On Mon, 18 Feb 2002, Jerry Feldman wrote: > Broadband speeds can vary depending on traffic on your loop.
Good point. I was thinking in terms of DSL, which is point-to-point, from subscriber to CO. Cable Internet is a shared medium. There is no way to isolate one subscriber from everyone else. If there is a problem with Cable ISPs over-subscribing their cable data segments, that will affect performance as well. > Good broadband carriers limit the number of subscribers on a single area. Of course, if all ISPs were "good", we would not be having this discussion. :-) > But, measuring inside the ISP does nothing to measure their connection to > the Internet. So, I maintain that testing bandwidth between your system > and one of the various bandwidth sites is a reasonable test ... The problem with those things is that there are so many variables which can affect them: ISP network quality, immediate ISP demand, route to test server, general Internet conditions, immediate load on test server, latency, packet loss, etc, etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Sure, those tests will give you a number, but it does not tell you anything about *why* you got the number you did. If all you want is a warm fuzzy, then sure, go for it. :) But if you want data that actually tells you something about the networks involved, you need more detailed measurements. -- Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | The opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not | | necessarily represent the views or policy of any other person, entity or | | organization. All information is provided without warranty of any kind. | ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
