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 Post subject: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 22:04 
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I wonder if I can compare with you lovely people... I've just moved house and since I'm skint I've signed up for a cheapo 2mb Virgin Telewest broadband deal.

I've been to http://www.speedtest.net and got these results.. Are they slow? I think so.

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They've been done with nothing else running in the background, I've done virus checks etc and I've only just reinstalled windows too.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 22:12 
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2mbit = 256k/sec download, theoretically, most never reach that.

If you're getting 768k/sec, I wouldn't complain, unless that's being rated in kilobits, in which case its about 96k/sec and is definitely on the slow side.

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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 22:12 
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Chinny chin chin

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
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TheVision wrote:
I wonder if I can compare with you lovely people... I've just moved house and since I'm skint I've signed up for a cheapo 2mb Virgin Telewest broadband deal.

I've been to http://www.speedtest.net and got these results.. Are they slow? I think so.

Image


They've been done with nothing else running in the background, I've done virus checks etc and I've only just reinstalled windows too.


It's the evening and it's cheap. Try again about 3am and see if there is a difference. If so it's just because the line contention is so poor all you are getting is 700 odd kbps.

I'm currently clocking in at 4453kbps down and 316kbps up. Think I have ADSL max although what flavour I have no idea.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 23:26 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 124
That site gives me 1353 kb/s down and 724 kb/s up on my Virgin 20mb connection if I use the recommended server at Sittingbourne. But if I repeat with the London one, I get 19207 down and 727 up.

So, er, don't run it through the Sittingbourne server.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:24 
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ComicalGnomes wrote:
2mbit = 256k/sec download, theoretically, most never reach that.

If you're getting 768k/sec, I wouldn't complain, unless that's being rated in kilobits, in which case its about 96k/sec and is definitely on the slow side.

That's obviously rated in kb/sec not KB/sec, and while 2mbps is theoretically 256KB/sec, you will never get near that because of various protocol overheads - 230KB/sec is about "usable" max on an ADSL line; no idea what built-in 'loss' you get on a cable line.

According to thinkbroadband's speedtest, my 21mbps connection (O2/Be ADSL2+) actually returns 16.9mbps which is about what I'd expect after Ethernet-over-ATM overheads. I've even had two ISO torrents (of Ubuntu and Kubuntu 8.04beta - really) return 1.6MB/sec. But only over LAN, my 54g WLAN gives me 4.5mbps. Marvellous.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 18:46 
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on 8mb demon from Oop north to a london server

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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 19:18 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 124
BikNorton wrote:
no idea what built-in 'loss' you get on a cable line.

I get about 2.1 megabytes per sec down from usenet, so it's kind of a negative loss. The downside, though, is that torrents never go over half a meg no matter how I fiddle with settings. I blame Branson.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 19:33 
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Sitting balls-back folder

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No-one who owns that many spaceships can be trusted.

Also, that avatar is more disturbing than I find *actual* Noseybonk - although I don't remember seeing his deeds as a child.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 19:46 
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Chinny chin chin

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Stuart Ashen wrote:
BikNorton wrote:
no idea what built-in 'loss' you get on a cable line.

I get about 2.1 megabytes per sec down from usenet, so it's kind of a negative loss. The downside, though, is that torrents never go over half a meg no matter how I fiddle with settings. I blame Branson.


I think Virgin have admitted they are throttling torrant traffic.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 19:52 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 124
chinnyhill10 wrote:
I think Virgin have admitted they are throttling torrant traffic.

Oh, absolutely. If I don't turn on encryption it's actually quicker for the seeder to send me 1's and 0's written on a postcard, a few at a time.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 21:33 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 8679
Stuart Ashen wrote:
BikNorton wrote:
no idea what built-in 'loss' you get on a cable line.

I get about 2.1 megabytes per sec down from usenet, so it's kind of a negative loss. The downside, though, is that torrents never go over half a meg no matter how I fiddle with settings. I blame Branson.


2.1Megabytes a second is still well below 20mb.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 21:39 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 124
Dudley wrote:
2.1Megabytes a second is still well below 20mb.

20 mega-bit, innit? I don't think there's a 20 megabyte a second connection available domestically in the UK , is there?


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 22:18 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 8679
There isn't. 2.1 Megabytes a second is still well under 20 Megabit.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 22:29 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 124
Dudley wrote:
There isn't. 2.1 Megabytes a second is still well under 20 Megabit.

Oh yeah! Now I actually sit and work and it out.

So what the flipping chuff is the "Mb" thing ISP's use referring to, and how much would that equate to in megabytes a sec?


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 23:01 
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I've started something here haven't I... but it is very interesting and I'm kind of keeping up with the technicalities of it all.

Carry on then...


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 0:58 
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20Mb is 2.5MB. 2.1MB/s actual is about right allowing for overhead.

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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:03 

Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 8679
Stuart Ashen wrote:
Dudley wrote:
There isn't. 2.1 Megabytes a second is still well under 20 Megabit.

Oh yeah! Now I actually sit and work and it out.

So what the flipping chuff is the "Mb" thing ISP's use referring to, and how much would that equate to in megabytes a sec?


It is megabits but you'll never quite manage the full thing thanks to overhead and contention.

You know, like we've been saying ;)

I'm on "up to 24" ADSL, connect at 20, usually get 2-2.1 just like you.


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:42 
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Joined: 1st Apr, 2008
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You people don't know you're born.

The time ADSLMAXPOWERSUPERSPIFF was rolled out was the time my Netgear router decided to play silly buggers and be wobbly, so after a week of unstable internets I was left on the old 2mb thing.

Plusnet still keep ignoring my requests to be put on ADSLMAXPOWERSUPERSPIFF in case it might be better since I replaced the internet box. :(

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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:04 
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Where are you?

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Posts: 1639
I'm still on Zen's 512 service...


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 Post subject: Re: Broadband speed... How fast should 2mb be?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:38 
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Joined: 30th Mar, 2008
Posts: 1982
I used to use a 2400bps (0.0024Mbps) modem to go on the internet. That was fun!


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