Speed Testers - a rollercoaster ride
Call me lonely, call me an ‘enthusiast’, call me what you like (within reason), but I’ve spent the lion’s share of this morning investigating and evaluating broadband speed testers.
Between 11 and 11:15 AM today, I tested my broadband download speed across 10 different online speed testers. They were all very simple to use, and each captured a reading of my download speed (and in some cases, upload speed) there and then in that moment.
While I ran the speed testers I had no other applications open.
The results were as follows:
|
Speed Tester
|
Download Speed (in Mbps)
|
Time
|
|
BroadbandChoices
|
8.3
|
11.01
|
|
Think Broadband
|
9.0
|
11.03
|
|
My Broadband Speed
|
1.2
|
11.04
|
|
ZD Net
|
8.6
|
11.06
|
|
Broadband Watchdog
|
8.9
|
11.08
|
|
Broadband Expert
|
10.6
|
11.09
|
|
Broadband.co.uk
|
8.9
|
11.11
|
|
Broadband Genie
|
2.7
|
11.12
|
|
Broadband Max
|
9.0
|
11.14
|
|
Connected Internet
|
8.2
|
11.15
|
As you can see, the range of readings is startling!
In order for this to be a worthy, empirical test, I’d have to isolate each speed tester tool, and take a reading every minute for fifteen minutes using just that tool (thus providing me with 15 separate readings across a quarter-hour period for each speed tester).
Have I got the time to do that? Not just yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’m working on it.
So, what are the conclusions I’ve drawn from the data above? Well:
-
Taking all the speed test results at face value, and interpreting them in a sensible way as opposed to taking a strict mathematical approach, I seem to be receiving download speeds of around 8.5 Mbps on a weekday morning. Frankly, I’m quite pleased with that.
-
Unless drop outs in the service I’m receiving were uncharacteristically severe this morning, some speed test tools are either (a) wildly inaccurate, or (b) designed to make me get infuriated with my ISP and want to switch.
I additionally took the BT speed test, the results of which haven’t been included here. The noteworthy aspect of this test was it informed me (quite categorically, in bold red letters) the maximum download speed my line is capable of is 6.5 Mbps.
Oh really? Try telling that to the broadband expert at Broadband Expert.
Of course, if you want to take an accurate and infallible set of readings, you should use a downloadable speed test tool such as the Broadband Choices speed tester , and monitor your service for at least a month.
For now though, why not flit around online yourself, and see if the range of readings you receive is as varied as mine?
