Varying result from speedtest.net

Does anyone have this problem? I'm getting varying speedtest.com results, from as low as 1.08Mbps to as high as 14.78Mbps download speed, upload speed varies in the same number.

I'm suspecting I have the wrong cable hooked up to the WLAN card since I recently opened my rig up, but if I'm connected to the net it shouldn't be the case?

I do have all the latest drivers installed.

 

Which wireless card do you have?

 

advanced N 6230

Connected via verizon fios and its router

 

I was checking my speedtest.net transfer speeds today trying to help another member who seems to have close to the same problem you are having. I have the same card, but don't have any problems running 25 down / 5 up with my Cisco E4200 router. I am running it on the 5GHz N band only. He asked me to run inSSIDer to check my speeds on both channels. You may want to run this and report what it shows.

inSSIDer | MetaGeek

 

Same problem as you! I replaced my 6230 with a 6200 and no problems, 300mbps. speedtest reports my connection speed of 10mbps download. With the 6230, speedtest showed .010mbps at it's lowest. These cards are hit and miss. Dell wants me to send mine in for repair. I contacted Micheal Dell in hopes they will just send me a new 6230. If I have to send it in im asking for a full refund. It's a shame to return this laptop for a $30 part but I have no choice.

BTW, I tried the 6230 in my son's M11x, same problem. I think it even messed with my 6200 signal. While installed in his (6320), mine (6200) dropped to 130mbps. With his system off, Im back to 300 soilid.

 

My router is a D-Link DIR-655 running 2.4.

 

Don't trust speedtest.net. The results are wildly inconsistent, and not realistic. I just took the test, and it varied from 5Mbps to 30Mbps in the same test, giving me a final result of 9. I took it immediately again, and got a final score of 20 with a peak of over 70.

This is with a 6250, Trendnet TEW-639GR, and Verizon Fios.

 

Weird, just took the test a few times and it's now stable at ~15down 5up, and I haven't done anything.

seeker_moc, what would you suggest to use instead? For me the speed goes up steadily and stops at max with little spike.

NoSlow5oh, I downloaded and used the program and I'm not sure what to do. Couldn't open the log file after saving it. And why do I only have 2.4Ghz channel active while the 5Ghz channel shows nothing?

 

If you think it's your wireless connection, try with an ethernet cable. I know it's old school these days, but it's a cheap way to trouble shoot connection speed issues, or at the very least, help narrow them down.

 

If you're results are inconsistent, then you have an inconsistent network. Speedtest.net is the best there is when it comes to testing internet download and upload speeds. This is the only program I was allowed to use when beta testing all our modems with the DOCSIS 3.0 implementation before we switched to make sure everything would work okay without major config file changes. This was also recommended by the Cisco software engineers who helped us switch to DOCSIS 3.0. The first thing you need to do is find out the major hub in which all of your city's traffic is routed to. Test from that city and no other, as the results will always vary when testing from a hub other than the one you are supposed to be testing from, even if it is farther away. Your ping times will tell you which is which.

 

Herndon, VA is the closest test point with the lowest ping, but all 5 test sites in my area have pings that are very similar (12-18). The end results that I've been getting this morning are becoming more consistent, just under 20 down and just over 5 up, but during the download test itself, the needle still swings wildly between 5 and 100 for the 2 seconds that the test lasts. The needle on the upload test is very stable.

It was worse when I used to have Comcast. I'd usually get somewhere around 6 down, but every once in a while I'd get a crazy result like 80. I've also seen others on the forum that have the speedtest.net sticker in their sig with results over 100. How are the tests done? I mean, is the data random, or is it the same every time, so maybe the results are affected by caching?

 

I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I would think it doesn't cache in order to produce real results test after test. This may be one of the reasons I was told to use speedtest.net. If it does cache, I think I would see faster times after re-running the test, but I get the same speeds test after test. One thing I've found out while working for an ISP, is most ISP's don't cap their high speed customers. This will always produce inconsistent results as the data is allowed to go as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the reason they do this is because they're network is so saturated, that wide open is the only way to attain those speeds they rate "up to", and those speeds usually only happen during off-peak usage times such as 3am in the morning. I am lucky that the ISP I worked for and use has a very solid network. They can cap everyone because the network is built for expansion with more surrounding areas and more customers eating up bandwidth than they current have. My internet package is rated to 25/5 and I consistently get 24.9/4.9 due to being capped. Your fiber is a whole different ballgame that I am not very knowledgeable with. You also seem to have a good number of sites to choose from. I have only 2 close by. One, McMinnville TN which is an hour away, yet I have to choose Atlanta GA which is over 4 hours away because all our traffic goes there first before it goes anywhere else. If I were you, I would call your ISP and have them come out and check everything, especially if you are not getting the speeds you are paying for. Like acruxksa said, check your speeds through your lan for internet speeds. Check your wireless connection separately, as interference and distance can greatly affect the results you get.