topic Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site in Plusnet Feedback

PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:49:43 GMT

A quick lookup tells me that the mybroadbandspeed.co.uk domain is owned and therefore I assume operated by PlusNet. I have used this site several times over the past few days and on each occasion I see

Quote
Please Note: We are currently experiencing issues with our speed tester and results may not be 100% accurate.

Now being of a suspicious mind is this PN's way of saying "What you see may not be what you get" a.k.a A get out clause, or does it really have issues. If it's the former the please PN put up a disclaimer instead as having this permanently on the site as it does not look very professional. However, if it is the latter then when can we expect a fix?
Why am I bleating about this? I got my dual connections bonded today (Library Article will follow) but it was only speedtest.net that showed me the increase in speed and to be honest the sight of it winds me up.

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Strat — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:53:31 GMT

It's been like that since Adam was a lad.
I didn't think anyone used it now and consensus is that it should be removed until fixed.

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

PeterLoftus — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:55:40 GMT

@Mook I suggest you wear your underpants on the outside and dress as the caped crusader
I guess it's been bust for the last couple of years and many have complained before you
Best of luck with your crusade

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:17:55 GMT

Well guys, to be honest I'm shocked to hear that, and it's not for dramatic effect. I've been with PN now for about a year and I can't fault their service. But this beggars belief. If this 'service' was in my company and the individual responsible had not fixed it an a timely manner or even taken it down (assuming the fault was outwith his control) he'd be working for someone else by now.
To some this may appear petty, but if you think about it this could reflect badly on PN, it certainly does to me. If it has been like this for that long then they obviously don't care about it, their customers or what the lack of fixing implies. If it's not going to be fixed, regardless of the reason, then remove it and either replace it or provide a redirect to speedtest.net or similar.
Anyway, my soap box is starting to wobble so I'd best get down, and my high horse is needing fed.

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

TORPC — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:45:12 GMT

I did mention errors within the code of the speedchecker page in a previous thread, but was made out that errors in the code does not mean it does not work syndrome by some that think that PN have not got any bad code, the code I pointed out was their CSS, then as some can not face the truth that PN does have bad code, they tried picking on my website (to which I was working on @the time & had linked PN's CSS to it as a working draft) & was affecting the look / feel of my site to which I did put a disclaimer on the test page.
Yet I suppose as the forum software has not been updated since 2008, your guess is as good as anyone's if / when PN will fix the Speedchecker (if @all)
Just like other software like the Plusnet Assist software that should be pulled, as they obviously have no intention of updating it & as a result could save a lot of support queries why it doesn't work on modern browsers

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:11:12 GMT

Hi TORPC, you said

Quote
I did mention errors within the code of the speedchecker page in a previous thread...

do you have a link to this at all please. Just out of snoopyness you understand.

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

ArthurDent — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:16:13 GMT

Not at all sure any of these checking sites are worth bothering with. For a while I was in habit of running BTW, thinkbroadband, and speedtest (ookla) in quick succession. How sad is that? I found I was getting totally incompatible answers. Even latency figures were wild. Decided that my own subjective opinion was as good as any.
Intriguingly, though, as well as actuals BTW supplies IP Profile figures, which I accepted as targets. DL profile for my ADSL ran between 4.09 and 3.75mb/s. At that time actuals were reported as averaging about 3.70. When I started agitating about actuals then dropping way lower, a friendly guy from PN pointed out that the ICUK assessment was the critical one they use. On my phone no this was 2.00 to 2.50mb/s for ADSL.

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

TORPC — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:03:58 GMT

Hi Mook
Of course I understand
Here it is https://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,131835.msg1151583.html#msg1151583

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:58:24 GMT

Hi ArthurDent,
I totally agree with you speed checkers are only as good as the network on which they are being executed on and are subject themselves to the vagaries of said network. Taking the results at face value can be akin to adding a 'go faster' stripe to the side of your modem!

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

MattyC — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:01:55 GMT

Hi guys,

Quote
Please Note: We are currently experiencing issues with our speed tester and results may not be 100% accurate.

A while back, we didn't have that message on the site at all. We thought it would be better to have that message than for people to take it as a trustworthy estimate.
Strat is right in that the general consensus is that it should be removed. Fixing it would be far from easy, as it would need quite a bit of investment in time.
There's quite a bit about the site on this thread here:
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,103382.0.html
Matty

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

jelv — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:13:27 GMT

I think the best way forward is to encourage as many potential new users as possible on sites like thinkbroadband, which, whichisp etc to use the tester to check out what speeds they may get if they move to Plusnet.

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

w23 — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:42:54 GMT

In the past 'mybroadbandspeed.co.uk' would occasionally stop working and would display a license notification (from Ookla), I assume that Plusnet are still paying Ookla a license for that site? OK I know it's probably a tiny amount in proportion to Plusnet's turnover but still an unnecessary expenditure.
@ Mook, have you tried http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html with your bonded setup?

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Townman — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:58:32 GMT

@CRT,
A suggestion - get all links to the PN speed test changed to point to the BT Wholesale speed tester and (for anyone with book marks / missed links) change the PN speed test page to refer to the BT Wholesale test.
This will remove an embarrassing source for complaint and free you from having to respond to those complaints about what you know is broken beyond cost and time effective repair.
Personally I don't see what the beef is, it's known to be flawed so I don't use it. I know that PN can see all BTw speed tests so using it regularly gives a reference point in the event of there being a speed related issue. However there are some who just enjoy good complain... so please just remove it promptly!
Kevin

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

MattyC — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:59:33 GMT

I'd imagine that the site actually generates a lot of traffic to our website, which in terms of cost/benefit analysis is better for us. I can't really comment on the license to Ookla (partly because I don't know the answer).
I have attached my artist's depiction of what I'd imagine a home broadband user would type into a search engine when they want to test their speed, and where the website appears on the list. Please excuse my unsteady hand. Circles/ovals were never my strong point.
Matty

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Townman — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:03:25 GMT

Matty,
If Googled sourced visits is the justification for it being there, then that suggests it should be fixed with urgency. What impression is created of PlusNET if in following a high ranking hit, it is found to link to a heap of crud?
Kevin

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

MattyC — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:06:48 GMT

I wouldn't say that it is the single justification of keeping it up. I do think it may be a factor.
I do see where you're coming from, my suggestion would be to put some investment into the site itself.
Matty

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

w23 — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:12:11 GMT

@ Townman: +1
2-1/2 years ago: http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,103382.0.html
Maybe a spurious one but from May 2008: http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,64919.0.html
Though it was working OK in 2007... http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,31770.0.html

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:27:26 GMT

Quote from: w23
@ Mook, have you tried http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html with your bonded setup?

w23, no I had not, well not until you mentioned it and here are the results.
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html?id=141406342042641463790

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

TORPC — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:46:26 GMT

To be fair
When someone searches out a speedchecker etc.
Surely one would expect to have a decent level of accuracy, with as minimal a tolerance as possible ?
Can CRT please find out
Is the workings of the Speedchecker owned / maintained by PlusNET or outsourced to the likes of Ookla ?

Re: PlusNet's Speed Check Site

MattyC — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:58:40 GMT

It's Plusnet owned.
Whilst it's a really old post, Bob gave a good summary of it here
Matty