Download Speed Test FAQ
What does it Do?
The idea behind the page is simple. First the time is taken. Then a large chunk
of data is sent from the server to the client. Then the time is taken again.
Take the difference, and if you know how much data was sent you can work out the
transfer rate.
How does it do that?
The page uses Java Scripts to do things like take the time and display the
results. This means that if Java is turned off or not available in your browser,
this page won't work. One thing to note is the fact that since the page is in
Java, some effort must be used by the browser to display the information. This
can effect the reported download speed since the data must go through the Java
engine on your browser before it is displayed. If you have a slower PC you might
get a lower data download speed. If this is the case then its best to download
one of the FTP files.
What about compression?
Normally when data is sent over your internet connection it is compressed at the
server end and de-compressed again at the client end. This allows the connection
to send more data in a given time. The information that is sent for the purpose
of this test is randomly generated bytes of data. This means that there is a
very small chance that the compression programs can compress the data at all.
Why do I need to press CTRL-Refresh in Internet Explorer?
This should only be a problem in IE 5. Basically Microsoft have made it nearly
impossible to turn off their caching, this means that if you do not force a
reload of the page (holding down CTRL and clicking the Refresh button) the page
will be loaded from the cache on your computer. This means that the results are
based on the speed of your computer and not the speed of your internet
connection.
So what speed should I be getting?
Typical performance during uncongested periods from this test server are in the
order of 400 Kbytes per second.
Why isn't my connection as fast as it should be?
There are many reasons that your connection will not be as fast as the
theoretical maximum. Firstly the connection rate of your ADSL modem might be low
due to line quality issues or network issues. Secondly with data
communication there is overhead necessary to allow the data to be transmitted.
This can be anything from 2-25% and there is no way to work out how much
overhead was used. If you are getting good download speeds off this site, then
it is most likely that the slow speeds you are experiencing are due to the
Internet