BT Speedtester - is it broken?

[#1]

This morning I decided to try again - 8.40 approx. First tried the www.speedtester.bt.com address. Gave me a downstream configured speed of 350 k and a 'technical issue' error message for upstream, so I'm afraid I gave up and didn't wait for the results, which, whatever they were, would have been nonsense.
I then tried speedtester.bt.com (without the www.) at 8.45.
Closer this time:
Your configured download throughput speed for this service is 7131 k
Your configured upload throughput speed for this service is 888 k
though this is not what PN has as my IP profile, which is 8000

My router tells me my connection speeds are:
Downstream 9175 kbps    Upstream 1187 kbps
Speedtester gives:


1. Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.

Download Speed  6581 Kbps      7150 Kbps Max Achievable Speed
Download speed achieved during the test was - 6581 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speedsis 1000-7150 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :5820 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 888 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 7131 Kbps
The throughput of Best Efforts (BE) classes achieved during the test is - 17.17:23.04:59.79 (SBE:NBE:PBE)
These figures represent the ratio while sententiously passing Sub BE, Normal BE and Priority BE marked traffic.
The results of this test will vary depending on the way your ISP has decided to use these traffic classes.

2. Upstream Test:  -provides background information.

Upload Speed 966 Kbps    888 Kbps Max Achievable Speed
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 966 Kbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 888 Kbps

[#2]

another good one  

[#3]

Have just got off a call with our BT account manager, the speedtester devs and some other key stakeholders and I'm pleased to say that it looks like we're now making some progress
A number of the examples I've provided were investigated on the call and it's looking suspiciously like the culprit is a software release that was rolled out on the 12th. That coincides with when this thread was started as well as similar threads on BT's forums and the Zen forum on TBB.
I've another call early Monday afternoon, so will report back once the devs have had the opportunity to do some digging...

[#4]

Have tried the tester thre times this morning all with the same result (attached). Perhaps the tester has been disabled while it is being repaired?

[#5]

I've tried both addresses this morning (with and without www.) and got that same message from both, even though the initial page is still saying:
LATEST: No known system problems at the current time.

[#6]

http://www.speedtester.bt.com/ has just worked for me.

[#7]

Quote from: jelv

http://www.speedtester.bt.com/ has just worked for me.

Jelv, believe you are on 20CN, the problem seem to be limited to 21CN WBC connections like mine and I'm seeing the Test Error screen.

[#8]

A distinct possibility - I am on 20CN.
Has anyone on 21CN succeeded in running a test and has anyone on 20CN who normally can run a test seen a failure?
Another possibility: There must be multiple speedtest servers - I wonder is it only affects people in particular parts of the country. I'm near Brighton and connect via the Kingston RAS.

[#9]

I have just run a test on 21CN. It had been rejecting the phone number earlier in the day as others have reported but at about 1115 a test did complete. The answers were as expected except for a very low DS profile given as 2500kb/s, PN has this as 8000kb/s the correct value for a sync of 9199kb/s. For now I would treat this thing with some caution, until PN tell us it really is fixed.

[#10]

Having an actual downstream speed which is higher than your profile is impossible, so if this is what it said it's still broken!

[#11]

Tried again, once on the www. address and then on the non-www. address.
Both are wrong for configured download speed but in different directions! PN profile is currently 8000 (but I expect it to go down to 7150 soon as my router's wireless connection went unresponsive this a.m., so I had to reboot it and it synced a little lower than previously). Upload is correct now.
On www. 11.38 start
Your configured download throughput speed for this service is 10000 k
Your configured upload throughput speed for this service is 1159 k
On non www. 11.44 start
Your configured download throughput speed for this service is 350 k
Your configured upload throughput speed for this service is 1159 k
On www. 11.38 start
1. Best Effort Test:
Download Speed 6218 Kbps   Max Achievable Speed 21000 Kbps
Download speed achieved during the test was - 6218 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 2000-21000 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :9007 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 1159 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 10000 Kbps
The throughput of Best Efforts (BE) classes achieved during the test is - 16.85:27.67:55.48 (SBE:NBE:PBE)
On non www. 11.44 start
1. Best Effort Test:
Download Speed 3423 Kbps   Max Achievable Speed 500 Kbps
Download speed achieved during the test was - 3423 Kbps
For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 100-500 Kbps.
Additional Information:
Your DSL Connection Rate :9007 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 1159 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP Profile for your line is - 350 Kbps
The throughput of Best Efforts (BE) classes achieved during the test is - 6.34:33.89:59.76 (SBE:NBE:PBE)
On both addresses
2. Upstream Test:
Upload Speed 954 Kbps   Max Achievable Speed 1159 Kbps
Upload speed achieved during the test was - 954 Kbps
Additional Information:
Upstream Rate IP profile on your line is - 1159 Kbps
BTW just in case it has any bearing on the tests, I'm in North London. Also ADSL2+ 21CN

[#12]

Just to say that out here in the styx (rural west gloucestershire) where things are primitive, over a period of six weeks and many ups and downs of speeds and noises and all, I have not sensed any mismatch between BT's speedtest (1) and either my intuition or results of other speed testers.

[#13]

Are you on ADSL2+ 21CN ('cos those connections seem to be the ones that are getting wrong results)?

[#14]

Just 21CN - I am not on ADSL2

[#15]

Sorry Jim, I was asking Woodsider as his/her tests aren't affected.
Do you mean you're on 20CN and getting stupid results from the speedtester? Several people were saying it was confined to 21CN or maybe I got that wrong and it was just the error messages this morning.