Download speed

[MR CHUM CHUMS]

I was wondering just out of interest, whats the fastest stable download speeds you have ever achived and what type of connection do you have?
I have 2.2MB broadband, and I have got 400K/s out of it when I was downloading about 15 Mp3's of limewire.

[Taekwon-joe]

I think i got 300kbps once. Dont have a clue what I was downloading though.

[TX_101]

I'm on 512kb Broadband with plusneet and on a single download I've only ever had about 60KB/sec, though while having multiple downloads going on shareaza the sum total of the speeds has sometimes been up at 90KB/sec.

Shouldn't really be possible with my broadband speed, but, there ya go.

[Taekwon-joe]

I've never really understood the whole internet speed thing. I have a 2Mb broadband thingy. Things dont download at that speed so what does it mean then?

[MR CHUM CHUMS]

It pretty muchs means that you download at AROUND 200k/s. Same kinda thing goes for 512k (55K/s), 4MB (400k/s), and 8MB(800K/s) :D. With the 2MB+ connections you often dont reach speeds of 200K/s or whatever when you are running 1 download.

[Tiggs]

Back when I was still only on 512, I managed to get a download off fileplanet running steady at over 500kb/s for about an hour. Thats the best that I really remember seeing. haven't really tested it since I got 2meg.

Oh, and 2Mb means your maximum download speed it 2 megabits, but remember that there are 8 bits in a byte and since you often find things measuring speed in megabytes per second, if often looks like your are downloading stuff a lot slower than you should be.

[TX_101]

I managed to get a download off fileplanet running steady at over 500kb/s for about an hour.
500kb/sec == 50kB/sec

notice the capital.

[Swirl]

I have 2mb broadband, and i got 1000k per second on something. Thats 1mb per second kids!

[edit: Sorry for being the fool that i am]

[Timmeh]

I have 2mb broadband, and i got 1000k per second on something. Thats 1mb per second kids!

No.

That's 250k/s, 2000 / 8 = 250.

I have two internet connections in my house:

2mb Pipex ADSL, dunno what I can get off that really, I only use it for things I'd rather keep private like forums, IMs etc.

25mb NTL cable. I work for them as a software engineer, nuff said, I can normally get just under 3.5mbps down.

[TX_101]

No.

That's 250k/s, 2000 / 8 = 250.

No.

That's 200kB/s, 2000 / 10 = 200.

(Bytes sent over the internet usually have two extra bits added to them. One as a parity check and one as a stop bit.)

[Timmeh]

No.

That's 200kB/s, 2000 / 10 = 200.

(Bytes sent over the internet have two extra bits added to them.)

/edit as you edited

I was putting it in terms he'd understand, you will find that your transfer speed = connection speed / 8, I could go on with you about packet headers all day, my degree's in software engineering. For the sake of calculation though, it's safe to assume download speed ~ connection speed / 8.

[TX_101]

Ok.

Sorry if I sounded a bit arrogant in my previous post, I probably should have made myself clearer originally, rather than editing later :)

But anyways, what I meant was that, yes, a 2MB broadband connection can theoretically give a transfer rate of 250kB/sec, but due to the extra two bits usually added, shouldn't it give you an actual throughput of 200kB/sec, due to the fact that 10 bits are usually sent as a byte ?

Although, thinking about what you said, it does seem that with most connections, transfer speed = connection speed / 8, so does your ISP already allow for the extra bits when they give a connection speed ?

Or am I completely wrong ? I'd really like to know what you know/think as I'm quite interested now :)



Oh, and I realise that the actual packet overhead may change depending on the type/quality of the connection, but put that aside - I'm not too bothered about specifics such as that.

[The Grim Reaper]

Yeah it is 8 or around that.
I have 256kb/s and i get 32kB/s
Which is the exact speed you should have.
Never rely on windows for telling you your speed. Mine says its 320kb/s when thats more than my current one. Our old 128k connection says 3mb/s which is way off.
Linux seems to get it exactly right though :)

[Timmeh]

Most ISPs give an allowance. Parity bits aren't always used so sometimes it's just surplus. Generally you'll find your ISP'll connect you slightly faster than you paid for... a 1mb connection'll connect at about 1.15mbps to allow for error checking and potential loss from line noise. It depends on your ISP really though :) it's at their discression.

