ThinkBroadband speed test

[Noreen]

I know that some people here aren't keen on speed tests as such but I've just done the test at ThinkBroadband so that I could do the monthly ISP rating. I got a result of 5988.99 Kbps this surprised me as I'd just previously done a BT test and got a result of 6803 Kbps, I'd gone straight from one test to the other. The only consolation is that I presume that the apparent reduction in speed would apply to all persons rating their ISP via the speed test. I would have assumed that the BT was more reliable but is that so? 

[Gary]

Speed tests can vary but I find the BT speed tester more reliable Noreen to be honest, some of the others appear to give wildly different readings

[TheMonkey]

can i ask if anyone was having speed issues yesterday? i haven't tested it today as i am now at work but my browsing was taking ages to load and my speedtests were showing my download speed as 1 meg (

1st problem i've had with speeds since joining. hope its all ok. my router stats are exactly the same i posted in another thread. i'll try and find it.

[Noreen]

Yes Gary, I'd also done a Speedtest.net test and as usual it was even faster than BT. It seems unfortunate that ThinkBroadband's slower test results are involved in their ISP rating system. 

[Gary]

Yes Gary, I'd also done a Speedtest.net test and as usual it was even faster than BT. It seems unfortunate that ThinkBroadband's slower test results are involved in their ISP rating system. 

I wonder if there is a bias involved their somehow Noreen

[Gary]

can i ask if anyone was having speed issues yesterday? i haven't tested it today as i am now at work but my browsing was taking ages to load and my speedtests were showing my download speed as 1 meg (

1st problem i've had with speeds since joining. hope its all ok. my router stats are exactly the same i posted in another thread. i'll try and find it.

No issues here at all, have you had a sync event maybe, or loss of power that may cause the line to see an issue?

[Noreen]

I wonder if there is a bias involved their somehow Noreen

Are you confusing them with DSL ZoneUK Gary?

[Inactive]

Are you confusing them with DSL ZoneUK Gary?

You wouldn't be suggesting that DSL Zone is biased Noreen?? 

[Gary]

Are you confusing them with DSL ZoneUK Gary?

I never trust any site Noreen that says its not biased  but I may have been

[TheMonkey]

No issues here at all, have you had a sync event maybe, or loss of power that may cause the line to see an issue?

not sure, i changed to homesupermax about a week ago and everything was fine. tried reseting my router and turning it off for 30 seconds but no joy.

[Rik]

I've not seen any speed issues, and with IDNet back in the office yesterday, I'm sure we would have heard of any problems. Like Gary, I think you need to look for any local issues, running a BT speed test would be a good starting place.

[Ann]

Mine was just now 6552 with BT and 6490 with thinkbroadband so not much different.  Probably just a blip for Noreen.

[Simon]

Perhaps any speed issues were due to IDNet catching up on all their emails! 

[TheMonkey]

i tried that rik but i can never get it to work. runs the speed test but the bar gets not even a quater the way across and nothing happens. i check back about 30mins later but its still the same.

i live in a flat and my niegbours upstairs have been banging around and hammering. bit of a long shot but do you think they've nicked a wire somewhere?

[Gary]

i tried that rik but i can never get it to work. runs the speed test but the bar gets not even a quater the way across and nothing happens. i check back about 30mins later but its still the same.

i live in a flat and my niegbours upstairs have been banging around and hammering. bit of a long shot but do you think they've nicked a wire somewhere?

Do you use firefox or IE for that test? I find it only works in IE myself

[Rik]

i live in a flat and my niegbours upstairs have been banging around and hammering. bit of a long shot but do you think they've nicked a wire somewhere?

It's always possible, or someone is using an appliance which is electrically noisy. What are your router stats like?

[TheMonkey]

the same as i posted in the other thread that you mentioned were good. i'll have to find them.

oh and i used firefox for that test. if its still a problem later i'll give it a go in IE. 

[TheMonkey]

same as these

Port      Status      TxPkts      RxPkts      Collisions      Tx B/s      Rx B/s      Up Time
WAN    PPPoA    104    101    0    175    434    00:01:13
LAN    10M/100M    599    818    0    2346    1180    00:01:41

ADSL Link    Downstream    Upstream
Connection Speed    8128 kbps    832 kbps
Line Attenuation    20 db    5.5 db
Noise Margin    12 db    9 db

[Rik]

Nothing wrong with those. If it continues, have a word with IDNet. The only things I can think of are exchange congestion or significant noise causing lots of re-sends.

[TheMonkey]

it happend after i took the chrimbo tree down. maybe its sad 

[Rik]

Could you have disturbed anything in the process. I'm just wndering if you had a low sync event and your profile hasn't recovered?

[TheMonkey]

i don't think so. unpluged an adapter but don't think anyhting was disturbed. my comp is in my bedroom and the phone wire starts right from there. 

[Gary]

i don't think so. unpluged an adapter but don't think anyhting was disturbed. my comp is in my bedroom and the phone wire starts right from there. 

can you try a BT speed test in IE? And do you have the latest version of the Java runtime as well since it uses that.

[Rik]

i don't think so. unpluged an adapter but don't think anyhting was disturbed. my comp is in my bedroom and the phone wire starts right from there. 

What Gary said - a BT test would help a lot right now.

I'm just wondering whether you could have disturbed any electrical connections, sufficient to cause a noise storm?

[TheMonkey]

ok cool guys, like i say i'm at work at the mo so i'll post some stats later. thanks for you time 

[Noreen]

So as a BT speed test has been recommended to Monkey can I take it that BT's test is generally thought to be the most reliable?

[Gary]

So as a BT speed test has been recommended to Monkey can I take it that BT's test is generally thought to be the most reliable?

Since its the stats from this that you give to your ISP I think its probably the best one to use Noreen

[Rik]

Based on my own use, Noreen, I'd say it was the most consistent and accurate, plus as Gary says, it's the critical one when talking to an ISP. The profile often explains any issues with speed, which is why we ask people to do a BT test if they have a throughout problem.

[TheMonkey]

tried using IE last night but it said java plugin wasn't installed which is a dirty lie!! 

will try again but it does look like my internet is running a bit more smoother. would still like to test it though. just in case 

[Rik]

The most accurate speed test is still a download from a 'known good' server, with a stopwatch in your hand.

[Gary]

tried using IE last night but it said java plugin wasn't installed which is a dirty lie!! 

will try again but it does look like my internet is running a bit more smoother. would still like to test it though. just in case 

might be worth reinstalling your java plugin, or checking its listed in IE's advanced tab

[TheMonkey]

i did reinstall it but still no joy. may have a play round later. at work again now so back to the drawingboard tonight 

[Rik]

That may be your problem. The best time to get a successful BT test is early morning, unfortunately.