Internet Bandwidth (speed)

As some of you may have noticed, the server has been down for hours at a time during this last week. I have been getting my Internet from Verizon FiOS for about nine months now. Last week I had them turn on the TV service which included better Internet service. This has been nothing short of problems. In my warped little mind, it should have been as simple as "hook up a box and go home". But, after three different service technicians, countless hours of their time at my house, countless hours of my time on the phone with tech support, and them changing every piece of equipment three times, it seems to be done.

I am paying for 25 Mb/s download and 25 Mb/s upload. (25 Mega bits per second). When I had cable from Time-Warner I was paying for 5 Mb/s down and 500 Kb/s up.

That's 25/25 compared to 5/0.5. Both charge the same price per month. Time-Warner is "cable" while Verizon FiOS is "fiber optic".

My complaint to Verizon was that I thought I was not getting what I was paying for. For nine months I was paying for 15/15 and getting 15/15. With the "upgrade" to 25/25 and using the same testing tools, my results were less than the 15/15 I had been getting. Verizon has their own "tool" and it won't work with Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 8. My server uses Windows 2000 and gives me a terrible report (it showed 15/15 when I was paying for 15/15).

Basically, Fiber Optic to the consumer is so new that everybody is still learning the new stuff. I feel like a Beta Tester. Beta Testers usually get free stuff. Where is my free stuff?

There are only two tools that show my bandwidth near what I pay for.
http://www.speedtest.net/index.php
http://myspeed.visualware.com/

Now that I'm done bitching, I thought it might be interesting to see what bandwidth others are getting. Use whatever means you want and post a blurb here with your best results. Are you getting what you're paying for? Most ISP's don't want to tell you what you're paying for, so you may have a rough time finding the truth.

To explain bandwidth some:
Dial-up: is rated at 56k. In the USA, the FCC has capped it at 52k. This "56k" is shared between both download and upload. That means that if you're downloading at 40k, you have 16k available for upload.

DSL and Cable (broadband): No upper cap, goes as fast as the hardware can go. Direction is not shared. The ISP uses a throttle to limit your speed. In the fine-print of your contract is the "speed" they are selling you. A typical DSL number will be 1.5 Mb/s down and 256 Kb/s up.

T1 and T3 type connections: These are normally reserved for commercial accounts and are hundreds of dollars per month. Bandwidth is shared, down and up. If you pay for 10 Mb and are uploading 8 Mb to clients, you have 2 Mb left for download.

Verizon FiOS: This is FIBER OPTIC to the consumer. It is treated like DSL or Cable with guaranteed down/up speeds. Like Cable, maxing your download speed does not compromise your upload speed. The ISP can and will throttle back your connection unless you pay more money. Toss enough money their way and they will let you run wide-open.

Contrary to popular belief (spread by the ISP's), UPLOAD SPEED MATTERS. If you're on the WEB, it is constantly a two-way communication with one server or another. You click a link asking for a download or a new page, your request can't go "UP" any faster than your upload speed. While downloading a big file, you probably get bored and start "surfing" to find that things are slow, sluggish, LAGGY. You might blame your own computer for being old and slow. Most likely it is your upload speed that has been compromised.

While that big file is coming in, it comes in what is called "packets". Your computer is talking to the server, "I am ready for the next packet", "The last packet was damaged, please resend".

And you are asking for a new web page. This sets up a new set of packets and communication. Granted, you are using more download traffic than up, but, it is the "up" that is congested.
TRAFFIC JAM - RUSH HOUR
Most any old computer can keep up with the Internet.

The other thing that I have found is that not all hardware is the same. They all make the same claims, but they don't all perform as claimed. I own as much of my own hardware as I can. When I had cable from Time-Warner, I could double what they claimed they were selling.

Let's not overlook the countless unknown variables in the Internet. You don't know what the server is capable of, or how busy it is. You don't know how many connections between you and "The Server". I found a tool the could count Internet "hops" and counted 13 connections to a server that was 50 miles away. You don't know how many others are on the web in your area, or one of the "hops" your going through.

I know most computer users don't need to be as involved as I am. I kind have to cause I run a server (and I kind of like it). But don't you want to know if your getting what your paying for?