Speedtest

Deja Vu

Hi I was just wondering about my broadband speed.I have eircom 3mb and when I take a speedtest on speedtest.net it recommends I use the Limerick server but I get a ping of 140 and a speed around 2mb.But if I change server to Galway or Cork I get a speed closer to 3mb and a ping of around 60.So what is the correct result? Thanks for any answers

Xcellor

Deja Vu wrote: »

Hi I was just wondering about my broadband speed.I have eircom 3mb and when I take a speedtest on speedtest.net it recommends I use the Limerick server but I get a ping of 140 and a speed around 2mb.But if I change server to Galway or Cork I get a speed closer to 3mb and a ping of around 60.So what is the correct result? Thanks for any answers

Whichever place you are closest to should give you the best ping in theory. 140 seems very high, maybe something with the server. If the other two are giving you lowish that's what I would think.

Ping another server in Dublin and see what you get.

Speedtest is not that accurate.
X

h2s

I asked a similar question before and the answer I got was:

"Well with Limerick and Dublin for 1 the difference between the 2 is the limerick server is not actually a server but an exchange and it is highly used by the UL and LIT so speedtest always low results...Area's like Londan,France,Amsterdam and Dublin are main European servers so faster speeds built for high conjestion and better for checking speeds... "

You should try Magnet speedtest for an accurate reading.

hightower1

Its possibly getting routed an odd way through their network. It should in theory work as the closest geo location to you being the best result but that depends on the routing.

It may get bounced around before hitting the server, it could be congested or overloaded, it may be passing through some area works or nodes that are also congested.

The best and most accurate result would be the mean average of all three of the Irish servers combined.

Marlow

h2s wrote: »

I asked a similar question before and the answer I got was:

"Well with Limerick and Dublin for 1 the difference between the 2 is the limerick server is not actually a server but an exchange and it is highly used by the UL and LIT so speedtest always low results"

Dunno who told you that, but it's wrong.

Each of the speedtest servers are individual servers, be it Limerick, Galway or Dublin.

The results depend on your broadband connection, what downloads you have running AND how well the provider hosting the speedtest server is connected. Obviously also how much connectivity they have.

The Limerick server is hosted by Fast Wireless Internet (FWI). They have primarily bandwidth via Cogent and maybe Smart, but are not present on any Internet Exchanges.

The Dublin server is hosted by Digiweb, who are connected to INEX with plenty of bandwidth.

The Galway server is hosted by Airwire, which I work for, and is connected both on INEX and ExWest with plenty of bandwidth, so there should be no issues either.

Magnets speedtest server is developed by the same people as speedtest.net (Ookla) and Magnet is on the INEX, too.

Using Dublin, Galway or the Magnet speedtest server should always sort of give the same result from any ISP. The Limerick server will vary depending on how your connection to it is.

/Martin

h2s

Another poster gave that explaination in a post in another thread.

All I know is that in my experience Speedtest constantly gives me crappy results unless I check it about 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning.

For example three tests done now:



Magnet = Download Speed: 7013 kbps (876.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 874 kbps (109.3 KB/sec transfer rate)

Numion:
Download speed: 7,857.02 (982.12) 79%
Upload speed: 948.15 (118.51) 95%
Surfspeed outside Ireland: 153.88 (19.23) 49%
Latency: 104 milliseconds

Marlow

h2s wrote: »

Another poster gave that explaination in a post in another thread.

All I know is that in my experience Speedtest constantly gives me crappy results unless I check it about 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning.

Well, that is not because Speedtest is crap, but because UPC is crap. They refuse to peer with most of the ISPs on INEX. They peer however with Magnet.

So what happens, when you do a speedtest from a UPC line on the Galway server is, that it goes to via INEX and Smart before it comes to Airwire, but not directly.

Can't tell for the other ones, as I don't have access to a UPC line, but it would be a similar or most likely worse scenario.

Anyhow, them not peering directly means, that you are sometimes send via Amsterdam, France, Germany, London or whatnot, before you connect back to other irish ISPs.

Result: The crap speeds you are getting are the speeds to those Internet providers/hosters because UPC does not have enough bandwidth.

/M