Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

Just took up a Virgin Media offer that includes a Tivo box and a big increase in broadband speed. Not sure I need either but the package (including TV, telephone calls and line rental) was available for £4.00 less than I was paying. Just look at this:

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

Mine's fibre optic Mart and I've just done three tests from three different test sources and got three completely different readings.

UPC (My server) Download 88.23 Upload 12.00 Ping 15
Ookla. Download 94.10 Upload 15.33 Ping133
Imagine. Download 15.49 Upload 12.79 Ping 24.

They vary a lot don't they? any idea why that is? I'm not complaining mind you, I'm perfectly satisfied with the service I'm getting, just wondering, as you know I'm not well up on these things.

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

It does vary a lot, even using Speedtest.net. The figure shown in the last post was given by the closest server to me, which the test chooses by default. I just tried it again and got the same result. However, using a Speedtest.net server in Germany knocks the download speed down to 75Mbps. Still fast but quite a difference.

It think the results depend on a number of factors ..such as how busy the server is, what route data takes around the World (it's not always the shortest one) and how busy the Internet backbone is at any given time of day.

Maybe it's best to use a fairly local server for a connection speed test and always the same one. Then you know if any slowness is being caused by something local (computer, router, box at the end of the road or the ISP for instance). I know Internet data doesn't necessarily take the shortest route to and from your location but perhaps it's more likely to take the same route if the speed test server isn't so far away.

I suppose it's relative speed that might matter more. For instance: How fast is the connection speed to the same server today compared with how it was yesterday at a particular time? This might give more of an idea of the speed of the connection because data is possibly more likely to take the same route between your computer and the speed testing server.

I came across a video (link below) that I think is good. Some of it perhaps already known or is maybe OTT with information but it does, at one point, say how our Internet requests are split up into small chunks of data and each one of those can take a different route around the Internet (and a different one back) before marrying up again at the destination. It's no wonder Internet speeds can vary a bit and why speeds advertised by ISPs are often termed as 'up to'. Some of what gives a slower than advertised speed isn't always under their control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5oe63pOhLI

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

That was very informative, thanks for taking the time to explain Mart.

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

I wanna fibre optic speedy broadband but I'm back and forth like a blue arse fly between someone's house and my own, and the stays away from my own home are lengthening; then again maybe 'she' will get fibre optic speedy broadband with a little prompting .

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

Ha-ha A good tactic. It reminds of a television ad that is going on at present. The one where the feller is talking to his other half saying how good the gardening programmes would look on a super-duper large Widescreen TV. His real motive is getting one for watching the World Cup on.

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

The download speed is very impressive the up load and ping less so. I notice ping results in the UK tests are nearly all in double figures. I wonder why?

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

I don't know why the ping figure is what it is but your post made me look into ping times (searched for 'acceptable ping times'). Many results from the search bring up those discussing gaming. People from other parts of the Globe say that they are happy if their ping time is below 100ms. Not many seem to get single figure ping times. If that's anything to go by, 12ms looks to be on the fairly good side of what is acceptable. Not as fast as your own but the double figure doesn't look as if it would give a noticeable effect.

My upload figure before the upgrade was less than 3Mbps. Now it's 12Mbps, so a step in the right direction at least. I believe many ISPs only give an upload speed that is a fraction of the download speed. I think this is based on the fact that we do much more downloading than uploading and so more resources are give over to that.

There's a heading ('What about uploads?') in this page that talks specifically about Virgin Media's upload speeds:

http://www.cable.co.uk/guides/how-fa...tic-broadband/

They could do better according to this but I know they are in the process of upgrading connection speeds for no extra cost. If I'd stayed on the previous package, my download speed was due to be increased to from 60 to 100Mbps at some time during the late summer. Maybe that would have meant a proportionately better upload speed too but I'm not sure about that.

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

Oh well I ordered super speedy fibre. Extra £10 a month. Estimated speeds of 55mb/s down and 10mb/s up which will suit me just fine . My servers should dish out pages a lot faster - I hope .

Re: Fibre Optic Broadband

Interesting. When I had ADSL ping times were double figures 15 to 20ms but since having fibre it has never been higher than 6ms.