[TX_101]

Ok, thanks for that :D

[Liz]

i've seen mine go up to 64kb p/s...ive no idea what speed my broadband is either, it was the cheapest one i could get, so i gues 1mb?? Does this sound about right?

[da-geezer]

Sustainable transfer wise, that'd be a bit lower than normal but yes, 1mb.

Dig this speedtest (http://www.dslzoneuk.net/speedtest.php)!

There is another one from BT which is super accurate, but it means disconnecting, reconfiguring your connection to connect to your exchange using a BT user log in, and generally flanging about.

Worth looking into if you're getting duff downlink speeds though.

[Mozzer]

I find it quite interesting that sometimes when I start a download, Firefox will register the speed as about 1000kB/s! Yes, that's kilo-bytes. And it's not lying either, because on a download of about 4MB, a quarter of the bar will be filled in more or less instantly.

But soon enough it slows down till it settles around a more leisurely 55kB/s which is more likely for my 512kb/s connection.

[Timmeh]

I find it quite interesting that sometimes when I start a download, Firefox will register the speed as about 1000kB/s! Yes, that's kilo-bytes. And it's not lying either, because on a download of about 4MB, a quarter of the bar will be filled in more or less instantly.

But soon enough it slows down till it settles around a more leisurely 55kB/s which is more likely for my 512kb/s connection.

All internet connections do this. I'll edit this later after I've slept and explain why :p

[monkrocker]

The fastest download I've ever had was at about 4.6 mbps. However, in my room (on wireless) it's a bit slower and I've only gotten 1.2mbps. That's megabytes, not megabits, kids.

God bless the University network.

I find it quite interesting that sometimes when I start a download, Firefox will register the speed as about 1000kB/s! Yes, that's kilo-bytes. And it's not lying either, because on a download of about 4MB, a quarter of the bar will be filled in more or less instantly.


This is because it actually starts downloading while you're choosing a location to save the file etc. Therefore by the time the download window appears, you've already downloaded some of the file, but according to firefox the download has only just started so it comes out with a whopper speed.

[Mozzer]

Ah cunning. Thank you for explaining that little mystery :)

This speed test (http://adslguide.org.uk/tools/speedtest.asp) records a little slower than the one da-geezer posted but it also checks your upload speed as well. Handy.

[esquilax]

67.6 KB/s on a 1MB connection. That's as good as it gets here..

[MR CHUM CHUMS]

Thats pretty bad for 1MB
I got 266Kb/s on a 2MB.

[esquilax]

Thats pretty bad for 1MB


I just got 17.1 on something else!

[budrick]

Download speeds can also depend on the server at the other end. My download speeds frequently push 125KB/s on 1MB Blueyonder when I've got a good, fast server to download from.

[mrikasu]

I pay for a 300K connection from NTL but ever since I have had it I have been receiving the highest speed they offer. ie. now 3Mb :D Don't ask me why but that's what the speed tests say!

As for my download speed I normally manage ~200KB/s but have gone above 300 on occassions.

[da-geezer]

I pay for a 300K connection from NTL but ever since I have had it I have been receiving the highest speed they offer. ie. now 3Mb :D Don't ask me why but that's what the speed tests say!

I was chatting to a few of the backoffice guys when I worked for NTL, and apparently there was a bug with the SACM's from back in the day which didn't stick to a particular speed; because at the time NTL only had one speed tier. Essentially what the modem does is sync at the highest possible speed the base station can offer, whereas officially you're still on the tier you're paying for.

