Starlink

[plowhog]

Don't usually pay attention to upload speeds. Internet seemed slow ... checked speed including download and upload .... 6mbps down, but upload is faster???

 

[ponytug]

Hmm... 6 down, 4 up at the moment. That is a long way from 100Mbits/s, and close to our DSL speeds. Sigh.

A few more speed test repeats, and it is clear that something isn't happy somewhere in the connection.

All the best,

Peter

 

[John_Mc]

My Starlink speeds have slowed significantly, but not to the degree others are seeing. I used to always get in the 150-250 Mbps range down, and 15-25 up with pings in the 20-30 ms range. Lately I'm usually getting 75-100 down and 7-12 up with pings 45-70 ms.. Still much faster than my so-called 7/1 DSL that rarely got it's rated speeds and stopped working any time it rained or the wind blew more than about 15-20 mph.

Time to dive back in to the Starlink Reddit and see what is going on.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

47 down, 3.7 up

 

[BigBlue1]

Don't usually pay attention to upload speeds. Internet seemed slow ... checked speed including download and upload .... 6mbps down, but upload is faster???

What device did you test with? I know that AT&T has something called a 'stream saver' that automatically throttles streaming traffic to about that speed to conserve bandwidth on the cell network. They turn it on for your cell line automatically. And Fast.com is a speed test by Netflix, which uses streaming in its test. Years ago I could never figure out why my phone always showed 5Mb/s speeds at Fast.com when any other device on my network was way faster. That's when I learned about it.

So, if you're testing via your AT&T cell phone against Fast.com it won't be accurate. Other cell providers may do similar. If you were testing from a computer then it isn't related. I'd recommend avoiding Fast.com for this reason though.

 

[JethroB]

What device did you test with? I know that AT&T has something called a 'stream saver' that automatically throttles streaming traffic to about that speed to conserve bandwidth on the cell network. They turn it on for your cell line automatically. And Fast.com is a speed test by Netflix, which uses streaming in its test. Years ago I could never figure out why my phone always showed 5Mb/s speeds at Fast.com when any other device on my network was way faster. That's when I learned about it.

So, if you're testing via your AT&T cell phone against Fast.com it won't be accurate. Other cell providers may do similar. If you were testing from a computer then it isn't related. I'd recommend avoiding Fast.com for this reason though.

Blue, what speed test do you find most accurate and useful. Ookla? Thanks

 

[plowhog]

I'd recommend avoiding Fast.com for this reason though.

I use my newest PC, hard wire ethernet, for speed tests. i7 processor w/16GB ram. Compared to other devices, it usually gives the fastest results. Maybe due to a better newer ethernet adapter?

Which speed test site (or sites) do you use or prefer?

 

[BigBlue1]

Blue, what speed test do you find most accurate and useful. Ookla? Thanks

That's difficult to answer. Because any speed test is only a test of the connection speed on the specific path between your system and the one particular endpoint of the speed test site. And there is nothing to base "is it accurate" on except a comparison to your own testing against that same exact test site and endpoint server over time.

My suggestion is to pick one speed test site that you like and stick with it. Always choose the same endpoint (usually listed as a city name). Then keep track of your speeds over time. The actually number doesn't really mean a lot, but the variance from your average test result is what is insightful.

Just be aware that there are TONS of variables that impact connection speeds. You're on a shared network on your ISP (Starlink) and your ISP routes you to the Internet which is also a shared system. Time of day, day of week, events happening in your area or across the country at the time can all be impactors.

 

[plowhog]

Here's maybe another clue re: SL speed issues.

Even though SL has been slowing during the day, my SL speeds between 4-5am have stayed fast-- always 200+mbps. I've seen as high as 260mbps.

But lately, even at 4am, I'm seeing slower speeds. This morning it would not exceed 100mbps. (For the record, 100mbps is still WONDERFUL compared to my past system.)

The question is: why the speed change when the local/nearby load is light? I presumed daytime speeds were slowing as other users in my "cell" or region use bandwidth and add system load. But how many others around me are up at 4am? Not many.

I'm not really sure how to interpret this .... my ground station is Los Angeles so it's 4am for those folks as well .....

 

[ponytug]

What device did you test with? I know that AT&T has something called a 'stream saver' that automatically throttles streaming traffic to about that speed to conserve bandwidth on the cell network. They turn it on for your cell line automatically. And Fast.com is a speed test by Netflix, which uses streaming in its test. Years ago I could never figure out why my phone always showed 5Mb/s speeds at Fast.com when any other device on my network was way faster. That's when I learned about it.

So, if you're testing via your AT&T cell phone against Fast.com it won't be accurate. Other cell providers may do similar. If you were testing from a computer then it isn't related. I'd recommend avoiding Fast.com for this reason though.

I used the actual dish router to take everything else out of the equation.

At five am this morning it was 140/17, suggesting to me that they have oversold "my" cell. The space weather hasn't changed that much in eight hours.

All the best,

Peter