17 X 0.8 then case closed - if they are getting a
> > speedtest result of 5 X 0.5 then our helpdesk will take a further look -
> > this is really in rough terms...
> >
> > Paul
>
> From the consumer viewpoint:
>
> No single data point should be extrapolated to infinity, but comparing problematic behavior with "normal" behavior is 
> a standard process across all fields.
>
> Speed tests from several locations done regularly give a baseline for performance.  Major departure from expected 
> numbers from a set of speed test sites can be regarded as an indicator of local loop problems. Did you know that 
> local loops suffer from backhoe fade?  And, DSLAMS fail.
>
> In my home office, speed tests are just another useful diagnostic helping to locate problem areas - just like in 
> Paul's example.  DSLReports line monitoring service is a similarly useful tool.
>
> James R. Cutler
> james.cutler () consultant com