The concept's correct, though the technicalities may be a bit ambigious. Hell, I was ADSL support, not cable support. I'm sure timmeh's going to bend me over and show me the real way of dealing with cable issues when he sees this thread next :D

As for the whole 1000kbps shebang; with firefox i've noticed that as soon as you click on a link it begins to download, regardless of whether you've assigned a download location, or told it to save or open. Therefore, the time between the time you first clicked the link and the time you authorised it to save to disk, the download manager has to play "catch-up" resulting in massive speeds; naturally after a while they'll drop down to average speeds. And yes, that was an equally shit way of explaining it but I'm enjoying my Castlemaine tonight so there we go.

[Dude]

All depends on how many people in your area are sharing your connection doesn't it?

I'm on dialup, it sometimes runs at 55k, sometimes 42.6k, most of the time 33.4k. Fastest i've ever downloaded was around 9kbps on a 5MB file, took about 10 minutes.

[Lewiji]

It's not so much people in your area: Residential lines can support very high speeds, it's more the contention on the server. Most broadband providers have a 50:1 contention, which means 50 people will be on the same server as you at max. You can also get higher teir providers who will give you 20:1 contention.

[Dude]

I love it after college, when everyone goes, and you have the full 30meg connection all to yourself. It's sexy.

[Swirl]

My School only has a 4 (or is it 2) Mbps connection. And that's for over 150 pc's. Talk about crap...

[da-geezer]

It's sexy.

Holy shit yes. As I said, I worked at NTL, and the speed at five past midnight was abso-fucking-lutley phenomenal. <3 leased lines :)

[monkrocker]

I love it after college, when everyone goes, and you have the full 30meg connection all to yourself. It's sexy.

It's fun knowing that when you're downloading from somewhere big, eg. Microsoft, that the download speed is only limited by their end. Mmmmmm.

[Timmeh]

It's fun knowing that when you're downloading from somewhere big, eg. Microsoft, that the download speed is only limited by their end. Mmmmmm.

If you're getting anything but your download speed off a web server you're doing something very wrong. My server runs off a 2gb burst pipe for example...

[Fade Away]

I got like 50 kb/s

LAWL@ME

[3v1l |\/|1NiOn]

I'm on 2MB and I managed to achieve 256kb/s for a fair period of time

[Scribbly]

Dunno what I have, I've had 500kb/s

I've got "Chello Classic" which in december will be upgraded to 1mb/s :)

[nathan123]

It pretty muchs means that you download at AROUND 200k/s. Same kinda thing goes for 512k (55K/s), 4MB (400k/s), and 8MB(800K/s) :D. With the 2MB+ connections you often dont reach speeds of 200K/s or whatever when you are running 1 download.

Nearly but not quite

Your speed is quoted in kilo/mega bits per second - your download speed is measured in kilo/mega bytes per second. There are 8 bits to a byte. For example on 8MB you should be able to achive speeds of up to 1Mbyte/second


And the max speed ive achived is about 300k/s on 2Mbit

Most ISPs give an allowance. Parity bits aren't always used so sometimes it's just surplus. Generally you'll find your ISP'll connect you slightly faster than you paid for... a 1mb connection'll connect at about 1.15mbps to allow for error checking and potential loss from line noise. It depends on your ISP really though :) it's at their discression.
NTL dont do this, im on 2mbit and it only ever reads as 1.8 max

[Dyakson]

I've got 325MB/hour, based on one CD-RW with 650MB space, 45 minute bus ride in each direction, and half an hour in the library, waiting for a free PC, and swearing at the b0rked CD-R drives.

[da-geezer]

And the max speed ive achived is about 300k/s on 2Mbit

As a matter of curiosity, given your method for calculating this value, sureley it would be impossible to get a sustained 300k/s connection? After all, 2048/8 = 256, and that's on a perfect line...

[freddiestarfish]

I'm only getting around 9 Mbps from that speed test site.

Damn uni, I want 10.

[MR CHUM CHUMS]

I'm only getting around 9 Mbps from that speed test site.

Damn uni, I want 10.
Only? What kind of download speeds do you get on that?

[freddiestarfish]

I can get over a megabyte a second, but it's normally much slower as it's the servers that are slow.

