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SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Chris
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SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

We always want to make sure we're delivering a great broadband service for our customers so we're keen to make sure Plusnet are represented in a survey of UK broadband speed testing.


Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has partnered with SamKnows to research broadband performance in the UK. They're looking for customers of various broadband providers, including Plusnet, and we'd like to ask you to take part.


The research involves connecting your internet router to a device, provided by SamKnows, that monitors the performance of your broadband connection. It's very simple to do and won't affect your internet connection and it will only monitor the speed of your connection, not what you do online.


If you volunteer you'll get access to your own data so you can track the performance of your broadband connection.
If you are on a package with usage limits, we will refund up to £5 of extra data charges a month, should you incur any usage fees for taking part in the project.


If you'd like to take part or find out more, please go to http://www.samknows.com/broadband/signup/ofcom

Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
29 REPLIES 29
Oldjim
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Perhaps a poster on ADSL can advise their usage as on fibre with 45Mb/s speed my increase in usage due to Samknows is approaching 100GB per month peak due to the streaming tests which are no longer optional I believe

VileReynard
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

I used to have a whitebox for a few years which operated as a 4 port switch - but it only had 100Mbit ports.

I wanted a whitebox with Gigabit ports - but this appeared to be something that I would have had to pay for & wouldn't be supplied for many months - so I bought a 8 port Gbit switch which acts in exactly the same way except that Sam doesn't get any stats.

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Lurch
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

So you are saying that you cannot add a switch to your network anywhere? It doesn't mention any of this in the FAQs. It is a pretty big blunder if you can only use 4 devices on your network with the white box..

avatastic
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

I've got mine set up as Modem -> Router -> Whitebox -> 8 port Gb switch -> Rest of house + Wifi APs

So it's possible to do it with an extra switch, especially if you have already invested in a Gbit lan setup.

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VileReynard
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

But since a whitebox is a switch you are feeding your internet connection through back-to-back switches which seems slightly poor.

The stats are good, for historical purposes - but not that good!

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Lurch
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing


@VileReynard wrote:

you are feeding your internet connection through back-to-back switches which seems slightly poor.


How so?

VileReynard
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

-> Whitebox -> 8 port Gb switch ->

That's two switches, back-to-back.

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Lurch
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Yep, still failing to see a problem.

VileReynard
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Perhaps you never will...

 

Moderator's note by Adie (Dvorak): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules

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Lurch
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Well, not with that attitude. It isn't a problem and I would imagine (as you don't seem to want to reveal your thought process or misunderstanding of the situation) that you will never see it as not being a problem.

avatastic
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Considering the 8 port Gig switch also connects to other switches around the house, like the 4 port Gb switch in the lounge for the TV, PC, printer and guests, my setup is always going to have more than one switch.

They have uplink ports for a reason, and for me that reason is not having to run half a dozen cables in to the living room when one will suffice.

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PeeGee
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

Every switch introduces a propagation delay, albeit small. Cascade enough switches and you will get time-outs before acknowledgements. How many switches are needed to cause a problem is a black art (and is also dependent upon the amount of data traffic and routing) Shocked

Uplink ports in small switches often means the connections are not auto MDI/MDI-X (and the port is often cross-wired to the adjacent port), for larger switches they are often Gb for a 24-way Fast switch. Note that I have not "used" such units for 10+ years.

Phil

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Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.
Lurch
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

@avatastic wrote:

Considering the 8 port Gig switch also connects to other switches around the house, like the 4 port Gb switch in the lounge for the TV, PC, printer and guests, my setup is always going to have more than one switch.

Which isn't really going to cause any issues unless you have loads of old/rubbish switches cascaded with crappy cabling. How many switches does the traffic pass through at the other end through the datacentre, and in the exchange etc?

@avatastic wrote:

They have uplink ports for a reason, and for me that reason is not having to run half a dozen cables in to the living room when one will suffice.

Don't think any of mine have uplink ports, these haven't been common on switches for many years as they are mostly auto switching now.


@PeeGee wrote:

Every switch introduces a propagation delay, albeit small. Cascade enough switches and you will get time-outs before acknowledgements. How many switches are needed to cause a problem is a black art (and is also dependent upon the amount of data traffic and routing) Shocked


See above, I would be amazed if there any of these problems with any half decent switches nowadays.


@PeeGee wrote:

Uplink ports in small switches often means the connections are not auto MDI/MDI-X (and the port is often cross-wired to the adjacent port), for larger switches they are often Gb for a 24-way Fast switch. Note that I have not "used" such units for 10+ years.


Again, see above, any decent switch made in the last few years will be auto MDI/MDI-X so if it has an uplink port it is an old switch.

So as I have been saying, it isn't a problem to cascade switches. If you are using old hardware and you personally cannot use multiple switches as your network is patched up using flaky equipment then that is fine, but you cannot publicly announce that this is the standard way of doing things.

VileReynard
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Re: SamKnows Whitebox performance testing

My point was that introducing unnecessary switches can only cause extra propagation delays - it can never reduce them.

Modern routers/switches (no matter how cheap) always have auto MDI/MDI-X, so you use any port as an uplink port using any type of cable. Incidentally since my white box had 100Mb ports any connection to a Gb switch will be downgraded to 100Mb for that port.

My complaint was the obvious one of increased latency.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."