PCFormat Forum Archive

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...

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.

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)

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Synthesis wrote:

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.

Please, honestly, read this

Edit: And this

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.

Here is my result...

Synthesis wrote: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...

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...

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

maxxis wrote: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

DreamStar wrote: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.