Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:

> Can you switch providers?

Yes; we're thinking of doing that. Switching to the (only other!) ISP/DSL
available here, Verizon. (A U.S. east coast provider.) But I wonder if we're
just switching one set of problems for another.

> More likely it's your ISP's link to the rest of the world.

Is that a common pitfall of all ISPs? The technicalities of it all are *way*
over my head.  I'm wondering if there is an independent web page somewhere that
rates ISPs on their perfomance/bandwidth stuff, MTBF, etc.

Ken W.

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Kenneth wrote:
> just switching one set of problems for another.

Probably, but speed likely won't be one of them.

>> More likely it's your ISP's link to the rest of the world.
> Is that a common pitfall of all ISPs?

No.

> I'm wondering if there is an independent web page somewhere that
> rates ISPs on their perfomance/bandwidth stuff, MTBF, etc.

Most of the speed test sites (like www.dslreports.com) will provide 
summaries and averages from tests from various ISPs.   Or you could talk to 
your ISP and escalate the problem.

Run a few speed tests at different times of day to some of the closer 
cities, then call them up and ask why you don't get anywhere near the 
promised speed to nearby cities, and tell them you'll be switching if they 
can't fix it.  They may just escalate it to someone who gives a crap.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   The NFL should go international. I'd pay to
   see the Detroit Lions vs the Roman Catholics.

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Darren New wrote:
> Kenneth wrote:
>> just switching one set of problems for another.
> 
> Probably, but speed likely won't be one of them.
> 
>>> More likely it's your ISP's link to the rest of the world.
>> Is that a common pitfall of all ISPs?
> 
> No.
> 
>> I'm wondering if there is an independent web page somewhere that
>> rates ISPs on their perfomance/bandwidth stuff, MTBF, etc.
> 
> Most of the speed test sites (like www.dslreports.com) will provide 
> summaries and averages from tests from various ISPs.   Or you could talk 
> to your ISP and escalate the problem.
> 
> Run a few speed tests at different times of day to some of the closer 
> cities, then call them up and ask why you don't get anywhere near the 
> promised speed to nearby cities, and tell them you'll be switching if 
> they can't fix it.  They may just escalate it to someone who gives a crap.
> 

My ISP has a company politic that "guarantees" me 80% of the speeed at 
pick hours even though I'm paying for 100% of it. And yes I think you 
are with a ISP provider that saturates indiscriminately it service for 
greed purposes.

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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kenneth [mailto:kdw### [at] earthlinknet]
> Yeah, I think that might be the explanation in my case. And it can
only
> get
> worse, which is sad. It's amazing to me that the infrastructure/fiber
> optic
> cables/whatever that feed my neighborhood--and that were upgraded not
> 'too'
> long ago, according to my ISP--are already maxing out, it seems. Or
> else they
> just lie-lie-lie to their customers, hoping nobody will notice.
> 
> KW

It doesn't matter if they install fiberoptic to every house in the
neighborhood; all of that data still has to go through a central hub.
If, as Darren says, their link to the outside world is already
saturated, that's what's going to limit you.

In my case, I'm paying for a 5 Mbit line (~600KB).  Most of the time, I
can get between 50-75% of that, and only occasionally higher sustained.

...Ben Chambers
www.pacificwebguy.com

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:

>
> Most of the speed test sites (like www.dslreports.com) will provide
> summaries and averages from tests from various ISPs.   Or you could talk to
> your ISP and escalate the problem.
>

Just came across this, too. Tests your ISP-link's connection speeds.

www.Speedtest.net

KW

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> www.Speedtest.net

Cool site, thanks!  Confirmed out 2mbit up/down here at work, just need to 
try it at home now!

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"scott" <sco### [at] scottcom> wrote in message news:494762c5@news.povray.org...
>> www.Speedtest.net
>
> Cool site, thanks!  Confirmed out 2mbit up/down here at work, just need to 
> try it at home now!
>

Hmm. 480 kb/s down, 60 kb/s up. Better than I thought.

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Self correction the speed site was www.Speedtest.net as Keneth post it

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scott wrote:
>> www.Speedtest.net
> 
> Cool site, thanks!  Confirmed out 2mbit up/down here at work, just need 
> to try it at home now!

6941 down, 967 up, to a server in my city.

9225 down and 932 up to a server 100 miles away via dslreports.com/speedtests.

If your link is fast, I'd suggest using dslreports.com, as they have various 
different speed tests that will work better on fast links.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   The NFL should go international. I'd pay to
   see the Detroit Lions vs the Roman Catholics.

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>> Cool site, thanks!  Confirmed out 2mbit up/down here at work, just need 
>> to try it at home now!
>
> 6941 down, 967 up, to a server in my city.
>
> 9225 down and 932 up to a server 100 miles away via 
> dslreports.com/speedtests.
>
> If your link is fast, I'd suggest using dslreports.com, as they have 
> various different speed tests that will work better on fast links.

I tried it at home and had to try a couple of options nearby to get the full 
speed.  Something like 6100 down and 500 up.  I have the 16mbit package from 
my ISP but not sure if it's my modem or the line that is limiting the 
connection to 6mbit (the modem itself says it's connected at 6xxx kbit so I 
guess it's the line).

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