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Question of the Day: What's the most interesting small town you've visited in South Africa?
Speed Test
- Thread starter derek809
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JimM
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I would guess that the Vodacom server might sit on the same infrastructure as their 3G network. If that is the case it will give you a better speed. All the others are breaking out onto the internet, so to me they would be more representing of your actual speed. I do however take any speed test with a pinch of salt (or three 
). There are lots of factors to take into account when testing any sort of wireless connection.
). There are lots of factors to take into account when testing any sort of wireless connection.JimM
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My money would go on www.speedtest.net as it's un-biased. The Vodacom site doesn't have to make any real effort to make the link look good!!
A common misunderstanding as to how the Internet actually works, is to assume that the speed of your ISP connection [e.g. Vodacom's HSDPA] is the speed you would get to anywhere on the Internet, which is simply not the case.
Simplistically, the Internet is a collection of links and routes that define possible paths to get from one point to another point, and more importantly the bandwidth or possible speed of these links varies as well as fluctuates according to how much bandwidth is being used at any given time by [one or more] users.
My point is that first testing the speed between your PC and your ISP is where one should start, i.e. http://speed.vodacom.co.za/, and if that speed is within your preferred range, then bother with other relevant speed tests, and if you are trying to test the speed to a site [e.g.] in the USA, then there probably isn't much point in running a speed test outside of the USA as it is highly likely that that would travel a different route where the speed of links is not going to be the same.
There is a lot more to this that could be said, e.g. traffic shaping, etc.
Simplistically, the Internet is a collection of links and routes that define possible paths to get from one point to another point, and more importantly the bandwidth or possible speed of these links varies as well as fluctuates according to how much bandwidth is being used at any given time by [one or more] users.
My point is that first testing the speed between your PC and your ISP is where one should start, i.e. http://speed.vodacom.co.za/, and if that speed is within your preferred range, then bother with other relevant speed tests, and if you are trying to test the speed to a site [e.g.] in the USA, then there probably isn't much point in running a speed test outside of the USA as it is highly likely that that would travel a different route where the speed of links is not going to be the same.
There is a lot more to this that could be said, e.g. traffic shaping, etc.
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Csnoopy
Expert Member
Are your sure the last 2 reading are kilo bits per second and not kilo bytes per second. Because 130 x 8 =1040kilo bits per second. Which is much closer than last 2 readings. I don't believe the internet can slow down that much.
Or have I missed something.