BT speed test

MoneyPenny_2

My BT broadband using their own speed tester, for which you need to be logged into your BT account, invariably registers 52 Mb/s for downloads, whereas using the recommended Broadband Choices Tester it regularly says the download speed is under 12MB/s.

How would you interpret this?

Browntoa

BT ones testing to the local exchange , not the "nearest server"


Bt one is the only system that the reps can see if you have problems

MoneyPenny_2

Thanks.
Please explain the difference ("nearest server"?) in more detail.

JJ_Egan

My nearest Speed test server is twenty miles away my exchange is 2 miles .
Speed testers non BT depend upon what distance you are from the server and how many users on at the same time .
The BT wholesale test has a further diagnostics page and that gives you your IP .
Speed tests are only of use if a direct connection via ethernet and not wifi .

almillar

52 Mb/s for downloads

the download speed is under 12MB/s.

Maybe they're both right. See the little 'b' and the big 'B'? If they're being used correctly above, 'b' means 'bit' and 'B' means Byte. A byte is of 8 bits.
Your pure internet connection is usually quoted in bits, but file sizes are usually quoted in bytes.

So that 12MB/s would be 96Mb/s, or your 52 Mb/s would be 6.5MB/s.
Take your pick, it might be somewhere in between.

MoneyPenny_2

Thanks for the clarification. Can see the difference now.
b / B just careless typing, they should have beeen the same size.
Woops; been the same size!

iniltous

MoneyPenny wrote: »

My BT broadband using their own speed tester, for which you need to be logged into your BT account, invariably registers 52 Mb/s for downloads, whereas using the recommended Broadband Choices Tester it regularly says the download speed is under 12MB/s.

How would you interpret this?

You need to know the difference between what your provider is responsible for and what they have no control over, congestion on the 'internet' leading to slow speed could be down to lots of things that BT have no control over, using their own speed tester everything involved is under their direct control...so speed problems that are apparent using the BT tester would be looked at, 'problems' using someone else's speed tester wouldn't be.

Carrot007

iniltous wrote: »

You need to know the difference between what your provider is responsible for and what they have no control over, congestion on the 'internet' leading to slow speed could be down to lots of things that BT have no control over, using their own speed tester everything involved is under their direct control...so speed problems that are apparent using the BT tester would be looked at, 'problems' using someone else's speed tester wouldn't be.

Though you can (and should) argue that they should have enough provision to provide enough bandwidth to the greater internet and they are reposible for providing this. If the congestion is out from them which thir internal tests will not test they it is still their problem. Nothing that a good speed tester with traceroute times would not check though.

iniltous

Carrot007 wrote: »

Though you can (and should) argue that they should have enough provision to provide enough bandwidth to the greater internet and they are reposible for providing this. If the congestion is out from them which thir internal tests will not test they it is still their problem. Nothing that a good speed tester with traceroute times would not check though.

Not sure I follow your logic, if the speed tester is hosted on a conjested or inadequate server, how is that necessarily 'BT's' problem

Just done a test myself using the speed tester the OP quotes using my 70Mb VM connection, it shows 18Mb/s download, using an alternative speed tester Ookla , shows more than twice that speed 36Mb/s, tests conducted seconds after each other.

Broadband switching sites such as the one the OP quotes, make money by people using that site to switch providers , and people may well be more likely to switch providers if they think their current provider is not providing a good speed.
Perhaps sites such as these may not be the best arbiter of good/bad speeds as poor indicated speeds from a comparision /switching web sites own speed tester is more likely to generate a switching customer, and 'good' speeds may persuade some to stay with their current ISP.
I'm not passing judgement on that particular site, just observing that these type of sites have a vested interest and may not be the best place to check speed

brewerdave

Personally, I use thinkbroadband's tester -seems to be the most consistent/reliable

Walaboobah

My speed is pretty much the same on BT Wholesale ,Ookla and Think Broadband, between 36Mbs with Ookla and 37.5 with Think and 37.77 with BT