I need an honest opinion regarding 'Helkom'...

[VinceThePrince]

I have spoken to them (Telkom for those still guessing), and have been promised things which I doubt are true...

I currently have a 4mb ADSL line from them... and I have unshaped bandwidth from Axxess... my problem is this... I don't think my download speeds reflect a 4mb line... unfortunately though... I am the only one in my group of friends that has a 4mb line, so I have no-one/nothing to compare to it to...

I currently have a "Top Download" speed of around 380kb/s... surely it should be higher...?

Would it get less if I downgraded my line speed to 1mb?

Any help you can give will be appreciated...

[maxxis]

Thats about right

Keep in mind that the line is a 4 megabit line and not a 4 megabyte line.

4 megabit/s = 512 kilobyte/s

Your theoretical max download speed would be 512 kilobyte per second.

Your line is currently operating at 3 megabit

Hope this helps.

[DarkStar]

Always subtract about 15-20% overhead (may be less? Correct me if I'm wrong).

So.... THe maths says:
4096/8 = 512KB - 15% = 435KB/s.

Try running the speed test at http://games.saix.net/bandwidthmeter.php

Hope this helps. (As well)

[WiK1d]

You're downloading at 380kb/s and you want to moan?

[VinceThePrince]

Thanks maxxis and DarkStar... that makes a little bit more sense... although I have just lost my lunch at having to paying R413 p/m to Helkom for a 512kb download speed... (always thought that was what you would get on a 512 line...)

Wik1d... When you are expecting to get 3mb/sec download speeds... 380kb feels like you are getting robbed (which, imho, I think we are any way)... hehehe

[Synthesis]

Just ran it now for you and this is with other PC's on the network currently using bandwidth and downloading etc. So it's not 100% accurate. But yeah, it's a standard shaped 4MB line from Posix.

[VinceThePrince]

*noob didn't wait for the pic to download*

3400kb/s.... Now why can't I get download speeds like that???

[Synthesis]

I'm thinking you have a 4MB line from Telkom but only a 512Kb package from Axxes? How much are you paying Axxes?

[RuadRauFlessa]

Just ran it now for you and this is with other PC's on the network currently using bandwidth and downloading etc. So it's not 100% accurate. But yeah, it's a standard shaped 4MB line from Posix.

Actually that is about right. I get more or less the same on my line.

[WiK1d]

Please, honestly, read this

Edit: And this

[Synthesis]

VinceThePrince, lets do WiK1d a favour. go to www.speedtest.net and give it a go. After it lets you post your result as an image, like mine. (yes there are other threads about it) then post it back here. Maybe you ARE getting 380KB/s and you missed typed it.

[VinceThePrince]

Here is my result...

[VinceThePrince]

I'm thinking you have a 4MB line from Telkom but only a 512Kb package from Axxes? How much are you paying Axxes?

I have 2 accounts with them... the accounts used above is on a Semi-Shaped bandwidth package (shaped during office hours, unshaped after)... No line speed throttling... as I get my line from Telkom...

[VinceThePrince]

According Telkoms website... I'm on the Fastest DSL up to 4096kbps package... so that makes everyone kind of right... I have 500kb per second line... true speed...

[VinceThePrince]

Here is another speed test to USA --> Dallas, Texas... just to test international speed.... (Only thing seriously affected is Ping rate)

[DreamStar]

Thats about right

Keep in mind that the line is a 4 megabit line and not a 4 megabyte line.

4 megabit/s = 512 kilobyte/s

Your theoretical max download speed would be 512 kilobyte per second.

Your line is currently operating at 3 megabit

Hope this helps.

I have been sucked here i thought i was downloading in megabytes

[Ron2K]

I have been sucked here i thought i was downloading in megabytes

Erm, no.

MB/s = megabytes per second
Mbps = megabits per second

That's a subtle but important difference.

What you should note that parallel communication speeds are measured in bytes per second (due to 8 bits being sent down the wires at the same time), while serial communication speeds are measured in bits per second due to a single bit being transmitted at a time. Every single Layer 1 transmission method that I know of is serial.