# Is my internet speed as crappy as I think it is? Please test yours and check in **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974 "2017-06-03T01:28:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/21 "2017-06-03T07:11:14Z")
I got 6.0, but I’m in Australia with a shitty copper wire system from the ancient days of 1930 still persisting, rotted away by weather and rust and never updated. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/22 "2017-06-03T07:36:45Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Is that megabits? If so. ☹ It is indeed. 3.6 is a bit under the odds even for here - I tried again just then and got 5. But still… As far as I know the absolute fastest internet speed anyone is currently offering anywhere in the country is 100Mbps. Our area still needs to use ADSL - I’d rate us as medium-lowish in local terms. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/23 "2017-06-03T07:57:03Z")
Your ISP should be able to help. It could be as simple as changing the channel if you’re on wifi and it’s getting interference. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/24 "2017-06-03T08:15:28Z")
1.6 On the other hand, I don’t pay income tax so I got that going for me. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/25 "2017-06-03T14:08:41Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > On [fast.com](https://fast.com/) my speeds range from 8.7 to 11 Mbps. I think that’s pretty horrible, yes? > > Secondary question: If I call and complaint to my ISP, are they likely to have the ability to improve my internet speed in some way without bumping (selling) me up to another level? > > I’d be interested in seeing what speeds you all are attaining on this site. > mmm A lot of times, companies will have deals or discounts that existing customers can get. You just have to ask for it–they already have you, so they’re not going to bother to tell you about such things. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/26 "2017-06-03T14:24:53Z")
Mine is 52 Mbps with a seven year old laptop, 161 Mbps with a one year old phone. That’s over WiFi on both. I’m paying for 150 Mbps. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/27 "2017-06-03T14:26:48Z")
Last time I checked, 942 megabits down, 1002 megabits up. I’ll pause for a second for you all to take that in. Google Fiber is freaking awesome! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/28 "2017-06-03T14:35:58Z")
Download 100, upload 119. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/29 "2017-06-03T14:55:49Z")
The link the OP provided isn’t very good. The one I use gives you an analysis after your speed test so you actually know what the numbers mean and what you should be capable of. Can’t provide a link because it just appears as a pop up box if you Google “Speed test”. I’m getting 70 and paying for 65. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/30 "2017-06-03T15:25:14Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > The link the OP provided isn’t very good. > > The one I use gives you an analysis after your speed test so you actually know what the numbers mean and what you should be capable of. > > Can’t provide a link because it just appears as a pop up box if you Google “Speed test”. > > I’m getting 70 and paying for 65. The link in the OP is run by Netflix. I use that as a check because if your ISP is also your cable television provider there is an incentive for them to degrade your Netflix experience compared to your normal internet browsing capability. If [Speedtest.net](http://Speedtest.net) shows you a significantly higher speed than [fast.com](http://fast.com) does your provider may be throttling Netflix. I know I’m paranoid, but I worry that I’m not paranoid enough. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/31 "2017-06-03T15:29:14Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I got 5.2 but I have DSL and live way out in the country. I can still stream Netflix and don’t know what I’d do with 190 - 210 Mbps. Neither do 95% of the people who have it. It’s an essentially useless upsell that makes providers more money for, mostly, nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/32 "2017-06-03T16:12:10Z")
Fast says I’m at 29. Speedtest says 29 download, 4.75 upload. I’m in San Diego, on AT&T residential cable. They charge too damn much money every month…but I’ve got no complaints about the actual quality of service. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/33 "2017-06-03T16:27:14Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Neither do 95% of the people who have it. It’s an essentially useless upsell that makes providers more money for, mostly, nothing. Hearthstone is smooth with the gigabit service. What’s needed for 4k HDR streaming with no compression though? > [@Bill\_Door](#): > > The link in the OP is run by Netflix. I use that as a check because if your ISP is also your cable television provider there is an incentive for them to degrade your Netflix experience compared to your normal internet browsing capability. If [Speedtest.net](http://Speedtest.net) shows you a significantly higher speed than [fast.com](http://fast.com) does your provider may be throttling Netflix. > > I know I’m paranoid, but I worry that I’m not paranoid enough. Can cable companies do that? That’d be awful. > [@gaffa](#): > > Last time I checked, 942 megabits down, 1002 megabits up. > > I’ll pause for a second for you all to take that in. > > Google Fiber is freaking awesome! I can’t get that on [fast.com](http://fast.com). On [Internet Speed Test – AT&T Official Site](http://speedtest.att.com/speedtest/) I get higher results than [fast.com](http://fast.com). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/34 "2017-06-03T16:41:06Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Fast says I’m at 29. > Speedtest says 29 download, 4.75 upload. > > I’m in San Diego, on AT&T residential cable. > > They charge too damn much money every month…but I’ve got no complaints about the actual quality of service. I can’t work out AT&T in San Diego. They don’t seem to have very much coverage. I live at the very north end of North Park, just north of Adams Avenue near the 805, and AT&T is not even an option for me. I check every now and then, on their website, but their website says that the fastest internet package they have available here is 1.5 mbps. These days, that might as well be dial-up. I’m in a relatively new building (\<20 years old) in a comfortable middle-class neighborhood, about four miles from downtown, in the eighth-largest city in the richest country in the world, and i have exactly one viable choice when it comes to getting internet service. For me, it’s Cox or nothing. So much for the marvels of competitive capitalism. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/35 "2017-06-03T17:18:33Z")
I am paying for 3 Mbps (DSL) and that’s what I get. I am going to upgrade soon to 12 Mbps which will be the highest speed available to me. Unfortunately, the company that provides my DSL has a monopoly on service in my area, and the only other possibility is satellite. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/36 "2017-06-03T17:19:35Z")
The OP’s link showed me at 15 Mb last night, 17 this morning, and Google gives me 16.7 down, 17.4 up. That’s from my laptop; I imagine the numbers would be slightly better from the PC that is cabled directly to my router. Since I’m paying for 15/15, that’s perfectly acceptable to me…I could get 100/100 if I wanted to pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/37 "2017-06-03T18:28:09Z")
33.x down and 6.x up ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/38 "2017-06-03T18:36:03Z")
I got 190 on Fast. Once upon a time I used Speedtest and it always told me I was getting 90. I’d try other tests and get better speeds but it frustrated me that Speedtest had me seemingly locked at 90. Then I realized you could pick other destinations than the one Speedtest defaults you to. Randomly clicking the map had me testing from Chicago to San Diego and I got the full score all the other sites were giving me. Pretty much my local server/node was the issue, not me or my connection. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/39 "2017-06-03T19:21:13Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > What’s needed for 4k HDR streaming with no compression though? And how many full-spectrum 4K streaming sites are there? Or likely to be? HD streaming is about 6mbps max. Which means that three people can stream without buffering issues and a little headroom on standard 24-25mbps service. 4K is 12-15mbps, which means two people can simul-stream with only occasional hiccups. Until even compressed 4K becomes more widely available and there’s even some time with more than one viewer pulling it down at a time, 24-25mbps is more than fast enough for nearly all residential users. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974/40 "2017-06-03T19:38:18Z")
23.6 down, 2.3 up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-internet-speed-as-crappy-as-i-think-it-is-please-test-yours-and-check-in/787974.md?page=3)