Speed fluctuation issue

[alan]

Another query please...... My exchange as recently gone Green after 11 months in the Red. My speeds vary from 899 up to 6000kbps... Even at 0600 in the morning I sometimes only get up to 3000kbps and last night one test I did only got a max of just 899kbps. The funny thing is just after 0900 most days when I expect the speed to drop I'm usually in the high 5000's. Is this normal? Should the speed stay constant now my exchange is Green.?
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Regards
Alan

[Rik]

Hi Alan

It depends... If you have a lot of users online, even when the exchange is green, you may see a deterioration in throughput. Sometimes, it's not even that, but the load on the speed tester server.

Do 'straight' downloads, eg files, appear to be affected?

[alan]

Thanks Rik... That was a quick reply..
No.. D/L's don't seem to be that much slower. Its just curiosity why I get such a low figure testing in the early hours..
Then in the daytime when I expect a drain on the system I get better results.
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Regards
Alan

[Rik]

Speed tests are often peculiar beasts, Alan, as they simulate a download, rather than actually doing one. These days, time of day seems less important as people seem to be online at all hours. The best way I know to measure real speed is to download something like a Linux distro from a good host.

[MoHux]

I have found these files to be usefull for that.

[Rik]

Yup, those would do just as well.

[ducky22]

I usually use http://www.mirrorservice.org/ - lots of bandwidth on the ja.net!

[Rik]

Another useful link, thanks.

[alan]

Thanks for the links.. But being a bit of a novice what do I do with these ?.. I D/L the 100 mb Zen one which Mo posted but it wouldnt open..
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Ta

[Lance]

All you are doing with them is watching/timing how quickly they are downloaded. What sort of speed was it downloading at? Was it fluctuating wildly, or was it pretty stable?

[MoHux]

Thanks for the links.. But being a bit of a novice what do I do with these ?.. I D/L the 100 mb Zen one which Mo posted but it wouldnt open..
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Ta

It's not meant to be opened Alan, it's purely for you to see your download speed.

Delete it. 
I should also have said keep an eye on your usage.  Downloading this sort of file too often, to see if your speed has improved, can eat into your monthly allowance! 

[alan]

Oops I didnt realise that.. Have just D/L another 100mb and it ranged from 142 kb/sec to the highest 340 kb/sec.. It took about 7 mins.
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Alan

[ducky22]

Oops I didnt realise that.. Have just D/L another 100mb and it ranged from 142 kb/sec to the highest 340 kb/sec.. It took about 7 mins.
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Alan

That speed isn't great for the rate your router is syncing at. It is within acceptable parameters for the product so BT may be reluctant to look into it..... I to suffer from a very varying speed however my exchange is still red.

[alan]

That speed isn't great for the rate your router is syncing at. It is within acceptable parameters for the product so BT may be reluctant to look into it..... I to suffer from a very varying speed however my exchange is still red.

Thanks for that.. Since I've been on Green I don't think its made any difference at all, but I cannot complain. Lots worse than me out there.
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Regards
Alan

[colirv]

Here's another site for files of different sizes to download. And NetStat Live is a great little tool for watching what's happening.

[alan]

I see my exchange as gone back into the Red status, that may well explain things... My speed at 0755 this morning was between 900 and 1200kbps with a profile of 6500.

[Rik]

The symptoms certainly fit with a red exchange, Alan. I've said it before, but it does frustrate me that BT fail to keep up with demand. By now, you'd have thought they would have learnt how to plan.