Hi,
I have been concerned about my internet speeds since my line installation just over a month ago. I have a 630mbs line and the router reports that the line is setup for that speed. However, when I run speed tests via a web browser the fastest speed I have achieved is 315mbs, less than half the line speed.
All tests are conducted using Speedtest.net against Vodafone's Watford server for consistency.
In all cases the devices I am testing with have GB ethernet ports are are connected via Cat6 cable, less than 50cm in length to the router. Testing is not via Wifi as there are too many other factors which influence speeds.
I have tested from a Win10 device, HP Folio 9470m using Chrome, Edge and Firefox, all provide similar results.
Additionally I have tested from a Raspberry Pi4 4gb using Chromium and Firefox and once again receive similar results, ranging from 180mbs to ~290mbs.
To contrast these tests I have used the Speedtest Win10 native app and on the Raspberry Pi, deployed the speedtest CLI version.
Neither of these tools use ports 80/443 to test, but a socker connection. In both of these cases, I am able to receive the full bandwidth of the line, ranging between ~500mbs and ~600mbs.
For purposes of comparison, I have run similar browser based test againt fast.com (Netlfix) and Google Fibre speed test, all of which provide similar performance to the speedtest browser based tests.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what would cause such a wide discepency between a socket based test and a browser based test? Consider that different hardware, browsers and OS were used to test.
The browser is unlikely to create such a high overhead that it would almost half the speed of the connection. My other theory is that traffic is being shaped, however Virgin state that no shaping is taking place on these lines.
Any other testing methods, approaches and suggestions would be appreciated.
I have raised a ticket with the helpdesk team and this is being addressed separately; the purpose of this post is to see whether others are experiencing similar speed related issues and may have come up with a solution.
