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I don't understand my 'net speed

post #1 of 9
6/26/08 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
I'm trying out an online backup service, and it's begun loading my files to the server. It's reporting a paltry 1 kbps upload speed. But if I go to SpeedTest.net, it reports I have 8000 kpbs download and 384 kpbs upload. So the data upload should be running 300x faster! Are online speedometer sites completely out of whack? Or is something amiss with this backup site's software?
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post #2 of 9
6/26/08 at 9:15pm

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

Could be any number of issues, including but not limited to internet congestion between you and the online backup server location or bandwidth throttling by your ISP.
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post #3 of 9
6/27/08 at 7:38am

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

You might check it another way. I believe Activity Monitor (in the OSX Utilities folder) has a network section. Double check it there.

1kb is a snail's pace. Hopefully that is incorrect. Aside from that, something has to be wrong. You might also check into getting better upstream bandwidth. 384 kb is paltry, especially with a 8 mb download speed.

BTW, you will never get your rated speed. 80% is about all you can expect.
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post #4 of 9
6/27/08 at 9:25am
Thread Starter 

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

It might be undocumented / unmentioned throttling. The 750MB upload completed overnight. I suspect that it kept the speed down while I was using the computer, then boosted to the max when I was away.

As for the 350 upload speed: that's normal for cable modem, isn't it? My provider, Roadrunner, offers a $10/mo "super charge" that takes it up to 500, so I figure I'm getting pretty good rates (for the US).
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post #5 of 9
6/27/08 at 9:59am

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF

As for the 350 upload speed: that's normal for cable modem, isn't it? My provider, Roadrunner, offers a $10/mo "super charge" that takes it up to 500, so I figure I'm getting pretty good rates (for the US).

Sounds about right for a home cable average. I have friends north of me that get 1mbps and over DL speed.
They see 500k upload at speakeasy, but never get it when they're moving files. 140 max.

What's interesting is their PTP activity is severely capped. Comcast & Roadrunner (one and the same here) were quiet about this for a time, but it's no secret.

Even if your activity is innocent, the server could be under the same limits that slow the undesirable uploads, as in some PTP activity we know well.
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post #6 of 9
6/27/08 at 1:50pm

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

Dave, you are getting much more than 1kb (or 1kB for that matter) if a 750 MB upload finished overnight. You are probably getting roughly your 300+k.

I thought most cable systems had improved their upstream speeds, but maybe not. Of course, most regular users don't much care about upstream speeds.
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post #7 of 9
6/27/08 at 3:41pm

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

Ah the days of 384K upload speeds. That's what I had from Comcast for years at $53/month...completely held hostage by the lack of suitable alternatives. It was maddening trying to upload images in bulk to my Flickr account and worse, trying to watch my Slinbox on my laptop. That all changed two months ago when AT&T's Uverse service came to town. When I called Comcast and said I wanted to cancel, they knocked $20 off my monthly bill and I'm now getting robust 2Mb upload speeds. The Slingbox has never been more useful...
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post #8 of 9
6/27/08 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

John - Yes, definitely. The uploader was reporting the meager 1kbps when I was watching it. But it finished overnight, in about 11 hours, so it must have increased speed when the computer was idle. The log file reports transfers from 1kpbs up to 25 Mbps (!). Well, that's encouraging, that it's fast enough on the whole to be usable.

Michael - I'd love to see FIOS or Uverse out here. Online backup would be very useful with 2Mb speeds.
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post #9 of 9
6/28/08 at 9:37am

Re: I don't understand my 'net speed

Just FYI Dave. I have pretty basic DSL, which costs around $35/month and it has 1.5Mb download and 1Mb upload. Clearly it is slower download, but do you really need 8Mb?
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