[nathan123]

As a matter of curiosity, given your method for calculating this value, sureley it would be impossible to get a sustained 300k/s connection? After all, 2048/8 = 256, and that's on a perfect line...
I didnt say it was sustained, its what happens untill firefox calms down. Normal speeds are about 250. Also NTL work in thousands not 1024s, so my connection is 2000k/s according to them, or 2mbit - which makes no sense to me

[Woloch]

My highest ever was 1436 kB/s but it wasn't sustained.

The highest sustained speed I've ever gotten was around 450 on some album I was downloading back when I used to do that.

I tend to get really high speeds (like 100+) all the time. I always thought it was because everybody in an area shares a cable connection and I'm the only one with a cable connection in the area, but I actually don't know if that's right or not.

[StupidCatOfDoom]

191.46 KB/s according to the speedtest. According to the official Zen speedtest, I can get upto about 193.2KB/s - soo close to 2mbps :D

I usually get, on most servers, using GetRight, 250kb/s on each download

Pity GetRight is only shareware :( it's an okayish download manager...

And I swear that when I was downloading Photoshop 9 CS2 (150meg download, I think) it finished in like half an hour. Wow.

:eng101: http://bpcity.hu/daily/2005/aprilis/dontforget.jpg

[3v1l |\/|1NiOn]

And now I have 10mbps

highest speed I've seen (only been testing for the past 10 minutes) is 480kBps

[nafrance]

Mine (Bulldog 8MB ADSL) peaks over 600KB/s.
Sustained, I get results like:

this (http://n0m.com/img.php?img=rofl.gif)

That's 2.1GB in 1 hour 20 mins.

I lub it.

[da-geezer]

That's rapid compared to most non-LLU exchanges, but it's not particularly quick for and 8mbps connection. It should peak at around 1mbps...

[Fritz Zanzibar]

2MB Broadband.. I usually get speeds around 300 Kb/s, but sometimes it will go up to 500 Kb/s.

Only 3 more months to go until I get my 8MB Broadband :D

[Timmeh]

2MB Broadband.. I usually get speeds around 300 Kb/s, but sometimes it will go up to 500 Kb/s.

Only 3 more months to go until I get my 8MB Broadband :D

Option 1: You are wrong about your internet speed.

Option 2: You are wrong about the speeds you can reach.

Option 3: You are lying about either.

Pick.

[da-geezer]

Yars, 500Kbps is more like 512k speed.
Also, 500KBps is more like 4mb speed.

Remember, speedtesters aren't always accurate. I've got a 2Mbps service with Wanadoo and speedtests sometimes show me as a 3Mbps connection, even though I rarely get a sustained transfer speed of more than 225KBps.

[nafrance]

Yeh, it should peak at 1MB (well, theoretical max since 8/8 = 1) but I'm a way from the exchange and I only sync at under 7MB most days, so 600KB/s is good.

Still easier to leech to one of my servers, then max it out copying to my machine.

Ich bin ein geek.

[streety]

At home I have reached speeds of about 30k but that was from the burst you get when you start a download. I normally get about 5k or 6k as I am only on dialup and getting raped. I pay £13.49 for it a month which is more than some broadband tariffs.

At college I used to get over 1mb/s sometimes. It would last long enough for me to download the music i wanted back in the days when napster was good.

[CoX]

I once had some kind of glitch where my program told me I was downloading at 101Gb/s, but after a second or two it recorrected itself to 101kb/s, which is my average.

For a moment, my computer tried to download the internets. :p

[Lewiji]

Nice bump :p

There is no "burst" at the start of a download - It's just that while you choose where to save it / the program allocates a file it's already started downloading into a temporary file, so when the actual download dialog comes up it calculates the speed as data downloaded/second, which, right at the start, is more than usual as it's already downloaded some of it.

If that makes any sense at all :)

[White Tiger]

I was just doesing a connection speed/download speed test and i did it multiple times with and without my extra little firewall thingy and got a pretty big range 1500kbit/sec - 11,450kbit/sec which is rather strange.
(was getting faster with my firewall thing turned off.)