Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Do You Know Your Broadband Speed?

Do you remember when that jumbo postcard came in the mail from your local Time-Warner Cable affiliate and it had all those impressive sounding numbers on the front? Do you know what they were? Some figure of mbps or kbps or something like that, right? Or, when you signed your service level agreement (SLA) with your current broadband provider, do you have any idea what speeds you're contractually guaranteed? Moreover, are you getting what you paid for?

The FCC thinks not. Or, at least, they think the consumer public needs to know for sure. We commented last week on a push by the FCC to label broadband speeds. Since then, the FCC has upped their push even more. Yesterday, they asked 10,000 Americans to participate in a nation-wide study to know the broadband speeds (see www.testmyisp.com for details).

Actually, these tests (albeit slightly less sophisticated than what the FCC may offer) exist all over the Internet. So, if your curiosity has been stoked the FCC's urging and you now want to know for certain, follow these steps:

Know what you're entitled to. When you signed up for broadband, you received a Service Level Agreement (SLA) from your vendor. If you did not keep it, or cannot find it, a copy can be provided to you upon request. Among other things, this agreement will let you know the level of service, i.e. the speed of broadband connection, you should receive.
Create a Comparison Chart. In Excel, create a spreadsheet with 8 columns and 5 rows. Your first 8 columns will be for storing two metrics--upload and download--from 3 different tests. Then, in the 7th column and 8th column, you will average the results from all three. The 5 rows will be for storing those metrics at 5 different times throughout the day.
Test From Three Sources. It is IMPORTANT that you test from multiple sources as the accuracy of free web-based testers may vary. A sampling of three different tests at 6 times throughout the day will be enough to tell you whether you have something to squalk about to your vendor. Here are three FREE tests you can run (note: be sure to convert results to a common unit in your spreadsheet. Some display kbps whereas other display mbps)
Test Throughout the Day. Unless you have an SLA that's different from most, your broadband provider probably promises an average speed above a certain mark, not a permanent speed above a certain mark. This means that if your speed drops slightly at 3pm when all the local kids get off the bus and get onto Facebook, that's outside the provider's control. So, to get a good sampling, I recommend testing at the following 5 times:
- 8:10 AM - when usage spike from employee arrival & login is highest
- 10:00 AM - an average workload
- 12:30 PM - a below-average load over lunch break
- 3:00 PM - an average workload, but commonly compounded by residential users on the same network (note: this is irrelevant for dedicated t1 subscribers)
- 5:30 PM - a below-average load after hours
Get the overall average. Get the overall average of each time, and from all 3 testers, and compare that number against what you expect from your provider.

Chances are, you're going to find that your speeds are up-to-par with what you purchased. In that event, there is still one more thing to consider: are you purchasing what you need. Many people are not in the correct solution for their needs simply out of an uninformed buying decision. If your speeds are still insufficient for your business despite meeting the SLA requirements, talk to Accel Networks about what sort of solution you should be looking for.

In the event you find that your numbers incriminate your provider, don't call the feds yet. Don't panic. Remember, this was an in-house test using free resources. First, check your math. Second, contact your provider with your findings and allow them to explain. Maybe they're aware of some service interruptions that day and ask you to test again tomorrow. Or, maybe... juuuust maybe, they'll send a tech out to your location with their equipment to perform a highly accurate test. Rest assured, if they value their license, they'll fix the problem.

Labels: Broadband, Broadband Speed, FCC, Service Level Agreement (SLA)