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BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

danludlow
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BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

The BTW Performance Test has been returning about half the download speed that other speed tests achieve for the last two days. Can it not be repaired and kept reliable?

Is there an alternative? 

It's very useful for checking current profile, but very disconcerting when you show red lines. Also, the advice that it might be useful to contact your ISP will give many extra work whilst blocking needier cases.

14 REPLIES 14
danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

I've just run more tests using the BTW Performance Tester, and the ONLY reliable figure I get is the current IP Profile on my line!

Best effort test is under-reading dreadfully, showing less than half my profile speed on Downlink, and Red lined. Using any other speed tester shows that I am close to or on my profile speed Down. Uplink on the BT tester is arguably about right but always less than other testers. in any case, its always green lined.

Considering that there is advice to contact your ISP if you are outside the acceptable range, this must add to their headaches unnecsasarily, and will be blocking punters with genuine problems. PlusNet must be a big enough customer to demand that BTW put their tester right surely?

It has been reading wrongly most of this week, and one assumes that BTW must have been aware from the start, so why leave it broken?

MattyC
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

What sort of speeds have you been seeing compared to other tests?

ex-Plusnet staffer. Any posts after 28/07/2017 aren't on behalf of Plusnet
danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Roughly half, occassionally about 65% , then I repeat the test and that then returns half. Unlike most tests that under-read  and improve with a repeat BTW just seems to stick or get worse.

Like I say, the only useful information is that shows your current profile, which is a clue.

MattyC
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Be interested to hear if there's any further reports of this. Unable to replicate the issue at the moment, though I'll see if there's a pathway that it can be reported.

ex-Plusnet staffer. Any posts after 28/07/2017 aren't on behalf of Plusnet
Andrue
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

The BTW test has always underreported my upstream (it reports 16Mb/s whereas other testers and my own tests say in excess of 18Mb/s) but the upstream has usually been in the ballpark.

danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Tested again just now, pics attached.

Is there any way that I can be connected at a speed that cannot be used by all applications?

Anotherone
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Not exactly sure what you mean by this


@danludlow wrote:
Is there any way that I can be connected at a speed that cannot be used by all applications?

You should be able to achieve speeds close to your IP Profile, assuming that there's no congestion or any other program or anyone else hogging your connection.

If there isn't and it's only the BTw Tester giving the issue (and it's 24/7) then there's clearly a problem with the specific Speedtest Server at BT that you are connecting with. If @MattyC can't find out how to pursue this, pehaps he can have a word with some of the former members of the DCT who dealt with this sort of issue all too frequently over a year or two back.

If you want to try some other fairly reliable tests on the speed of your connection, downloading some fixed size files from Thinkbroadband is probably a good option.

danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Just to bring up to speed, today's BTW Performance Test is normal. Speeds shown are close to profile and close to Ookla's Speedtest, for the first time in nearly a fortnight. Nothing has changed that I know of, but something must have. Maybe the guy with the hammer hit it in just the right place to free it up?!!

Whatever, pleased to see it normal again, was starting to doubt my connection as I tried to puzzle it out, yet connection has always shown to be good.

Anotherone
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Perhaps we should start a sweepstake on whether we will find out if Plusnet managed to pursue this with BTw Roll_eyes

danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

It's doing it again. I get 43Mbps Down with OOkla, but only 15Mbps Down shown on BTW Performance test, almost 1/3 of the actual speed I suspect. I used another speed test to verify that OOkla isn't vastly overreading.

What is going on with BTW Performance test? Does it indicate that my speeds are adversely affected attached to BT equipment? Is the BT equipment itself faulty and affecting delivered speeds by applying unrealistic profiles?

Doesn't give me much confidence in the system.

Anotherone
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

I'm coming to the conclusion that the BT Tester may be currently borked or there is congestion on some parts of the network Huh

Are you getting similar results with the TBB Speedtest and also speedtest.net?

danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Yes, both of those are testing very similar.

rongtw
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

works perfect for me

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samsung 850evo 250gig , WD black 2 TB . Asus Phoebus sound ,
16 gig Avexir ram 2400 , water cooling Corsair H100i gtx ,
Corsair 750HXI Psu , Phanteks Enthoo pro case .
danludlow
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Re: BTW Performance Test Massively underreading?

Today the BTW Performance Tester is broadly in line with OOkla again. Coincidence, perhaps. Speeds are reasonable too.